By JP Beckta
Does Mayor DeMaria care about Everett’s children? He says he does. Do actions speak louder than words?
The issue of using Pope John for housing or as a school came up at the June 27, 2022 City Council meeting Members of the School Department and Administration appeared before the September 12, 2022 City Council meeting to address renovating Pope John for use as a Junior High School Mayor DeMaria appeared at the October 11, 2022 City Council meeting at which he said he would only renovate Pope John to the “gold standard.”
Mayor DeMaria declared at the December 12, 2022 City Council meeting that he would never renovate Pope John for a school.
The mayor’s office was supposed to put out an RFP for modular classrooms. The City Council repeatedly asked about the RFP.
Erin Deveney appeared at the February 27, 2023 City Council meeting to inform them that [they] “have been working” on the RFP. And it was referred back to sponsor on March 27, 2023.
After that, the issue sank without a trace. The only action was that the City Council cut out of the budget the mayor’s proposed use of ARPA funds to buy modulars.
The mayor became a voting member of the School Committee. How many of their meetings did he attend in 2022?
I believe I read somewhere that he only attended a handful out of 22 regular meetings.
The mayor attended the August 21, 2023 Special School Committee meeting for the Executive Session.
The mayor was conspicuously absent from the August 28, 2023 School Committee meeting, which was filled with the regular, ordinary running-of-the-schools matters.
Almost a whole year has gone by without any action on addressing the overcrowding in the K-8 schools. Goodness knows what we’re going to do about the High School.
Tell me again, WHO is it that cares about Everett’s children?