BEVERLY — Another set of eyes — nine pairs to be exact — will review Superintendent James Hayes' proposal to consolidate the elementary schools and lay off 61 employees.
The committee has about two weeks to look over the plan and make a nonbinding recommendation to the School Committee, preferably by May 14 or sooner. The first ad hoc meeting was last night.
"We're in a tight time frame," said Ward 3 School Committee member Jim Latter, who is chairman of the ad hoc committee. Although it will be a challenge to review so much information so quickly, it can't hurt, Latter said.
"Sometimes a second look will show you things you didn't see the first time," he said.
The committee evolved from a suggestion by Mayor Bill Scanlon to include members of the public in making a decision about the future of Beverly schools.
The members were chosen by the School Committee and include a parent from each elementary school. Most of the parents also have other children in either the middle school or high school so that they have a broader view of the school district, School Committee President Annemarie Cesa said. There is also a representative from the City Council and the School Committee, plus a community representative with no children currently in school.
They will look at Superintendent James Hayes' proposal to lay off 61 employees and consolidate the six elementary schools to four by turning McKeown School into a secondary alternative school and Cove School into an early childhood education center. The changes would close a $2.6 million gap between spending and revenue in next year's budget.
Opposed to the loss of two neighborhood schools and the resulting rise in class sizes, the parent group Yes for Beverly advocated for a Proposition 21/2 override, the city's first, which will be voted on in a June 3 election. If the override passes, taxes would permanently increase, and the school consolidation would be put off for a year. That would give administrators more time to further develop the consolidation plan, which many people said seemed rushed.
Hayes said the School Committee plans to vote on his proposal before residents vote on the override, so that the community knows what all the options are, and he has pushed the School Committee to make a decision soon.
Cesa said School Committee members want to hear what the ad hoc committee says before voting but plans to make a decision very soon after hearing the recommendation — possibly on the same day.
Committee members
Ayers: Todd Rotondo
Cove: Steve Galante
Centerville: Mercene Perry
Hannah: Suzanne Beaudoin
North Beverly: Mary Morency
McKeown: Kim Sammons
Chairman: Jim Latter, Ward 3 School Committee member
City Council representative: Maureen Troubetaris
Community representative: Mike Tallo
