Page 12 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – Friday, April 5, 2019 School officials to seek legal opinion before paying former supt. vacation balance By Christopher Roberson happened and it’s happened.” Abruzzese also said that most A fter making a $200,000 payout to former Superintendent of Schools Frederick Foresteire, the School Committee recently voted to consult Attorney Robert Galvin before writing a check for the remaining $250,000 vacation payout. “We got hit with this like a Mike Tyson right cross,” said Chairperson Thomas Abruzzese during the committee’s April 1 meeting, adding that he had been “completely unaware” of Foresteire’s unused vacation time. “This is something that never should’ve employers in the private sector do not allow their employees to use vacation time from prior years. “I don’t know anybody who is allowed to accrue vacation time,” he said. “Anything that delays this I’m all for; this is not some kind of a severance package.” Ward 5 Member Millie Cardello said she could not find anything in Foresteire’s contract that would prevent him from receiving the balance of the money. Ward 3 Member Frank Parker said the potential payout would not affect staffing or class sizes. However, he still agreed that the committee needs to settle the matter. “Vacation time is a liability; we have to resolve this one way or another,” he said. Foresteire retired on Dec. 18, 2018 as superintendent of schools after serving in the Everett School System as the superintendent and an educator for more than 50 years. ELL and Career Tech Updates In other news, Anne Auger, director of English Language Learners (ELL), said the percentage of ELL students has grown from 17 percent in 2016-2017 to 26 percent for the current school year. She said the majority of Everett’s ELL students come from Brazil and El Salvador speaking Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. “Many of them have left family and life as they knew it,” said Auger. She also mentioned the co-teaching model, which is a new addition to the district’s ELL program designed for students through sixth grade. By having co-teaching, ELL students are no longer taken out of class for language services. In addition, she said a travSCHOOL | SEE PAGE 22 City ensures healthy living conditions through habitability checks D o you know someone who can’t seem to detach themselves from many personal or household items? Hoarding has become a serious issue in the United States. A 2017 survey highlighted that the average American hoards 23 items that they have no use for. The City of Everett’s Inspectional Services, Health, and Fire Departments, under the guidance of Mayor Carlo DeMaria, are ensuring that houses throughout the community are free of hoarding and are decent, safe, sanitary and in good repair as well as safe for first responders. In many cases, hoarding can become a serious danger not only for hoarders, but also their neighbors and first responders. Homes that experience hoarding can become hazardous and cause for poor sanitary conditions as well as physical harm. There are different degrees of clutter: from struggles with chronic disorganization and excessive clutter to struggles with hoarding behavior and Hoarding Disorder (and any level of clutter in-between). And the City of Everett is here to help. City departments have been diligent in its dealing with cases throughout the city and are assisting residents in maintaining a clean and safe living environment. The City teams provide the tools and resources in order to sustain a nurturing setting and contribute to a healthy life for both adults and children. The vast majority of hoarding cases that are seeking assistance or being reported in Everett range from preventative measures to crisis management and rectification planning, which arise from inspectional issues. The city recognizes that hoarding disorders trigger difficulties with discarding or parting with possessions. Nevertheless, the city’s resident-centered plan addresses all aspects of the hoarding case, establishing objective and reasonable goals and time frames, and the monitoring of progress. If you know someone that might need assistance, please call the city’s Inspectional Services Department at 617-394-2220.
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