SAUGUS Vol. 22, No. 48 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Have a Safe & Happy Thanksgiving! ADVOCATE Published Every Friday Thanksgiving Day Showdown Seven Saugus High Seniors suit up for 74th meeting with rival Peabody at Stackpole Field tomorrow 781-233-4446 Wednesday, November 27, 2019 The District Review Report Saugus Public Schools hindered by lack of leadership and school improvement plans (Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories about “The District Review Report of Saugus Public Schools” recently issued by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Today’s article looks at shortcomings in the area of Leadership and Governance.) By Mark E. Vogler LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR FINAL GAME: Saugus High School senior players (left to right): Christian Correia, Brendan McCabe, Zack Kesbia, Marvens Jean, Bruno Auzec and Justin Fajardo, Not pictured: Jaryd Coffill. (Saugus Advocate Photos by Greg Phipps) By Greg Phipps T he overriding theme at this year’s Lions Club SaugusPeabody High School Football Banquet last Wednesday evening at Prince Pizzeria was the significance of the annual Thanksgiving Day game for both communities. This year marks the 74th meeting between the two teams on TurANGELO’S FULL "Over 40 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2019 Regular Unleaded $2.359 Mid Unleaded $2.799 Super $2.859 Diesel Fuel $2.759 KERO $4.759 Diesel $2.599 SERVICE CE HEATING OI 24-Hour Burner Service I Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) ! DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS key Day; game time is 10 a.m. tomorrow at Stackpole Field in Saugus. “I’m excited to be introduced to this unique tradition. This is a rivalry with a rich history. Not a lot of [Thanksgiving rivals] do this type of event, so this is special,” said Saugus first-year head coach Steve Cummings, who said he remembered his last high school Thanksgiving game playing for Marshfield back in 1995. “We won at Duxbury 4020. The Thanksgiving game is more than just a football game. It matters to people because the teams are representing their communities and families. For the seniors, this year’s game will be their last opporTHANKSGIVING DAY | SEE PAGE 2 Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours 62 Hamilton St., Saugus (781) 558-5377 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 Follow us on: View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com Visit us: Marcianosbarbershop.com E ven after Saugus voters overwhelmingly approved two debt exclusion proposals amounting to 186 million dollars for new and renovated school buildings in June 2017, efforts to improve the town’s public education system were hindered. The School Committee was often preoccupied by conflict among members while focusing on matters that weren’t the committee’s responsibility. Meanwhile, there were shortcomings in district and school improvement plans. “A district is unlikely to achieve and sustain meaningful improvement without developing priorities, routines, and practices to ensure the stewardship of improvement work,” concludes a report released recently by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Progress is impeded when leaders are not regularly and publicly focused on improvement goals, the school committee does not review student performance data regularly, and the leadership team’s collaborative time focuses only intermittently on solving the learning and teaching challenges that confront staff and students, the report continues. Those are the observations of a team of consultants that visited the school district for a four-day period back in March as part of its research for the “District Review Report of Saugus Public Schools.” Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. presented copies of the lengthy report to members of the School Committee at Wednesday night’s meeting. The superintendent plans for a discussion of the report at a future meeting. The District Review – a process that every school district undergoes periodically (Saugus Public Schools had its last one in 2010) – is used to assess a school district’s strengths and weaknesses and offer recommendations that can be used to make significant improvements in a school system. Under the category of “Leadership and Governance” – one REVIEW REPORT | SEE PAGE 5 Prices subject to change FLEET
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