Marblehead Beacon

02/28/2025

With apologies that Marblehead Beacon is still on hiatus, we want to make sure you are aware of a great new resource available at AllAboutTown.com, which is providing detailed summaries with embedded video links to many local town meetings. Click HERE:

https://www.facebook.com/AllAboutTown.News/

and visit All About Town's page, which provides links to recent summaries, including this week's well attended and often contentious subcommittee meeting about our schools' flag policy.

02/07/2024

An important message to our readers:

In response to those of our subscribers who have reached out or wondered about our hiatus from publishing, we wanted to provide an overdue update

12/14/2023

Union issues vote of "No Confidence" and calls for two administrators to be removed due to "unfair working conditions for educators and inadequate learning conditions for students"

Marblehead Teacher's Union issues statement entitled: "A Declaration of No Confidence in Dr. Paula Donnelly, Director of Student Services and Ms. Emily Dean, Associate Director of Student Services."

12/07/2023

Marblehead teachers protest "unsafe working environment" that has led to "physical injury" for an "alarming number of educators at Glover Elementary School"

The Marblehead Education Association issued a public letter to Interim Superintendent of Schools Theresa McGuinness expressing support for their union colleagues placed on administrative leave.

12/06/2023

Major happenings at Glover School this week as several are placed on leave as student-restraint policies are revisited.

Several unexpected events roiled Marblehead's Glover School community throughout the course of the day on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

11/13/2023

The Massachusetts House of Representatives just approved new restrictions on gun ownership. How might these changes impact Marblehead, where about 10% of residents currently have a license to carry?

The bill—entitled “An act modernizing firearm laws”—includes a variety of modifications and additions to Massachusetts laws governing firearm ownership and related matters.

11/07/2023

Theresa McGuinness stresses the importance of trust, communication, transparency, and analysis as she takes on the role of Marblehead's interim superintendent of schools.

Theresa McGuinness—familiar to many Marbleheaders from her time as Village School principal—returned to Marblehead this week to assume the position of interim superintendent of schools.

11/06/2023

"Courage is Contagious" is the takeaway message when Israelis visit the JCC in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack that took place in Israel on October 7.

Over the course of about ninety minutes, the audience heard stories of terror and loss interspersed with messages of optimism and a discussion of the lessons to be learned from lives cut short too soon.

11/06/2023

An in-person meeting was held about zoning changes to allow for approximately 900 multi-family units in town. Read the full story below.

On Thursday, November 2, 2023, the town’s Planning Board, chaired by Bob Schaeffn

11/04/2023

Four visiting Israelis—both Jewish and non-Jewish—will speak at the JCC in Marblehead on Sunday, November 5 at 12 noon.

Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 12 noon at 4 Community Road, Marblehead

11/02/2023

An MHS parent spoke exclusively to Marblehead Beacon about her removal of the BLM flag in the MHS cafeteria. Read full story below.

Sharman Pollender—a Marblehead resident and mother of two—tells Marblehead Beacon that she has been upset about the presence of the flag since it first made its appearance in 2021.

10/27/2023

Wondering where Marblehead is heading on the potential addition of “as of right” zoning for 900 new multi-family units?

Read below about last night’s heavily attended Zoom meeting at which dozens of town residents weighed in with questions and concerns.

More than 175 individuals virtually attended a Zoom meeting held by Marblehead’s Planning Board on October 26, 2023.

10/26/2023

Public invited to weigh in on multi-family zoning proposal TONIGHT (10/26/23) at 7:30 p.m.

The Marblehead Planning Board invites the community at attend an online public session tonight, Thursday, October 26,

10/25/2023

Local residents and religious leaders weigh in on Black Lives Matter flag at MHS

Conversations surrounding the BLM flag have become more heated in recent weeks in the wake of the tragic events that took place in Israel on October 7, 2023.

10/23/2023

Who gets to decide fate of Coffin School property?

After 3-2 School Committee vote to retain Coffin for future school use, Select Board threatens legal measures to obtain control and use property for housing development instead

10/20/2023

Heartfelt comments shared during last night's School Committee meeting, with 5-0 vote supporting acting superintendent's statement about Hamas attacks on Israel

During the regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday evening, October 19, 2023, the Marblehead School Committee voted five-zero for a motion “to find no wrongdoing by acting superintendent Michelle Cresta in the complaint brought forward by Kristi Warab on 10-12-23.”

10/19/2023

Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta is waiving her right to executive session during tonight's School Committee meeting. Complaint issued about email condemning Hamas will be discussed in public.

The agenda for tonight's School Committee meeting has been amended to indicate that Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta is waiving her right to have the complaint against her discussed in private

10/18/2023

Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta called "a disgrace" and asked to step down after sending district-wide email condemning violence in Israel

School Committee issues statement explaining that they have scheduled an executive session at the advice of legal council and in compliance with their policies