Save the Date !
-
Board of Selectmen
Town Hall, Room 14
1st and 3rd Mondays each month, 7 p.m.
Next meetings: March 8, 15, and 29
School Committee
Middle School Library
7 p.m. on alternate Mondays
Next Meeting: March 8 and 15 (budget presentation)
Town Meeting
Monday, April 5, 2010 at 7 p.m.
NRHS Auditorium
Go to the "Meetings" tab for important details.
It is critical for citizens to stay involved and exercise their vote in the direction and decisions that affect education in North Reading.
- Note: For more details go to meetings menu
Key Links
NR Public Schools
NR Town Web Site
Stand for Children
Rep. Brad Jones
Dept. of Education
Dept. of Revenue
Governor Deval Patrick
Stand for Children makes it easy to send your message to Beacon Hill!
Stand for Children's brand-new sign campaign allows you to share with Massachusetts legislators your most
important sound bite regarding public education funding in Massachusetts. It takes a few seconds to make a sign. Stand members will
deliver these messages personally to legislators. Our voices must be loud and many to assure our children's education is
not sacrificed in this economy.
Take a few seconds and make a sign today!
Education Reform Package
Stand for Chidren's Massachusetts Executive Director Leslie Nicholson recently sent the following message to North Reading's Stand
members. The legislation isn't without its imperfections, but it does mean that more education dollars will come to Massachusetts and
that education reform remains at the forefront in the Massachusetts legislature.
Today (Jan. 14) the Conference Committee delivered a strong education reform bill that reflects input from parents, educators, and community leaders. An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap, which we expect the legislature to vote on today and send to the Governor for his signature tomorrow, will help close the achievement gap and ensure that Massachusetts remains a national leader in public education.
Advocates like you sent hundreds of emails to legislators, lobbied in person, distributed letters throughout the State House and spoke at press conferences. Your energetic voice for children brought attention to critical issues over the past several weeks and strengthened the final legislation.
What does the final bill do?
On behalf of Massachusetts' children, we thank Governor Patrick, who had the vision, determination, and fortitude to introduce and fiercely advocate for these bold reforms. We thank Speaker Deleo and the House for their commitment to delivering a strong bill, Senate President Murray and the Senate for their early and decisive action, Education Committee Chairs Senator O'Leary and Representative Walz and the members of the Education and Ways and Means Committees. We appreciate the Conference Committee's work to combine the best elements of each bill, and we are grateful to Mayor Menino for the critical role he played in advancing district turnaround powers.
Most of all, we thank you, the parents, educators, community members, and Race to the Top Coalition partners whose tireless advocacy resulted in a strong and balanced bill that puts children's needs first. Congratulations on this groundbreaking success for Massachusetts' children!
Join the North Reading Chapter of
Stand for Children Today!
- Strengthens our state's application for up to $250 million in federal Race to the Top funds, resulting in additional money for districts and targeted innovations
- Helps students trapped in our state's lowest performing schools by giving superintendents and the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education targeted intervention powers to quickly turn around failing schools
- Gives families new opportunities to send their children to public charter schools in the 10% lowest-performing districts; improves fairness and transparency in the process of granting charters; and extends the district reimbursement schedule from three years to six years, increasing total charter tuition reimbursement from 200% to 225%
- Gives educators and community members in every district the opportunity to create Innovation Schools to further best practices
- Gets all districts one step closer to adequate education funding by calling on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to study the current status of public education financing and report to the Joint Committee on Education
Stand for Children Today!
Your membership means North Reading representatives have a seat at Stand's leadership table in advocating
for education at the state level. Just click here to join or renew your membership. Without at least 30 members, we may lose our ability to help lead the charge in reaching out to our legislators and Governor Patrick, so
they know what students in communities like North Reading need.
Stand's advocacy through members from North Reading and other towns this year made a huge difference for Massachusetts' students:
Massachusetts children urgently need you to stand up for them. Your membership helps support advocacy for innovative programs that put a great teacher in every classroom and increase the time that students spend learning. Your membership will help to deliver sustainable revenue solutions to fund education and innovative reforms to help close the achievement gap. Please renew today to strengthen the voice for children in your community and across the Commonwealth!
To learn more details about state funding and how it affects local school districts, click here to visit the Stand for Children website.
North Reading Stand for Children Members Hit the Road for Education Advocacy
North Reading education advocates joined forces with hundreds of education supporters recently for Stand for Children's Rally on Beacon Hill. After hearing about the state of education in Massachusetts from several experts and state leaders, advocates delivered more than 7,500 postcards to Massachusetts legislators urging fair funding for education for all students in the Commonwealth.
Attendees from North Reading had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Brad Jones after the rally (see photo).
On Monday, March 30, 2009, three North Reading members of Stand joined their counterparts from Gloucester and Hamilton-Wenham to meet with State Sen. Bruce Tarr in Gloucester. At this meeting, Sen. Tarr heard directly the key concerns for education funding BEFORE the senate developed its budget later this spring. While Stand and NRUE do not feel the budget passed ultimately did enough for local education funding, we believe it is critical to stay in front of our legislators to let them know that education funding is a priority in North Reading.
Stand's advocacy through members from North Reading and other towns this year made a huge difference for Massachusetts' students:
- Members rallied at the State House, delivered 7,500 postcards to legislators and collected 3,500 petition signatures. (But if you don't have time to rally, it's OKAY! Your membership alone makes a huge difference to our students.)
- Legislators heard you and delivered $880 million in new broad based revenues and provided local revenue options to communities.
Massachusetts children urgently need you to stand up for them. Your membership helps support advocacy for innovative programs that put a great teacher in every classroom and increase the time that students spend learning. Your membership will help to deliver sustainable revenue solutions to fund education and innovative reforms to help close the achievement gap. Please renew today to strengthen the voice for children in your community and across the Commonwealth!
To learn more details about state funding and how it affects local school districts, click here to visit the Stand for Children website.
North Reading Stand for Children Members Hit the Road for Education Advocacy
North Reading education advocates joined forces with hundreds of education supporters recently for Stand for Children's Rally on Beacon Hill. After hearing about the state of education in Massachusetts from several experts and state leaders, advocates delivered more than 7,500 postcards to Massachusetts legislators urging fair funding for education for all students in the Commonwealth.
Attendees from North Reading had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Brad Jones after the rally (see photo).
On Monday, March 30, 2009, three North Reading members of Stand joined their counterparts from Gloucester and Hamilton-Wenham to meet with State Sen. Bruce Tarr in Gloucester. At this meeting, Sen. Tarr heard directly the key concerns for education funding BEFORE the senate developed its budget later this spring. While Stand and NRUE do not feel the budget passed ultimately did enough for local education funding, we believe it is critical to stay in front of our legislators to let them know that education funding is a priority in North Reading.
Stand for Children and North Reading Advocate Together for Education
North Reading Joins Stand Leadership Team
In recognition of local Stand members strong and ongoing advocacy for state support of public education, Stand for Children has invited North Reading to be part of its Massachusetts Leadership Network (MLN). The MLN is made up of local Stand leaders, Stand staff members, and others with expertise in formulating platforms and direction that will yield success when lobbying for education funding at the state level. North Reading residents Jayne Swart and Deanna Castro will represent North Reading at the monthly MLN meetings, held at Stand's Waltham office.
In recognition of local Stand members strong and ongoing advocacy for state support of public education, Stand for Children has invited North Reading to be part of its Massachusetts Leadership Network (MLN). The MLN is made up of local Stand leaders, Stand staff members, and others with expertise in formulating platforms and direction that will yield success when lobbying for education funding at the state level. North Reading residents Jayne Swart and Deanna Castro will represent North Reading at the monthly MLN meetings, held at Stand's Waltham office.
NR Public Schools are a good bang for the buck!
NR lags its peer group by rating at the bottom or near the bottom in per pupil spending in five
categories including overall per pupil spending, teacher salaries, administration, operations and maintenance, and insurance
and retirement. (Click here) for additional charts and
full text.
North Reading Lags Peers in Education Spending
Report Cites Greater Fiscal Challenges Ahead
Friday, February 08, 2008 
A variety of factors at both the state and local level is placing ever greater pressure on the finances of most cities and towns, with little relief in sight, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation’s 37th annual analysis of local revenues and spending.
Citing the state’s fiscal problems, the report, released on Jan. 10, concludes that cities and towns are likely to see only small increases in local aid for the next several years. State aid, meanwhile, has not yet returned to 2001 levels, when adjusted for inflation.
Click (here) for entire document
Board of Selectmen Does Not Restore Full School
Funding
But Approves Override for May
Ballot (3/14/08)
Click (here) for entire document
Massachusetts Dept. of Education 2007 Per Pupil Expenditure Chart 
The Boston Globe's Override Central: Towns wrestle with Prop 2 ˝. 
Boston Globe "City & Region, Jan. 23": School Districts Strained as State Funds Fall Short: