Schools

Day care center finds new home

Friday, May 24, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — A former “doggie day care” is getting upgraded to provide a learning environment for a whole new species. Sunnyside Child Care center is breaking ground next week for its new, permanent location at 557 Easthampton Road, the home of the former Dances With Dogs pet care center. Campus expansion plans at Smith College, Sunnyside’s current location, required the demolition of the school building at the end of Paradise … 0

Local lawmakers seek to lessen choice’s impact on sending schools

Friday, May 24, 2013

School choice and charter school options affect western Massachusetts communities differently than they do in the eastern part of the state, and local legislators are filing bills that aim to correct the imbalance. This year, John Scibak, D-South Hadley, and Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, filed three bills seeking to make alterations to educational option … 0

Bridge Street School 4th-grader Elizabeth Watts draws, Wednesday, alongside classmate Finn Puckett, 8, at the school. The Watts family, who are from Holyoke, have chosen to attend Bridge Street School in Northampton.

SARAH CROSBY

Options help families find schools that meet student needs

Friday, May 24, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — When Mark Watts’ oldest daughter reached school age five years ago, he and wife Deborah Miller wanted to enroll Pippa in public school. Some of the other families in their Holyoke Highlands neighborhood were sending their children to private schools, but the Watts-Miller family didn’t like that option. Still, with Holyoke … 2

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Other Local News

Hatfield: Case study in receiving end of school choice

Friday, May 24, 2013

In Hatfield — the smallest kindergarten through Grade 12 district in the state — about a quarter of the student population are school choice students from other communities. The town is well known for attracting school choice students with its small class sizes that allow for extra attention … 1

Sal Canata in his office at JFK Middle school Friday afternoon.

Sal Canata, veteran Northampton middle school administrator, chosen to head Leeds School

Friday, May 24, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — When he becomes head of Leeds School this summer, Sal Canata plans to spend time with every staff member, asking each one about the challenges facing Northampton’s largest elementary school. When school starts up, “my other … 0

Jennifer Lawless speaks during a graduation ceremony for the Women's Fund Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact Wednesday at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.JERREY ROBERTS

Institute graduates latest class of 34 women leaders

Thursday, May 23, 2013

HOLYOKE — When Florence resident Kristen Elechko shifted her career focus from business to social change, she looked to the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts to prepare her to make that leap. Johanna Andreoli, 31, of Easthampton, decided … 0

Isabelina Rodriguez, superintendent of schools in Granby in her office Tuesday morning.

School choice creates options, but headaches for districts

Thursday, May 23, 2013

School choice may create egalitarian educational options for students, but it breeds inequality among school districts. Receiving districts reap the financial rewards of added tuition. Sending districts lose thousands of dollars for every child that opts for an … 0

Gazette analysis surveyed five years of state data

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The figures compiled by the Gazette reflect two things: money and students. The data show how much individual communities paid out and how much they received in charter school and school-choice tuition. The Gazette surveyed five years of state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education records, fiscal years … 0

How choice and charter tuitions are calculated

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The average tuition rate for students attending charter schools is nearly twice what school districts pay to send children to schools outside their boundaries through school choice This is because of the way the state calculates tuition and reimbursement rates for charter and choice. School-choice funding is fairly … 1

Smith Academy bands win top honors at Pennsylvania music festival

Thursday, May 23, 2013

HATFIELD — Smith Academy’s 88-member concert band and the 25-member jazz band walked away with first place and best overall ratings from the Music in the Parks festival in Hershey, Pa. The bands received superior rating for their performance in front of a panel of judges, and both … 1

Bryan Lombardi, who is the new principal at Northampton High School, by the main entrance Monday.
JERREY ROBERTS

Bryan Lombardi new principal at Northampton High School

Monday, May 20, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — When he takes the helm of Northampton High School in July, Bryan Lombardi said the working style he has developed during his six years as associate principal at the school won’t change. “You’ll see me at … 0

Amherst-Pelham school district expected to finish with a balanced $28.5 million budget despite unexpected costs

Sunday, May 19, 2013

AMHERST — The Amherst-Pelham regional school district is on track to finish with a balanced $28.5 million budget even though unexpected costs have led to some accounts running over budget. For example, the special education budget is currently $152,803 over its $1.2 million budget — in part as … 0

Preschool loses home of 75 years on Amherst College campus

Friday, May 17, 2013

AMHERST — As 18 girls and boys left the brick schoolhouse, they found small chairs and performed songs for spectators on a lawn. After receiving certificates and praise, they ran to parents and relatives and joined in a buffet to celebrate the conclusion of the school year. In … 0

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