ELECTION RESULTS: Community Preservation Act Rejected

All Stoneham incumbents won their re-election bids in Tuesday's election, although not without some close races.

UPDATE Wednesday, 10:55 a.m.: Stoneham Town Clerk Maria Sagarino said the final official numbers changed "very slightly" from Tuesday night's unofficial results. The new results are attached as a PDF in the box to the right and the article has been updated. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Community Preservation Act (CPA) isn't coming to Stoneham, and the incumbents are back in office. On Tuesday, the majority of residents who made their way to the polls voted 'no' on the CPA, which would've allowed the town to place a 1 percent surcharge on property taxes, with those funds and any matching funds from the state going to a fund specifically designated for open space, parks, recreational uses and conservation. Unofficial tallies had 51.8 percent voting…

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Report: School Committee Candidates Debate

The Stoneham Independent recaps last week's debate between the three candidates for the Stoneham School Committee in next Tuesday's election

The three candidates vying for the lone seat up for grabs on the Stoneham School Committee faced off in a StonehamTV forum last week, the Stoneham Independent reports. Incumbent Jeanne Craigie and challengers Caroline Colarusso and Julianne DeSimone discussed topics such as MCAS scores, high school accreditation, Stoneham Schools' rankings compared to nearby communities, redistricting and the high school's graduation rate, among other topics, the Independent reported. Read the full report from the debate on the Stoneham Independent.

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Letter: Vote Caroline Colarusso for Stoneham School Committee

A Stoneham resident writes in support of Colarusso's candidacy.

'3-School' Redistricting Model Approved by School Committee

The Stoneham Independent reports that last Thursday the Stoneham School Committee voted 3-2 in favor for a plan that will have grades 1-4 at the South, Robin Hood and Colonial Park schools, and pre-kindergarten and kindergarten at Colonial Park.

The Stoneham School Committee voted 3-2 last Thursday in favor of an elementary school redistricting plan that's closest to the current model of neighborhood schools, the Stoneham Independent reports. The redistricting is necessary after voters last year approved a debt exclusion for for an estimated $40 million new Middle School project, which involves converting the existing Central Elementary School into the Central Middle School for grades 5-8. A report last fall by the Stoneham Elementary Redistricting Committee also said redistricting could include opportunities to improve educational programs and eliminate class size disparities. The '3-School Model' approved by the School Committee last Thursday will have Grades K-4 at the Colonial…

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will Stoneham's Candidates Debate?

Stoneham will hold its town election on Tuesday, April 2, 2013—here's when you can hear directly from the candidates.

Stoneham will hold its town election on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, with the election finalized at town meeting on May 6. So when can voters hear from the candidates themselves? Stoneham TV will again host "Meet the Candidates Nights"—two forums where the candidates of the contested races to answer questions from the media. The forums will be held at Stoneham TV and are as follows: School Committee Candidates and Board of Assessors Board of Selectmen and Town Moderator

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Jeanne E. Craigie

7:31 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013

Cindy that is a great question? Citizens can come to the TV station there are always chairs set up,however, the format has not be interactive for many years. It is a panel from the media with a Moderator. I think questions can be written but no guarantee they will be asked. The other issue I can speak to is the High School auditorium can not do live TV. The debate could be taped than shown on our…   more ›

You Ask, Patch Answers

Who's Running for Stoneham Town Office?

Nominations papers are currently available for the town election on Tuesday, April 2. So who has pulled papers so far to run?

Stoneham will hold its town election on Tuesday, April 2, 2013, with the election finalized at town meeting on May 6, and nomination papers are available for interested registered voters to run for any of the positions currently up in Stoneham town government. Nomination papers must be taken out by Friday, Feb. 8 and returned no later than Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. with at least 50 registered voter signatures.   So who's has pulled papers so far to run for office? Stoneham Town Clerk Maria Sagarino provided Stoneham Patch with the names of residents who have taken our nomination papers to run. So far, two Board of Selectment incumbents have pulled papers, along with two challengers. Below is the election landscape so far. If you're …

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Special Education Costs Increase As Grants Disappear

Stoneham School Committee reviews FY13 budget draft.

The Stoneham School Committee braved the elements Thursday night to review the fiscal 2011 (FY11) and fiscal 2012 (FY12) budget in comparison to the projected fiscal 2013 (FY13) budget. Superintendent Les Olson called the informal budget meeting, “just a chance to have a look and begin to create a framework […] Preliminary needs seem to call for a four-hundred and fifty to sixty thousand dollar reduction to the FY13 budget.” As per the FY13 budget draft, the biggest changes come to supplying more money to staff special education and English language learners departments and refill necessary supplies. These gains come at the expense of full-time kindergarten and district-wide support like unemployment benefits. Special Ed Teachers Increase …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: School Committee Meeting

Check the "Patch Facts" column for Dec. 1.

1. School Committee meeting tonight: The School Committee will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Stoneham High School library (see agenda). 2. Board of Selectmen meeting tomorrow: The Board of Selectmen will meet at 5 p.m. Friday in Town Hall Hearing Room. Liquor licenses appear to be the main points of business, according to the agenda. 3. Coming up: Stoneham High junior attends Anti-Defamation League Leadership Mission: Stoneham’s Sean Bryan was among the 106 student delegates from across the country selected to attend the Anti-Defamation League’s 14th annual Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. The student delegates were selected for their “leadership qualities and …

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School Committee Focuses on Elementary School Initiatives

The Stoneham School Committee met with Patty Messina, Director of Elementary Education, concerning elementary school brouchers, a new online teacher's network and a state mandate surrounding English Language Learning (ELL) students.

The Stoneham School Committee met with Patty Messina, director of elementary education, Thursday night at Stoneham High School to discuss a new brochure, the creation of a new online teacher's network and also a state mandate concerning English Language Learning (ELL) students. Messina began by handing out new brochures for elementary school parents and teachers detailing elementary school education. The brouchers detail what to expect in the upcoming school year in terms of curriculum and more. The brochure will be available at the front offices throughout Stoneham in the next “few weeks,” according to Messina. An online version of the brochures will be available “later in the year.” Coincidentally, an online network for teachers was the …

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Special Education, Student Handbooks Tackled By Stoneham School Committee

The School Committee discussed several topics in preparation for the start of school year, including special education, fiscal 2012 budget, handbooks and a new scholarship.

“I'm pleased to announce we are fully staffed and ready to go for the start of the year,” happily declared Superintendent, Dr. Les Olson, at the Stoneham School Committee meeting Thursday night. Special Education Director Steven Orloff informed the school committee of a recently completed self-assessment of the Stoneham Special Education Department and mentioned a grant he is working on for more professional development seminars for special education faculty. “Teachers have expressed a desire for more professional development days to improve special education,” Orloff said, detailing the need for staff to examine MCATs testing for special education students and other ability management classes. The committee also talked about restoring the…

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