Brookline School Committee highlights student concerns and Sperber Award winner

Allie Olive, Staff Writer • October 28, 2023

GRAPHIC BY ALLIE OLIVE AND JULIENNE MONTROND

On Thursday, Oct. 26 the school committee met to discuss multiple different topics such as class sizes and Robert I. Sperber Award winner SWS teacher Dan Bresman.

The Brookline School Committee (BSC) convened on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. to award the Robert I. Sperber Award and discuss topics of student support. The superintendent and committee members addressed the rising class sizes and the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

The meeting discussed the problem of increased class sizes in the Public Schools of Brookline. Superintendent Dr. Linus Guillory said this problem originated from several factors, including the management of enrollment in Standard and College Preparatory classes, students who take multiple AP courses and the lack of preparation in budget planning. Guillory said planning about this problem for next year has already begun.

“What are the additional safeguards that we can put in place, recognizing that we also have staffing shortages nationally as well? Those are the considerations that we’re starting to talk about now for [the 2024-25 school year],” Guillory said.

In the past week, students in both middle and high school received the YRBS. Senior Director of Clinical Services and Social-Emotional Learning Dr. Matthew DuBois presented the findings of the survey and stressed its importance to student mental health. He reported decreased participation among high school students. Dubois said he hopes students know that there are people behind the YRBS who care about them and their well being, and students should use the survey as a resource for support.

“[The YRBS is] one really powerful mechanism that is available to you to communicate to me and other leaders about what we can do to support you,” DuBois said. “I really want kids to understand that when you complete the survey, it doesn’t go into a vacuum, it doesn’t go into a drawer. There are human beings like me who organize a lot of their work around this.”

During the meeting, the Brookline Education Foundation presented the Robert I. Sperber Award, to School Within a School Coordinator Dan Bresman. The award is given every five years to a teacher who shows exceptional leadership qualities. Bresman said he was thrilled to accept the award and was going to continue his hard work with students.

“I’m uplifted by the sight of students having revelations of teachers pouring their hearts and souls into even the mundane tasks,” Bresman said. “And of the school as a whole humming along as a place of opportunity and collaboration.”