Education

Haverhill Schools Report Progress Trimming Next Year’s Budget, Now Down to $134 Million

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Haverhill school administrators have managed to shave almost $1.3 million off a projected $2.1 million budget gap for the next school year without cutting teachers or many other direct services to students. But in order to meet city hall’s mandate to stay within a 2.5% budget increase in its formal budget request, Superintendent Margaret Marotta told the Haverhill School Committee Thursday, she will have to continue searching for another $764,086 in potential savings. The School Committee expects to unveil its budget request for the year that begins July 1 at a formal public hearing Thursday, May 22. The School Committee will then present its final budget request to the Haverhill City Council in early June. Noting that salaries comprise 85% of the budget, Marotta said her proposed budget does include a reduction in instructional positions but that the positions which would be cut are mostly vacant.

Education

House Leader Looks to Put Brakes on Vocational School Admission Changes

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by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon
April 16, 2025
THE GOVERNOR proposes, the Legislature disposes. So goes the saying that points to who ultimately wields power on Beacon Hill. On most issues, lawmakers can have the final say. That’s true for things introduced by the governor, but it also extends to other players in state government. A case in point is the ongoing debate over vocational high school admission policies, which a top House official is suddenly looking to upend through one legislative lever or another.

Education

Haverhill High School Releases 2024-2025 Third Term Honor Roll; Complete List Here

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Haverhill High School this week released its third term honor roll, naming students who have earned Honors with Distinction, High Honors and Honors. A full list appears below. Honors with Distinction
Lauryn Calkins, Sadie Campbell, Sophie Coelho, Graydon England, Madeline Halupowski, Sophia Lafontaine, Sophia Lee, Shawn Lynch, Ariel Minervini, Abigail Mistretta, Enelyse Morales, Edwards Mukuna, Samantha Noonan, Kathryn Papageorgiou, Julianne Piraino, Baran Raad, Jens Ramirez Oliva, Colby Smith, Asher Snay, Jovan Soto, Christopher Tziavas, Reina Vicioso Perez, Andrew Yattaw and Anna Zuccarello. High Honors
Ashanty Abranson Cuevas, Janine Alcivar, Azariah Almestica, Gianna Aloisi, Cadence Arivella, Kamila Avila Charles, Sandy Awad Salib, Jack Baker, Matthew Baker, Emma Barman, Rachael Barman, Eve Barton, Emma Bednarek, Joseph Bednarek, Rayane Benaicha, Cadence Benedict, Camila Benitez Jurado, Caroline Berthiaume, Melina Bohanan, Avery Borden, Madeleine Boucher, Jake Bourque, Riley Bradish, Miles Bunyar, Anthony Campo, Larissa Campo, Makaylla Cederman, Isaiah Celado, Chiarra Charles, Justin Thomas Chase, Jaliyah Chase-Barton, Juan Chogllo Nucshi, Elena Combs, Sienna Cooper, Isaac Cortes Polo, Evelyn Cronin, Jayden Cuevas, Connor Curtis, Fiona Dacey, Thattiany DaSilva, Beatriz De Lima Zocchio, Maria De Souza Da Luz, Sophia DeFrank, Allison DeVinney, Ryan DeVinney, Emily Dicker, Lila Dion, Lauren Downer, Keira Drouin, Ryan Dunn, Aghama Rex Efosa, Benjamin Ellis, Kylie Etling, Elena Fairbrother, Jaidalee Falcon, Hileric Feliz Ventura, Edward Feoli, Daishaley Fernandez, Therine Fleurimond, Collin Garrison, Lorenzo Giangregorio, Eleanor Gilbert, Vasiliki Gioldasis, Manuel Gomez-Perez, Aleigh Gonzalez, Cadia Griffin, Brody Guice, Isabella Harb, Joshua Harrington, Nathan Harrington, Kylie Hart-Langlois, Oliver Havens, Hannaly Herrera, Michael Hickey, Cedric Holcomb, Julie Howes, Darlecha Abigaelle Jean Gilles, Sierra Jepson, Jonas Jimenez, Diego Jimenez-Holguin, Chloe Jones, Molly Jordan, Jacob Kelley, Eleanor Kutschke, Violet Landry, Kin Lawrence, Emely Lebron Arias, Evelyn Leger, Isabelle Leger, Caydan Lessard, Thomas Lindmark, Emily Littlefield, Jaiden Littlefield, Adrian Lopez, Dostin Lozano Hernandez, Trey Lynch, Kaelie McCracken, Patrick McGowan, Ashley McGrath, Bianca Mejia, Marely Melendez, Brodie Melvin, Timothy Mendoza, Liam Menzie, Nehieliz Moreno, Ava Moscaritolo, Roslynn Murphy, Bella Nieves, Courtney Noonan, Scarlett Nunez Ausjuka, Nahdya Nunez, Colby O’Donnell, Natalia Ordaz Monzon, Aneida Ortega, Jose Ortiz Sosa, Patrick Osgood, Cole Pagliuca, Evelyn Palmer, Austin Palmisano, John Papageorgiou, Georgios Papanikolaou, Leah Paradis, Dimitrios Pardalis, Daksh Patel, Grace Pelletier, Myan Pham, Alexander Pinardi, Colten Pinto, Julia Plassmann, Claire Plourde, Julien Pothier, Hailee Powe, Emmalynn Proia, Jeremiah Rivera, Spencer Roux, Pierce Rowe, Andrew Sadek, Gianna Salvato, Mariangel Santana Moran, Jenna Schultz, Anna Smith, Luke Smith, Michael Smith, Lily Souza, Lily Stanley, Miles Stapel, Brennan Tarasuk, Framely Tejada Garcia, Diego Tejada Lopez, Landon Terry, Chloe Truong, Nick Tzortzis, Vintage Veth, Kolin Wagner, Sophya Walsh, Cole Whiting, Isabel Whittaker, Cameron Whitten, Nathaniel Wholley, Adam Wilson, Alex Yaguachi Aucanzhala, Kate Ziminski and Sean Ziminski. Highest Honors
William Axford, Joy Barman, Brookelyn Blais, Kai’ri Bohanan, Jacob Brindis, Noah Cabrera, Isabella Cannon, Raphaela Carvalho, Amaya Castro, Natasha Cedar-Penn, Colin Chartier, Sophia Ciccariello, Maeve Crowley, Sophie Da Silveira, Alexandra Dalphin, Connor Damske, Melissa Deferia, Mamadou Diallo, Olivia Dicker, Kiernan Doody, Jacob Dube, Aya Elkadmiri, Eve Farrell, Olivia Feil, Avery Fumia, Brooke Gagne, Shannon Gallagher, McKenna Gendron, Cecilia Geyer, Elsa Gillogly, Callan Goncalves, Evelin Gonzalez Herrera, Natalie Guice, Molly Guthrie, Thomas Hardy, Ansley Harrison, Ruby Hatch, Liam Holcomb, William Jimenez, Nevaeh Joubert, Lauren Keenan, Emily Lenihan, Avery Lescord, Ryan Lessard, Andrew Leung, Natalie Libby, Emma Manning, Megan Manning, Hendry Martinez Dorrejo, Kaylee Mena, Malika Meskine, Emmy Carolina Monrreal Duran, Harper Mundy, Khoi Nguyen Le, Cassidy Noonan, Alysha Otero Burgos, Joel Otero Burgos, Ezequiel Ovalle Blanco, Ava Jane Paquette, Disha Patel, Diya Patel, Lemuel Perez Calderon, Aaron Pernilla-Roche, Alexis Pernilla-Roche, Brandon Piraino, Saralis Ramirez Rosario, Sofia Ramirez, Madison Roosevelt, Cecily Russell, Brennah Ryan, Lauren Samaha, Sky Seneca, Kayley Shapiro, Alec Simoneau, Jisiah Stone, Ysabel Suazo, Meredith Tabb, Elijah Thompson, Teddy Thorner, Ryan Trebicka, Yoanny Trinidad, Abigail Walsh, Becky Weeden, Aidan Wood, Cale Wood, Grace Wood, Amanda Ziminski and James Zito.

Education

Haverhill Hires Billerica Town Manager as Chief Financial Officer for School Department

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Clancy Main, Billerica’s current town manager, has been hired by the Haverhill School Committee to serve as chief financial officer. Main, 36, begins his new position May 19. A resident of Derry, N.H., Main will take over many of duties of the school department’s former assistant superintendent of finance and operations, Michael J. Pfifferling, who left for a similar position with the Marblehead Public School system last May. Greg Labrecque, the former business manager for the Pentucket Regional School System, has been serving as the school system’s interim business manager since Pfifferling left. The School Committee decided last fall to look for a chief financial officer with a reduction in duties and salary after an extensive search turned up no acceptable candidates for the assistant superintendent of finance and operations position.

Education

Haverhill High School Search Finds Nothing Unusual After Single Bullet Found in Bathroom

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No items of concern were found Monday after a thorough search of Haverhill High School and student belongings following the discovery of a single bullet in a boy’s bathroom. A “stay in place” order was implemented after the bullet was found about 11:37 a.m. Haverhill Police were the first to respond, followed by Massachusetts State Police and Essex County Sheriff’s Department K9s. Inspections of the school, inside and out, as well as of students’ backpacks and personal items were conducted. Students were released at or close to regular times. Because some buses left late, school officials told families to expect all middle and elementary school buses to run late.

Education

Public Meetings This Week: First Look at Haverhill School Spending Plan Comes Wednesday

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The public has opportunities to shape policy this week as various Haverhill boards meet. In the interest of transparency in government, WHAV provides this list of upcoming meetings every week. The public’s first look at a proposed spending plan for Haverhill Public Schools during the next academic year comes Wednesday. Haverhill school Superintendent Margaret Marotta give the Haverhill School Committee its first look at her proposed 2025-2026 school budget when the Haverhill School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee meets. Haverhill School Committee member Paul A. Magliocchetti gave a budget sneak peek last Thursday.

Education

Northern Essex Community College Celebrates Free Speech with ‘Speechapalooza’ April 24

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It’s the 10th anniversary of Northern Essex Community College’s Speechapalooza 2025, an event celebrating free speech. The college’s Principles of Public Relations class puts on Speechapalooza and gives participating students an opportunity to present speeches on whatever topics they want. “The beauty of this event is that it allows students to express themselves and their interests freely. We are fostering community, connection and conversation,” says Professor Mary Jo Shafer, who currently teaches the Principles of Public Relations class. “This is a great event because it allows us to celebrate student voices.

Education

Whittier Tech Adopts $32.4 Million Budget; All 11 Communities Agree to Study New School

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Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School will operate on a $32.4 million budget next school year, 3.29% higher than the current budget, after its School Committee approved it Wednesday without any formal public comment. Chair Scott W. Wood Jr. opened the required public hearing, held as a special meeting prior to the regular School Committee session, and then a minute later called for a vote to close the hearing after no one stepped up to the microphone with questions or comments. The Committee then voted unanimously to adopt the budget as presented by school Superintendent, Maureen A. Lynch. Business Manager Kara Kosmes explained the budget is split into a $31.7 million operating budget and $695,000 for capital expenses with the total about $1.1 million higher than this year’s budget. That breaks down to a per pupil cost of $24,675 for the 2025-2026 school year placing the school at fifth from the bottom in spending compared to other vocational technical schools in the state, she said.