The School Committee conducted formal interviews last night with two prospective candidates for the vacant business manager position while becoming embroiled in a stormy debate regarding student transportation contracts and administrative authority.
The committee interviewed Ralph E. Brooks, business manager for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and John D. Sheehan, assistant business administrator in Weymouth, who are vying to succeed Lawrence S. Canter following his resignation.
Busing Controversy and Yellow Cab Dispute
In addition to administrative interviews, the session flared into heated debate over student busing. On a motion by member Richard Joseph, the committee agreed to meet with Yellow Cab President Richard Armour and Town Counsel Justin Barton, stipulating that Armour must appear strictly as a “private taxpayer” rather than a corporate representative, given that Yellow Cab has an active lawsuit pending against the committee over bidding procedures.
Tensions escalated as members Charles Siraca and Joseph Pentowski sharply rebuked Superintendent of Schools Louis J. Taris for reassigning special student bus routes previously held by Yellow Cab to Kiessling School Transportation of Dedham without convening a special school committee meeting. Superintendent Taris authorized the transfer after Yellow Cab indicated it could not fulfill contractual routes without a fee adjustment to offset soaring gasoline prices. Committee Chairman Ruth Berkowitz and member Richard Joseph defended Superintendent Taris’s administrative emergency actions, keeping division within the board on display.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Students Take Reins For Town Government Day-June 9, 1981
School Committee Pledges Paint And Textbook Inventory To Student Delegates The utilitarian gray paint covering the walls of the Norwood High School cafeteria may soon be replaced with student-designed artwork following a successful session of the annual town student government day . High school students who were elected by their sophomore and junior peers to…
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Perfect Day For 494 Norwood High Grads-June 7, 1981
Class Of 1981 Celebrates Commencement Ceremonies At Murray Field A perfect June day greeted the 494 graduating seniors of Norwood High School and the crowd of more than 2,000 friends and relatives who gathered yesterday at Murray Field to honor them. Led by class President Paulette Alty, the class of 1981 cheered for each other…
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School Committee Smokers Voluntarily Adopt Hallway Smoke Breaks to Protect Health of Colleague Charles Saraca-August 21, 1980
Eschewing a formal indoor smoking ban, Norwood School Committee members Rudith Berkowitz, Richard Joseph, Joan Cuff, and William Egan voluntarily chose to take hallway smoke breaks to safeguard Charles Saraca’s health.
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Saraca Fights to Conduct Grievance in Open Session-September 6, 1979
School committee member Charles C. Saraca successfully insists that an art teacher’s workload grievance be heard in an open public session rather than behind closed doors.
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Norwood School Committee Criticizes Secondary Education Quality-August 9, 1979
The Norwood School Committee sharply criticized secondary education quality, citing poor final exams, grammatical errors in curriculum guides, and low SAT scores.
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Norwood School Committeeman William Pudsey Proposes Ban on Student Parking at Norwood High School-August 1, 1979
School Committeeman William Pudsey proposed eliminating student parking at Norwood High School, citing safety hazards, reckless driving near the school rotary, and severe parking shortages for visitors.
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Norwood School Committee Closes Aaron Guild and Willett Schools-December 7, 1978
In a meeting that ended in a shouting match, the Norwood School Committee last night voted 4 to 3 to close two of the town’s seven elementary schools in September. School Supt. Louis Taris, in proposing the closings, said the school population had declined steadily in recent years and would lose 200 students each year…
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FinCom Stuns School Committee with Sudden Reversal-August 22, 1978
In a sharp reversal, the Norwood Finance Commission voted against restoring $335,000 to the school budget, leaving the School Committee weighing lawsuits and alternative funding paths ahead of town meeting.
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FinCom Not Appeased by $255,000 School Cut-July 14, 1978
The town of Norwood was abuzz with controversy in the summer of 1978 as the finance commission (FinCom) and the school committee engaged in a heated debate over the school budget. The issue at hand was the $255,000 cut to the school budget voted by the school committee on Wednesday, which a majority of FinCom…
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Tight-Fisted Town Meeting Holds Firm On School Department Budget Cuts-June 22, 1978
A deadlocked floor fight over a massive school funding reduction brings threats of lawsuits, board recalls, and a complete municipal showdown.
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