A second wave of recall petitions has been filed against a group of four Norwood school committee members, setting the stage for potential further upheaval on the board. The latest recall drive targets committee members Rudith Berkowitz, William E. Egan, Joseph M. Pentowski, and Joan H. Cuff for their refusal to restore school budget cuts.
Once Town Clerk Bartley W. Connolly completes the certification of roughly 300 signatures obtained for each petition, the Board of Selectmen will be required by the town charter to schedule a recall election between 25 and 35 days later. However, Connolly noted that selectmen might be permitted under the charter to delay the vote by up to 60 days if another town election coincides with that window—noting the possibility of a forthcoming special election to fill the selectman vacancy left by the recent passing of Selectman Joe Wall.
Dual Recall Efforts Over Budget Dispute
This second filing follows an earlier recall drive targeting the remaining three members of the school committee—Chairman Henry W. Diggs, Richard W. Kief, and John H. Chisholm—whose recall election is already scheduled for September 5. Both recall efforts were spearheaded by town meeting members citing fiscal irresponsibility after the committee rejected a $618,000 reduction to the school budget during the annual town meeting.
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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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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Opening Salvos Fired in School Budget Battle-June 15, 1978
A $126,000 budget variance, classroom ratio disputes, and proposals to redistribute students stir debate at Norwood Town Meeting.
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