Athletic Field Use, Budget Tackled By School Committee

Discussion on the automotive program brought out an unusually large crowd at the Stoneham School Committee's meeting on April 14, but several other topics were also tackled by the committee during the session.

Two Scholarship Announcements

received a $2,500 scholarship in the memory of Stoneham native Dorothea Routhier, who died earlier this year, and a $1,000 scholarship in memory of 1960 Stoneham High School graduate Elaine Moore, who passed away shortly after she celebrated her 50^th High School graduation reunion.

School Committee member Marie Christie, also a 1960 SHS graduate, remembered Moore as one of the main forces keeping that graduating class together, citing her gregarious nature and hometown pride in acceptance of the scholarship funds.

“She bled blue, Stoneham all the way,” Christie said of Moore. “Anyone who knew her knew she was the town cheerleader; she loved this town, she loved this school and that was primarily the reason this graduating class wanted to remember her and her lifetime of achievement for the town of Stoneham.”

Final Number For School Budget Announced

While there was doubt as to what the exact figure for the fiscal 2012 Stoneham School District budget would be due to suspense over the fate of the as well as , the anticipation is now over.

Superintendent Les Olson recommended a figure of $23,300,917, which would be acted upon further at the board’s next meeting later in the month.

The budget accounts for an expected loss of 7.2 positions throughout the district, including the elimination of the elementary school Italian program, a second grade class at and other positions in elective classes at the and High Schools that will be determined later depending on what electives student choose for the 2011-12 school year.

State Athletic Association Comes Under Fire

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) wasn't seen in a favorable light by the committee and those left in the audience near the end of the meeting during a discussion regarding School District policy 5-23, which restricts use of the football field to athletic events.

Olson recommended changing the policy to discuss the use of lights for only athletic events instead of the field itself, which has already been used for graduation ceremonies in the past.

From there, the topic shifted to the MIAA’s use of the field in the past for hosting of high school athletic tournaments and tournament games at the site, where Olson told the board he believed it was no longer in the district’s best interest to allow the organization use of the field again due to the fact that the MIAA refused to share in any profits from gate receipts from events, only paying for minimal expenditures such as custodial fees.

The policy was changed to allow limited use of the field for other events, and no official action was taken by the committee regarding potential future MIAA events at the High School.