By DJ Deeb – Dec. 2018 Earlier this year (in the February, March, and April 2018 Valley Patriot editions) I outlined many suggestions for cuts in spending for the City of Methuen. Last year, the City filled 13 non-civil service municipal positions, hired 10 new firefighters and 3 reserve firefighters, hired 3 new police officers […]
By: DJ Deeb – June, 2018 The Methuen School Committee held a budget workshop meeting on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 to discuss the upcoming Fiscal Year 2019 budget. In April, the School Committee voted to request that the Mayor and School Committee approve a budget of $82.5 million, a nearly 14% increase over last year’s […]
By: DJ Deeb – Dec. 2017 Although I ran unopposed in the recent municipal elections, it is nice to know that I am officially back on the Methuen School Committee. I want to take an opportunity to congratulate my colleagues Jana DiNatale, Bob Vogler, and Nick DiZoglio on their re-election bids. I also want to […]
By D.J. Deeb, M.A., M.S., M.Ed. As most Valley Patriot readers already know, the Methuen Municipal Elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 7th. I am running for re-election to the Methuen School Committee because I want to continue to give back to the community that I have made my home. Although there are only 6 […]
By: DJ Deeb – July, 2017 Things are beginning to wind down for the year with Methuen Public Schools. At our June 12th Methuen School Committee meeting, members of the committee devoted a great deal of time recognizing and awarding citations to outstanding Methuen school educators and employees. In addition, the committee welcomed a new […]
By: DJ Deeb – April, 2017 There have been many noteworthy stories about the City of Methuen this past month. New contracts have been approved by city officials, the Marijuana dispensaries are on hold, a 40-B housing project is being discussed, preliminary budget planning is taking place, and the school committee voted against televising workshop […]
By: D.J. Deeb – Feb. 2017 There has been much discussion on social media regarding residency requirements for students attending Methuen schools. Unfortunately, most of the information appearing on these social media outlets is not true. Methuen Public Schools works on a regular basis to ensure that all of the students attending the schools are […]
By: DJ Deeb – Dec. 2016 The fall has been a busy time for students and staff in Methuen public schools. September, October, and November have been packed with numerous activities including test preparation, mock presidential elections, educator goal-setting, and maintenance repair work, among other things. As a career educator at both the high school […]
By: DJ Deeb – July, 2016 June proved to be a volatile month for both the City of Methuen budget and the Methuen Public Schools budget. Even though Mayor Steve Zanni proposed increasing the city budget by 6.25%, he initially proposed level-funding the schools. Faced with nearly $3 Million in new Federal Special Education mandates, […]
MAYOR SAYS VOWS HE WILL NOT SUPPORT A PROP. 2 1/2 OVERRIDE June 15, 2016 – With Methuen Mayor Zanni proposing a 1% increase in the school budget, Superintendent of Schools Judy Scannell is threatening to make staffing cuts saying the increase is not enough. Superintendent Scannell says the 1% increase will result in eliminating four police […]
By: D.J. Deeb – June, 2016 May has proven to be a very busy month for the Methuen School Committee as it almost always is. There have been several workshops on the budget (which is still a work in progress), awards ceremonies, teacher recognition, and pro-active planning for the year ahead. First off, Congratulations to […]
By: DJ Deeb – May, 2016 The debate over Common Core has been heating up over the past several months, especially with the Presidential and Congressional Elections looming. The purpose of this article is to explain the origins of Common Core, summarize the standards, and offer suggestions on how to stop Common Core from being […]
By: DJ Deeb – April, 2016 After several years of asking for an updated Capital Improvement Plan for Methuen Public Schools, Facilities Director Bruce Stella presented a comprehensive 5-year plan for Facilities and Maintenance to members of the School Committee to review at our March 28th Workshop Meeting. Currently, the Methuen School Committee is working […]
By: DJ Deeb – March. 2016 The Methuen High School Graduation will not be held at the Tsongas Arena after all. After much lobbying by members of the senior class and their parents, the Methuen High School Graduation ceremonies will be held at the new renovated Nicholson Stadium in Methuen. The month of February witnessed […]
By: DJ Deeb – Feb. 2016 There is currently a push being made by some members of the Methuen School District Administration to push members of the Methuen School Committee to adopt Common Core English Language Arts standards under the guise of implementing the new Massachusetts Statewide English Language Arts Framework. Parents and community members […]