School Committee Reorganizes, Prepares to Move Forward

The Needham School Committee met Tuesday night for the first time since the recent election, and if their first few votes as a body are any indication—all decisions were unanimous—this dedicated group of seven may be united in their vision for the .

After being re-elected to his third term on the board on April 12, Michael Greis was back at the table Tuesday along with newly elected member Kim Marie Nicols.

The meeting began with outgoing committee chairwoman Connie Barr thanking her colleagues by saying what an honor it had been to serve in the position and help things move forward.

Committee member Joseph Barnes then nominated Marianne Cooley to be the new chairperson, which was approved unanimously. Committee member Bill Paulson nominated Heidi Black to be the vice chairwoman, and that was a unanimous decision as well. Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst will be the executive secretary.

As required by law, a public hearing on school choice—the decision of whether to allow out-of district students to attend Needham schools—was held. Gutekanst recommended against it, and the School Committee unanimously agreed with him.

It was also a night of recognition, as ’s newly crowned state champion Dance Team was honored. The coaches and about a dozen members of the team stood before the committee as praise was heaped upon them, not only for their dancing prowess, but for their academic abilities as well. The team had also received an award from the MIAA for their academic achievement, with all members having a GPA of at least 3.25.

The also addressed the School Committee, announcing the grants that they would be distributing. More than $26,000 in grants will be given out for various uses in the Needham school system.

A good amount of time was also spent on the improvement plan. The plan has been shortened and simplified in the hopes of getting more people to read it. It has also become a three-year plan, expected to be completed in the year 2014.

A three-year contract was approved for Needham’s regular transportation services. Michael J. Connolly & Sons was the only bidder and was awarded the contract. Because they were the only bidder, it enabled Needham to negotiate more with them. The final contract was for $2,919,839.

Of note: While it was not discussed during the meeting, Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst was asked after the meeting about the ongoing search to replace Principal Glenn Brand, who is leaving to become Sharon’s assistant superintendent for finance and administration. Gutekanst said that the deadline to accept applications had just closed this week.

“We’re working right now putting together an interview team,” he said. “I’m hopeful. It’s a challenge. There aren’t a lot of qualified folks who are applying for school leadership positions. It’s a great position, so I’m hoping there are some qualified folks who apply and I’m excited about that possibility, but we’ll wait and see. Depending on how the process goes, we expect to have somebody by the end of May or early June.”