Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, ApRil 29, 2022 AWE Garden Club to meet on Fridays M ayor Carlo DeMar ia recently announced that the Aging Wisely Everett (AWE) Garden Club will be meeting every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Connolly Center (90 Chelsea St.). The program runs through early October. Each meeting will begin with 10-15 minutes of discussion about general garden issues or concerns, followed by an activity. Some proposed activities for each meeting: prepping beds and tilling soil, companion plant discussion and planting, planting/fl ower bomb making, planting and decorating plant markers, and garden rock painting. Activities for each meeting might change based on gardener feedback and availability of guests. For any questions, comBUDGET | FROM PAGE 1 of any school in the district at $4.1 million. Speaking about the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), Assistant Superintendent of Operations Charles Obremski called attention to the $3.5 million needed to make the Parlin School completely handicapped-accessible. Although the project is included in the CIP for fi scal year 2025, Obremski said Chief Financial Offi cer Eric Demas is pushing to have it transferred to the CIP for fiscal year 2023. “He didn’t promise anything, but he said he would do his best,” said Obremski. Should Demas be successLIKE US ON FACEBOOK ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER FACEBOOK.COM/ADVOCATE.NEWS.MA ful, the CIP for fi scal year 2023 would increase from $6.7 million to $10.2 million. Obremski also spoke about ments or concerns, please contact Camille Defendre at the $2 million that would be needed to purchase and install eight modular classrooms at the Keverian School. Although the school was originally designed for 650 students, enrollment has now climbed to 950 students; however, the classrooms would accommodate a total of 200 students with up to 30 students in each classroom. “It would alleviate a lot of the overcrowding in the Keverian School,” said Obremski. “We do need additional space, the sooner the better.” The budgets will now be sent to the City Council for fi - nal approval. Contract approvals In other news, the School Committee voted unanimously to approve a new twoyear contract with The Stepping Stones Group (formerly known as Futures Education). Located in Springfield, the company specializes in providing therapeutic and behavioral health services. Special Education Director William Donohue said the district has had a contract with Stepping Stones for the past 15 years. Mayor Carlo DeMaria asked if Donohue and his colleagues have entertained the possibility of switching companies or having district employees provide some of the services. Donohue said 13 other companies were considered during February Vacation. However, it was determined that Stepping Stones is still the best choice for Everett. “The most important thing to me right now is to keep the current staff ,” he said. “If 774-360-7521 or cdefendrealexandre@challiance.org. I discontinue our contract with Futures, then I get into a 24-month No Compete with that entire staff . If we’re taking their staff , then they lose their ability to staff other districts; that’s part of the decision right there.” School Committee Vice Chairman Michael McLaughlin asked about the possibility of negotiating a one-year contract. However, Donohue did not agree. “I think that’s a mistake, with all due respect,” he said, adding that it would take two years to bring services back in-house or to switch to a diff erent company. “The biggest thing I’m fi ghting for right now is services for the kids.” Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani said the contract will be funded at $1.9 million. The School Committee also voted unanimously to approve a new three-year contract with Eliot Community Human Services. Tahiliani said the contract will be funded at $765,000 per year, which includes a three percent increase for salary raises. She said 14 clinicians will be assigned to the district to provide services, including individual counseling, group therapy, family consultation and crisis intervention. School Committee Member-at-Large Samantha Lambert urged her colleagues to support the contract. “Our students have struggled signifi cantly with mental health challenges,” she said, adding that new patients must wait at least three months to be seen by a private practitioner. “The issues only get worse.”
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