Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 26, 2021 DESE Office of Language Acquisition to conduct required review at Northeast Metro Tech W AKEFIELD – Superintendent David DiBarri reported that during the week of April 12 the Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School (Northeast Metro Tech) OLA reviews each district’s and charter school’s English Learner Education (ELE) program every six years to monitor compliance with federal and state ELE laws and regulations. Areas of review will include English learners’ student assessments, identification of English learners, what programs English learners are placed in, parent and community involvement, curriculum and instruction, student support services, licensure requirements for faculty, staff and administration, program plans, and evaluation and recordkeeping. In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The OLA review chairperson will send a survey to the parents of students whose records the reREVIEW | SEE PAGE 11 SPRING Go GREEN LANDSCAPING & CONSTRUCTION LLC Lawns Cut CLEANUPS CHEAP FREE Estimates and Fully Insured $100 (COUPON YOUR CHOICE * THESE SERVICES ONLY * LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER) NEW SPRING OR FALL FLOWERS * NEW SHRUBS * TREE REMOVAL OUTSIDE PAINTING * JUNK REMOVAL * SIMPLE HANDYMAN REPAIRS * COUPON IS REDEEMABLE FOR NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Services include: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Fertilization * Mulching *Junk Removed * Aeration * New Shrubs/Trees * Demolition * Irrigation Systems * New Lawns/Sod/Seed * Dog Poop Scoping * Dethatching * Tree Removal * Masonry * Lawn Cutting * Stump Removal * Landscaping * Spring/Fall Clean Ups * Gutter Cleaning * Sealcoating * Pruning * New Fences SERVING THE NORTH SHORE 877-688-7667 ~ Political Announcement ~ Leone announces candidacy for Ward 6 City Councillor Dear Residents of Ward 6, My name is Jerry Leone and I am announcing my candidacy for Ward 6 City Councillor. As a lifelong resident of (Maplewood) Ward 6, I am running because I believe the Ward and City is at a critical juncture in its history which will determine its future direction and well-being. I believe the Ward deserves a Councillor, who will make his work on the City Council a top priority – and that work is to reflect the priorities of the residents – first and foremost! As I watch, listen and learn, I hear that these particular issues are of greatest concern to you: Fighting against burdensome and inappropriate overdevelopment which will further overcrowd our city, over-tax our citizens and over-populate our already overcrowded schools. Until such a time where Malden can receive its fair share of state aid for education, over-populated classrooms have become a norm – much to the detriment of individual student achievement. Everyone knows that smaller classroom sizes provide children the individual attention they need to thrive and excel academically. As a former School Committee member who worked to improve our schools, I bring this critical experience to the table. Malden’s infrastructure has been deteriorating. Our roads and intersections desperately need municipal attention. My goal would be to create an infrastructure plan to improve our roads, sidewalks and intersections based on the actual needs of our city. I believe we should Our small businesses are hurting. I am committed to helping each small business in Malden thrive. Small businesses provide 3 out of 4 new jobs. I am committed to working to improve Maplewood Square to make it more business friendly in terms of parking and improving traffic throughout. I will push for the City to work to purchase or lease additional space for parking. I propose that the City purJerry Leone refocus the effort of designating a repaving program to address our neighborhood streets rather than wasting tax dollars on feel good projects and trendy proposals (to the tune of $2.4 Million!) Our streets and sidewalks are still in appalling condition. Funds must be appropriately and responsibly applied to our city’s greatest and most desperate needs. Our police need our support. Crime is a serious concern among Malden residents. The basic need of any citizenry is to live one’s life safely and peacefully. There have been increasing efforts to defund police departments. I believe that this would be another trendy and dare I say; disastrous policy-direction for our wonderful city and our people. We must maintain our respectful and responsible Public Safety presence throughout the city; I will stand with our dedicated police force and vote against any talk of defunding Public Safety. As a graduate of the Police Academy at Lackland Airforce Base in 2003, while I was in the Air Force, I am committed to this most critical issue. I support any plan that would maintain or improve our current services to residents while enhancing efficiency. This is why I plan to support the flat fee of $75 per barrel. I will oppose all efforts to raise that fee, such as my opponent is trying to do as he has proposed the fee be increased to $125. The typical Malden resident has a budget to live on – the local government must also live within its means! As a lifetime resident of Malden I have seen our fee structure and tax base increase exponentially. As your next Ward Councillor I promise to fight against tax and fee increases. Malden must and will be affordable for years to come. chase, through the Community Preservation Funds any large parcels of property that can be set aside in Maplewood Highlands rather than be developed. Over three and half million of CPA funds have been collected from the taxpayers since the voters passed it in 2015 and Maplewood has not gotten its fair share. It is time that priority be put on open space acquisition throughout the city as many supported this measure for that reason. I pledge to continue the work started by Councillor Camel at Trafton Park making sure the adjacent neighbors’ priorities and right to quiet enjoyment of the property is maintained. Another topic that is of great concern to the residents of Ward 6 is the issue of a fire station either in the ward or somewhere on the east side, this would not happen overnight but a discussion on this topic needs to happen. For many years – whether I was serving on the school committee and regularly speaking to residents in the ward or in discussions both times as a candidate for councilor – I have always been a vocal proponent for this, unlike my opponent who has served on the city council now for 4 years (2 out of the 4 served as Safety Chair!) has never brought this up until now! I have also been very outspoken on the issue of real grass vs. artificial turf, advocating that we should use real grass, while my opponent thinks the opposite. I had the privilege and honor of serving this community as a former member of the school committee (2014-2018) serving on the budget, policy and public safety sub committees and have a record of getting the job done. I ask that you please consider me for your Ward 6 City Councillor. I guarantee that if elected I will work for you and your priorities, not those of special interest groups and developers. Very Truly Yours, Jerry Leone
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