REPORTS - RULE 53

Transcript (~2 min @ 1:42:32)

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▶ 1:42:24 Peter D. Mortimer: Seven yes, the order passes. Are there any reports from outside committees on which aldermen serve under Rule 53? Alderman Lipper-Garabedian, please.

▶ 1:42:33 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: I just wanted to share a little bit of the discussion at last week's school committee meeting. There are two items that may be of interest to the board and the larger community. One was around the current enrollment numbers in the Melrose Public Schools. As of last Tuesday, there were 3,696 students in the Melrose Public Schools. And at the high school, there was a significant bump in grade 11. The chair of the school committee noted that we used to see some attrition leaving middle school and going into high school, but we're not at that same level as in the past. So it seems as though families are choosing to continue their students' education through the Melrose High School. indeed we're also seeing an increase in grades K through fourth grade as these students are moving through with an eye toward the future this wave isn't showing an abatement so that's something to keep an eye on as there are more children in our schools obviously that requires more spending and also attention to building space and our teacher distribution and the other thing the second item that was of interest perhaps is there was a memo and a discussion around the donations that the school committee has received from outside benefactors from organizations like the Melrose Orchestra parent organization which raised over $3,000 to assist with purchasing bass instruments there were also donations of classroom furniture from other school departments in the state as well as from a furniture trust which was valued at almost sixty five hundred dollars the Hoover PTO raised almost $8,000 to support Chromebooks in the schools so all of these are things that previously perhaps the district might have provided but there are no longer operational funds for these types of investments so we're incredibly grateful to the community for their generosity and the school committee wanted the appellate to know about

▶ 1:44:48 Peter D. Mortimer: these gifts thank you thank you very much alderman garabedian are there any other aldermen wishing to enlighten us regarding any outside committees on which they may serve seeing none there are no items on the calendar and before i welcome a motion to adjourn we have a point of personal privilege for alderman forbes please thank you mr president i appreciate it our