The Choice is No School Choice for Northborough

The School Committee knocked down School Choice again this year.

Considered costly and risky, Superintendent of Schools has long advocated against adopting School Choice for Northborough public schools. The Northborough School Committee unanimously agreed, voting it out at the last meeting. Each year, school committees must vote to not adopt School Choice or it will automatically be implemented. The committee has never been in favor of School Choice, "from a philosophically standpoint, as well," said Superintendent of Schools Charles Gobron. School Choice allows a fixed number of students from out of town to attend Northborough schools. With it comes $5,000 per student from the state. Gobron said the cost per pupil is presently $13,000. If School Choice were implemented, the district is committed to the…

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When is the Last Day of School in Northborough?

When do the kids get to run wild and free?

Barring any more snowstorms, snowblasts, snowthunder, heavy rain, sleet, hail or power outages, the Northborough Public Schools has its last day of school on Monday, June 24. That is a half day of school, as well. 

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Northborough Schools and Activities Canceled Friday

Blizzard Nemo has led to the closures of Northborough Public Schools.

Students from Northborough can enjoy the snow tomorrow, when their parents aren't making them shovel. Schools in the district are closed on Friday Feb. 8. Blizzard Nemo has caused cancellations across the state. Follow along with all of the storm information you can use for Northborough in our Storm Center. Don't forget to let us know what you're doing on the day off and upload your pictures to the photo gallery running tomorrow.

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PREDATOR

7:46 am on Friday, February 8, 2013

I agree...However,I heard this morning that the reason for naming the storms is so comments can be tracked via social media.   more ›

Spirit for Haiti, Marionettes, Black Out Bullying Day, Fitness and Drama

The school year is almost officially at the halfway mark and the year continues with students fundraising for a cause, watching an awesome puppet show, discussing anti-bullying, walking to school, and adding a little drama to the day.

Spirit for Haiti: Marking the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, four fifth grade students at Proctor School facilitated the Spirit for Haiti fundraiser for the month of January. Katelyn Reynolds, Lauren Earley, Katherine Lee, and Tyler Potter have been the key organizers for this event. They coordinated everything including all publicity. Assisting the people and children of Haiti is not a new thing for two of the girls. Earley’s family currently sponsors a little boy in Haiti who is an orphan and Reynolds’ mother is a nurse who travels to Haiti once a year for about two weeks with Partners in Development. Students had the opportunity to participate in fun themed Fridays for a small donation, such as Sports for …

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Salaries Drive Decision to Raise Cost of Kindergarten Tuition

The cost of kindergarten tuition is going up next year.

As part of the FY2013 Northborough schools budget, full-day kindergarten tuiton is going up to $3,000, up from $2,750 in the FY2012 budget. There is still no charge for a half-day of kindergarten. According to Superintendent Charles Gobron, Northborough has offered full-day kindergarten classes for 12 years, starting with only two classes. "We used to have a lottery that would be televised," said Gobron. "The demand grew so much that we now have only one or two half-day classes in the entire town." The town is only obligated to offer half-day classes. The rising costs of teacher salaries and aides salaries necessitated the increase, Gobron said.

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By the Numbers

How Many Kids Go to Proctor

This week's "By the Numbers" takes a look at the enrollment at the Proctor School.

Each month at the Northborough School Committee meeting, the enrollment numbers are updated and monitored to keep track of how many students are in the Northborough public schools. Last year, a huge swell in numbers at the Fannie E. Proctor School created concern, according to Principal Margaret Donohoe.   "Luckily enough, this year our class sizes are very appropriate, with a range of 16 to 23 per class," said Donohoe. :We will still continue to monitor our enrollment figures." Presently, 39 students attend kindergarten, 48 in first grade, 51 in grade two, 57 students attend grade three, 46 are in fourth and 53 are in fifth, for a total of 291. "Currently our enrollment this year is at 294," said Donohoe. "It is down from last year and …

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By the Numbers

The Cost of Textbooks

This week, Northborough Patch digs in to the school budget to tell you about the cost of books.

Taking a look at the approved FY2012 town meeting budget submitted by the Northborough Public Schools, the town approved a budget of $6,697 for the cost of textbooks for the 2012 school year. That is a 3.40 percent over 2011, which was $6,477. FY2010 was a lot more, at $11,068. Books aren't cheap. Just ask anyone who has recently purchased one for a college class. An interesting site: bigwords.com. This site is a search engine for thousands of textbook titles, and finds private and retail buyers and sellers. Some schools have switched, or entertained the idea of online textbooks. What are your thoughts on this?

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[POLL] Cancel April Vacation?

Some parents are raising the issue, should April vacation be canceled?

Given the number of snow days so far in 2011, some parents — and residents — have questioned the option of canceling April vacation for Northborough schools in order to "cancel out the days." "I think the schools should cancel April vacation," said Michael Horgan on Northborough Patch's facebook page. "You know they are going to have more snow day, and this would keep them from going into late June or early July. I also think two vacations in the spring is too many anyway." Not so fast, said Dr. Charles Gobron, superintendent of schools, who said that the schools haven't even hit the planned snow day total. "We scheduled five snow days for the 2011-2012 school year," said Gobron. "So far, Northborough and Algonquin have used three. We may …

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By the Numbers

How Many Kids Go to School in Northborough

In today's By the Numbers, we take a look at Northborough public schools' enrollment.

Enrollment in schools fluctuates from year to year, and this year, some schools saw a rise in enrollment, while others are seeing a drop. Here are the enrollment numbers, as provided by Superintendent of Schools Charles Gobron. Lincoln Street School is at 305 students, up eight from last year. Peaslee Elementary presently has 325, up 34 from last year.  The Proctor School has 295 enrolled, down 13 from last year.  The Marion E. Zeh School's 341 students is down 12.  The Melican Middle School has 655 students, up six. That is a total of 1921 students, which is 23 more than last year. These figures do not include the numbers at Algonquin Regional High School; Gobron said those numbers still continue to fluctuate and there is no exact figure …

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Principal People Series: Susan Whitten

Get to know your principals in this series, which focuses on the six principals of the Northborough Public Schools.

Principal: Susan Whitten School: Marion E. Zeh Elementary School Years at School: Principal since the school opened in 1998 What Makes Northborough Special: "The families at the Zeh School are the most important part of my day, in addition to the staff. We have a great school where children love to come to learn. Our team of students, staff, families and community members never fail to amaze me with their talent and compassion." In the Future: "This year, I looked forward to having our Kindergarten students entering our school as they always create new enthusiasm in our school. Additionally, I am looking forward to working with our staff to study our teaching of mathematics to identify areas of strength, while also looking at ways to …

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