There were signs from the start that my fears about a lightly attended or lackluster Community Dialog were misplaced. Maybe it was the long line of attendees –spanning three generations –waiting to sign in. Or maybe it was the inspirational video of the Black Eyed Peas leading a 20,000 person flash mob through a choreographed dance routine that kicked off the event. Whatever the case, the Community Dialog started off strong…and then got better.
Category: discussion
Join Belmont Public Schools’ Community Dialog this Tuesday!
Carve out some time this Tuesday afternoon/evening, October 27th, to attend the first ever Community Dialog sponsored by the Belmont Public Schools: from 4:30PM to 8:00PM Tuesday evening at the BHS Field House. This is an amazing opportunity for community members and other stake holders to participate in a wide open discussion about the future of both schools and public education in our community. To reserve your space, RSVP to Cathy Grant at 617 993-5401 or by email at cgrant(at)belmont.k12.ma.us.
Belmont Comprehensive Plan Kickoff Summit Thursday
There’s an important meeting Thursday, Sept. 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the High School Cafeteria to kick off the next phase of implementing a new Comprehensive Plan for our town. The Comprehensive Plan will guide public investment in things like transportation, residential and commerical development and open space.
Libraries…who needs ’em? (Answer below)
The future of libraries is in the headlines again, with articles on CNN.com and the Boston Globe’s profile of Cushing Academy, which is getting rid of its 20,000 volume collection in favor of a “learning center” with plasma TVs, Amazon Kindles and a Cappuccino maker….but don’t worry — the future’s going to be great!
Middlesex DA: officers’ group must abide by Open Meeting Law
The Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County has issued guidance to the town’s political leadership, declaring that an informal, private gathering of some of the Town’s top elected officials is bound by the State’s open meeting law and asking that the group submit a report to serve as a record of its activities.
Kennedy’s legacy: service to the public
I don’t know what Rupert Murdoch has ever done for me, but I’ll say this: Ted Kennedy’s work opened doors for my three daughters that will transform their lives, helping them build confidence and insuring that they will be treated as full equals of their male counterparts in the classroom, on the playing field and in the workplace.
Has Belmont’s home market turned the corner?
Zillow’s Real Estate Market reports have Belmont home values up by 3.9% in the second quarter 2009, compared with the same quarter in 2008. The average home price, now at $622,000 has come up abruptly from its nadir in Q1, when Zillow’s index of home prices and values was down to $585,000.
Comparing stimulus plans: Great Depression vs. Great Recession
$38 million in federal stimulus funds for Belmont? You betcha! That was the value, in today’s dollars, of a town plan, approved by the federal government, to rapidly modernize Belmont after World War II.
Reburbia: reimagining the suburbs
A contest from inhabitat.com and dwell asks folks to imagine ways to transform suburban space. The contest is down to 20 finalists, from 400 entries. Some ideas are zany…some are pretty darned cool!
Are textbooks going the way of the horse and buggy?
An interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times on changes coming to a classroom near you: digital textbooks. The article, by Tamar Lewin, talks about pilot projects in school districts in Arizona, Louisiana and California that are replacing traditional printed textbooks with online, digital equivalents, or even “open source” texts compiled from materials and lessons generated by teachers or from public (and reliable) sources of information online.