Old Rochester Regional District Business Manager Katie Isernio thanked the Marion School Committee and said goodbye to them at their meeting held on Wednesday, May 2 at Marion Town House. Isernio will be leaving the district to take the helm of a brand new district, the Monomoy District, which oversees Harwich and Chatham.
“I just want to thank all of you,” said Isernio. “You have all been a pleasure and I appreciate the support.”
The committee praised Isernio for her years of work, recovering and reviving the way the district does business. She will finish out the school year with Old Rochester before assuming her new position.
“I make a motion that we disallow you to leave,” joked School Committee Chair Brad Gordon. “We wish you the best of luck.”
In other news, the School Committee voted to adopt a set of Internet Safety Policies that will help regulate content that is viewed on school computers. These policies were established in 2000 when the Neighborhood Children’s Internet Protection Act was passed.
The committee said that the majority of inappropriate content is brought into schools from home computers. The policies outline different areas including an objective, penalties for improper use, organizational responsibility and privacy, acceptable use and personnel responsibilities.
School Choice will once again not be a part of the school district at the elementary level as the committee voted unanimously to do without it again in the fiscal year 2013. According to Superintendent Doug White, the classroom sizes at the elementary level are good and that the population is stable.
“I don’t believe we have the necessary capacity to handle School Choice,” said White.
White also said the search for Rochester Memorial’s new principal remains underway. White said in his report that several candidates visited the school in April and he decided that they did not have the necessary skills to perform the job duties. He said he has received several other promising resumes and hopes to have the position filled as soon as possible.
Another position the district is looking to fill is the Facilities Director. A committee comprised of representatives from all schools has narrowed their search to one candidate and has made a recommendation to the Superintendent to hire this individual. White said he will call the candidate in to visit each school and allow the custodians to interact with the potential hire.
The committee also voted to approve the Sippican School’s School Improvement plan for next year. The plan proposes three goals: increased academic achievement, encourage a healthy lifestyle and enhancing school climate and culture.
For increased academic achievement, the plan proposes more of an emphasis on science, technology and engineering in the classroom. It also invites family, community and student feedback on potential programs.
To promote a healthy lifestyle, the school looks to establish a Nurse’s Note webpage to alert parents of announcements. They will also look to instruct all staff members in CPR, AED, Epipen, diabetes, allergy and first aid trainings.
For enhancement in school climate and culture, the plan proposes the implementation of a safety patrol, mentoring program, cross-grade activities and bus and reading buddies.
The Marion School Committee will meet again on Wednesday, June 6 at 6:30 pm in the Marion Town House.
By Katy Fitzpatrick
