RIZZI DEFIANT OF STATE REPORT

Stoughton School District Review Report issued by the Department of Education in May 2013 identified several areas Stoughton Schools need to improve. The State report pointed out: “The current administrator of special education serves in the role of principal at the Jones Early Childhood Center as well as being coordinator of all district special education services. Having both these roles makes the administrator of special education less available to ensure that the needs of the district’s 619 students with disabilities are met.” … “District leaders should consider separating the roles of special education coordinator and principal of the Jones Early Childhood Center. By virtue of having both these roles, the principal is less available to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities are met.”

Unfortunately, five months after the report was issued, Ms. Heather Tucker (a school committee appointee) continues to serve in both capacities. I pressed the issue during the School Committee meeting held on 9/24/13. Superintendent Rizzi responded “I AM NOT GOING TO BE RECOMMENDING SUCH A THING.”

On the other hand, State Department of Education recently demoted our Gibbons School from Level 2 School to a level 3 school. Gibbons School’s demotion appears to be in part a result of inadequate education of students with disabilities.

Furthermore, I recently discovered that the School Department underspent its 2012/2013 budget by approximately $670,000. Superintendent failed to respond to my multiple inquiries as to why. On a telephone conversation, School Department business manager Maria Hortaridis (another school committee appointee) stated most of the unspent money was from the special education budget. She said she prepared a list of underspent accounts with amounts, but could not share it with the school committee members without the superintendent’s authorization. This amount would be in addition to the traditional year-end money transfers out of the special education accounts.