School Committee Calls For Cost Estimates On Number Of Options

MELROSE, MA — The Beebe School process has been like pulling teeth, only no one knows which teeth to pull or how much each will cost.

The School Committee spent a large chunk of Tuesday night figuring out whether to formally request detailed financial breakdowns of more than two dozen potential scenarios on how to utilize the Beebe and all other school space.

"We have been talking about other options as if they are either cost-neutral or cost-similar and I don't think that they are," School Committee Member Jen McAndrew, who authored the requests, said.

The School Committee want the costs to help inform decisions on the Beebe — but the entire district is in play.

"I as one member need to make an informed decision on all of these things, short-term and long-term," School Committee Chair Ed O'Connell said. He added that he believes the public wants the information.

The request passed, 6-1.

Mayor Paul Brodeur was the only member of the School Committee to vote against it, saying getting all the information in the time requested would be nearly impossible. He said he'd do his best to provide as much information as possible as quickly as he could.

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Superintendent Cyndy Taymore said the School Committee is "running out of time" to find her successor.

Taymore, speaking with her usual frankness during Tuesday night's meeting, suggested the School Committee is falling behind in the process while potential candidates get scooped up by other districts.

"You're running out of time," Taymore said. "Honest to God, you're running out of time."

Taymore announced her plan to retire Nov. 12, the same day as a colleague in Bedford did. Bedford is hiring a new superintendent at the beginning of February, according to Taymore.

"You're already losing good candidates," she said.

The School Committee responded by choosing a consultant to help with the search, though it's pending whether an agreeable price can be negotiated.

The School Committee chose the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center out of UMass-Boston. The Collins Center was the priciest of the three proposals the School Committee entertained — in fact, the base fee is $17,500, which is $2,500 more than the School Committee received for the process. Additional costs could follow depending on how the process with Collins would go.

The other options were the New England School Development Council, which would have cost $14,560, and the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which came in at $9,500. Both options also had the potential for additional costs.

There was a thought by School Committee Member Jennifer Razi-Thomas to forego a consultant and have the School Committee conduct the search. That idea did not gain much traction.

Taymore said she was appointed at the end of March when she took over eight years ago, which gave her a couple months to get acclimated. Candidates, she said, will need time to get situated and may need to give notice to their current employers.

"The longer you draw this out the harder it gets," she said.

Taymore will retire June 30.

Also at Tuesday's School Committee meeting:

• A group of parents, sometimes through tears, detailed problems their children have had at the Lincoln School and lobbied for additional "human resources" to help.
• There was talk about reactivating school building committee.
• The FY21 budget timeline was approved. "We look forward to a collaborative budget process this year with lots of input from the community," School Committee McAndrew said.
• School Committee Saturday "office hours" were settled on, a new attempt to inform) and stay informed by) the community.