Revere School Committee Roundup

By The Advocate

School Dept. Budget Preview

Revere Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly gave a brief preview of the School Department’s budget at the School Committee meeting this week. The Ways and Means Subcommittee have started working with a school budget that begins with a $9.1 million deficit. “It’s a lot to overcome,” said Kelly, who acknowledged that committee members have been advocating at the state level for financial help.

“My hope is that the state can help us in some way,” said Kelly. “We are going to start to look at cuts that won’t have a strong negative impact on student learning.”

Kelly said that due to decreased enrollment there may be some teaching positions the committee can capture along with other potential cuts. Kelly said the Ways and Means Subcommittee will be presenting a draft budget with a $4.8 million deficit. “It’s a very tall hill for us to climb to get to a balanced budget this year,” Kelly told the committee.

New Graduation Requirement

Supt. Kelly informed the committee that the state requirements for high school graduation have changed. The state is requiring civics to be included as a requirement for students to receive a high school diploma. Kelly told the committee that Revere already requires students to take civics in order to graduate. “So, we are in fine stead,” Kelly said.

Neighborhood Middle Schools

The School Committee voted to adopt Model 1 for the neighborhood middle school program. “There will be a lot of questions from parents about which school their child will attend,” said Superintendent Kelly. “During the next month and a half, the School Department will be working to identify which middle school each student will go to,” said Kelly. Parents will be informed once that work is complete.

Revere High Fine Arts

Director of the Fine Arts Department at Revere High Kelly Williams presented an overview of the department’s programs to the School Committee. Enrollment in arts classes has increased significantly over the past couple of years. Pre-covid enrollment saw 957 students in arts classes. This year, 1,236 students are in visual, performing and music arts classes, including 360 ninth graders. Part of the credit for that increase is due to the department’s responding to student interest and launching courses such as intro to guitar, dance and fashion design.

According to Kelly, more than 300 students are participating in theater classes and programs, including the summer performing arts program, a three-week program for up-and-coming stars.

For the city’s young musicians, there are jazz, rock and pop ensembles. “There are more places for our music students to go and express themselves and grow,” Kelly told the committee.

Kelly also focused on performing arts, particularly the theater program which has been growing by leaps and bounds. A recent production of “The Lion King” involved 60 students and, according to committee members, it was wonderful. Coming soon is the high school production of “Mama Mia.”

Committee members praised the fine arts program and were pleased to see how much and how fast it has grown.

Committee member Aisha Milbury Ellis said the variety of courses and opportunities offered was impressive. She noted that while other districts are reining in arts programs in order to meet tough budgets, the arts in Revere are expanding.