Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, June 7, 2019 Saugus High School Class of 2019 The Class President Address by Seven Greer (Editor’s Note: The graduation speech of this year’s Class President follows. Jennifer Carnevale presented Seven Greer. He plans to attend the University of Massachusetts-Lowell this fall. He says he is leaving his options open, but is interested in the environmental science field.) Thank you Ms. C, for being a super cool teacher, mentor, coach, and friend to myself and everyone else in this class. And I’d like to further extend that thanks to every teacher here today. You guys are truly the heart of Saugus High. I fully intend to keep my thank you’s brief, because really nobody wants to hear it except the people getting thanked. Nonetheless, thank you, mom and dad, you two are my rock and always will be. Huge thanks to all the parents out there, you all have the most important job in the world and have done an amazing job raising this generation. I gotta shout out my officers Gianna, Maddy, and Thea for doing all the work and letting me slack off, and all the members of our extremely successful class board. And I wanna thank all my classmates, for putting up with me as your president for the last three years. Thanks for putting Seven Greer at the podium (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) your faith in me. Hopefully after this speech 54 OAKES STREET EVERETT, MA 02149 Phone (617) 389-2448 www.saseverett.com Preschool to Grade 8 (PreK program starts at 2.9) Christian Values & Strong Academics Before/After School Programs Extra-Curricular Activities Financial Assistance Available Come and see the difference we can make in the life of your child! Se habla Español - Falamos Português Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Bring this ad and receive $50 off your registration. (New Families Only) Registration is on-going. 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I decided that what you all deserve is a genuine, potentially screwy BUDGET | from page 7 the town’s School Department to have “its first balanced budget in years.” But Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree said it wouldn’t be wise to use money from the free cash and stabilization funds, which are intended for one-time costs – not for funding operating expenses. Crabtree also sought to clarify the actual amount of money earmarked for the schools in the new budget. The town manager said the town’s education system actually amounts to about $1.5 million “above and beyond” what was approved for town education operating costs. Increases in health care and fixed costs contributed to what Crabtree considers a $1.5 million increase in the town’s educational expenses for the coming fiscal year. Crabtree noted that he had discussions with DeRuosi on the budget. “He seems comfortable and confident that it will work,” Crabtree said. Town Meeting Member Ryan P. Fisher of Precinct 9 asked the superintendent to talk about specific items that would be cut from the budget. DeRuosi wouldn’t say what he would cut if he was forced to make cuts. “Should I go back to the School Committee, it would be a discussion with the School Committee,” the superintendent said. But DeRuosi stressed that whatever cuts he and the School Committee decided to make, they would have “limited impact on core academics.” Precinct 5 Town Meeting Members Brenton H. Spencer and Ronald M. Wallace and Precinct 7 Town Meeting Member Richard Lavoie voted against the budget. Wallace has instigated a nonbinding resolution to oppose the privatization of custodial services – one of the articles on the warrant for the June 24 Special Town Meeting (see related story). The custodian breakdown Here’s what the School Department budget for the 2020 fiscal year provides for custodians at each of the schools: School Lynnhurst Oaklandvale Veterans Waybright Belmonte Total Custodians Cost 1.5 1.3 5 1.3 7 Saugus High School 7 Head custodian 1 24 $60,000 $51,000 $236,867 $52,067 $277,939 $335,875 $54,539 $1,068,287* *This does not include custodian benefits or expenses. speech, straight from my heart. And that’s what really stands out to me, about this class, is our authenticity. We keep it real out here. Each one of you is very authentically, unapologetically yourself, which is the best thing that a person can be. To quote the title ogre of award-winning film Shrek the Third, “You know, it may be hard to believe, what with my obSEVEN GREER | SEE PAGE 11
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