The uncertain path to get to next year's school budget took another turn Tuesday, June 2, when the School Committee voted to send the ever-changing package to Town Meeting. The vote was 6-1, with committee Chair Joseph Curran voting no. He has been asked to comment.

The committee voted 6-1 May 26. Leba Heigham was then the lone member to vote no on the bottom-line fiscal 2010 budget of $38,430,596, but the yes votes from other six members were likely done out of resignation.

For Arlington High School seniors, the close of their final year is fast approaching. Here is information provided to parents by Principal Charles A. Skidmore.

Graduation is scheduled for Peirce Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. If the graduation is outside on the field, no tickets are needed. If the graduation ceremony is inside in the Toz Gym, due to inclement weather, tickets will be required.

 

The special-education department of the Arlington public schools has conducted its own investigation of complaints brought by parents in March and has found no basis for them, but the state will now look into the concerns.

Mark Ryder, director of special education, responded April 22 to a story published nine days earlier detailing the parents' issues brought in March. He wrote in an e-mail that his department conducted an internal investigation and were unable to substantiate the claims of noncompliance. He wrote that his department "has been successfully working to improve and expand" programs and services.

An arbitrator has ruled in favor of fired Ottoson teacher Chuck Coughlin in a work-assignment case that is unrelated to the long-running effort aimed at winning back his job.

The grievance dates from the spring of 2007 and involved then-Superintendent Nate Levenson removing Coughlin as the lead teacher of technology at Ottoson Middle School.

Watch for a "milk motion" soon, perhaps at the April 28 School Committee meeting. The aim is to squeeze some revenue from an unexpected source -- milk purchases for school lunches.

Member Joseph Curro placed a paper lunch bag on the committee's "roundtable" at its April 14 meeting. From it, he pulled a variety of milk cartons.

"I support holding the line on fees," he said. "I support the whole child and giving power to parents."

So as a possible revenue enhancement, he pointed to milk.