Schools

School Board Resumes Talks on No More Voting in Schools and Supt's Evaluation

The School Committee meets in a special session Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Kiley School.

In addition to the teachers' union contract, the Peabody School Committee will also be resuming discussion on voting (or not voting as the proposal is) in the city's schools during elections and the annual evaluation of the superintendent.

Board member Brandi Carpenter brought the issue back before her colleagues last month -- her initial effort to stop using schools as polling sites was in 2008 -- and she received near unanimous support.

Citing safety concerns for students and the disruption to the school day as the main issues, board members agreed to send a letter to local election officials to ask for the change and instead, consider alternative locations for polling sites, such as the senior center, churches and supermarkets.

The opinion from the Peabody Board of Registrars five years ago, however, was that the eight city schools used for polls are the most central and accessible locations in those neighborhoods. A compromise made at the time was just to cancel school on Election Day in November.

This time around, most of the committee is with Carpenter and city attorneys have been asked for an opinion on whether the committee can just deny access to the schools to use as polling sites.

One other item on the agenda for Tuesday night is an update on the job opening for Principal at the Center School.

Katherine St. Peter, who has spent the past six years of her career in the Peabody Public Schools, retired this year. She was promoted to take over the helm at the Center School in 2010.

Tuesday's special meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kiley School.

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