Science Kit Funding, Strategic Plan Prioritization On School Committee Agenda

An additional $15,000 that Melrose Public Schools' administrators hope to use to purchase elementary school science kits goes before the Melrose School Committee on Tuesday night.

The committee is also scheduled to discuss priorities within the strategic plan, a primary concern raised by several committee members regarding the new plan.

Last month, the Melrose Board of Aldermen to the city's fiscal 2011 budget; included in that amount is $15,000 for one FOSS (Full Option Science System) science kit for each of the five Melrose elementary schools, at a cost of $3,000 per kit. Another $18,000 would go to sidewalk repairs and $2,000 would go the veterans services' department.

Superintendent Joe Casey told the aldermen last month that after learning the one-time money would be available through discussions with city administrators, he spoke with the elementary school principals about the best way to use that money. The elementary principals agreed upon the science kits, which Casey said he would recommend to the Melrose School Committee, which has yet to hear about the proposal in formal session.

Alderman at-Large Paul Brodeur, chairman of the aldermen's Appropriations Committee, said at last month's meeting that the aldermen cannot tell the School Department or the School Committee how to specifically spend any funding included in the school budget, but that the aldermen would prefer to know exactly what they are voting to fund, hence the specific proposal for science kits included in the budget amendment.

On the strategic plan, the committee voted last month to approve the plan on two conditions — the committee's approval of action plans developed later this summer, and the committee agreeing to work on adding more specific goals and priorities.