School Committee Decisions on Budgets, Dress Codes, and Regional Programs-June 19, 1970

School Committee Eliminates Dress Codes, Welcomes Retroactive Craftsmen Bids, and Applauds Financial Aid Surges

The Norwood School Committee enacted sweeping changes this week, officially eliminating formal dress codes at both junior high school campuses beginning next fall. The decisive policy change was initiated by student councils at Norwood Junior High and Norwood Junior High School North, who petitioned for an end to formal clothing restrictions. This structural shift follows a precedent set two months ago, when the committee removed dress code mandates at Norwood High School at the request of the student council executive board, a measure that received full concurrence from local school administrators.

Alongside cultural policy adjustments, the committee reviewed significant regional enrollment milestones and extensive student funding allocations. School Supt. Philip O. Coakley reported that graduating seniors at Norwood High School secured a record-setting $254,765 in total financial aid, distributed across various scholarships, grants, loans, and on-campus employment opportunities. Dr. Coakley noted that “in a majority of instances, this goes over a four-year period.” He further announced that the town achieved its highest vocational technical footprint to date, with 147 local students accepted to the Blue Hills Regional Technical School for the 1970-71 academic term, stating it was “the largest number we’ve had.”

Labor relations and retroactive town meeting wage adjustments also dominated the board’s docket. The committee received formal correspondence from the Norwood Maintenance Craftsmen union indicating that “they would be glad to accept” a nine percent salary increase. This adjustment matches the retroactive wage hike backdated to Jan. 1 that town meeting voters previously granted to other municipal employee groups during broader contract renewals.

The union’s direct request and avoidance of formal bargaining tables drew sharp-tongued humor from the school board. “They don’t want to bargain with you; they don’t even want to see you,” commented Dr. Coakley. School board member Charles O. Saraca joked, “They’re afraid we might ask them some questions,” prompting member Mrs. Judith Berkowitz to interpose, “Like where have you been and what are you doing.” Historical logs note that the maintenance craftsmen skipped active negotiations with the school committee entirely this year, a stark contrast to frequent 1969 sessions where their primary grievance centered on a clothing allowance. To close out personnel business, Dr. Coakley presented a proposed one-year contract for senior building custodians, adding that the junior custodian labor agreements had not yet been received.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger