Final School Committee meeting marks end for Fiste, Cahill

LYNN-The meeting was short; weather causing the tabling of most of the issues on the agenda, but the final School Committee get-together of 2007 was a memorable one for two of the six members who took time to reflect on their service to the community Monday night.It would appear that Arthur Fiste and Daniel Cahill are heading in opposite directions of the political spectrum. Fiste, after spending the last 36 years in and around city government, is retiring from the school committee after a failed bid for the City Council.Cahill, on the other hand, is taking the next step in his budding political career, joining the City Council as one of the top vote getters in the November election. The 28-year-old completed his second term on the Committee Monday with kind words for everyone, including Superintendent Nicholas Kostan, who he called a “second father for everyone in Lynn.”Fiste admitted that he would miss the School Committee “a little bit,” and looked back on his time working for the schools as a success.”We did nit our way, the last six years have been very, very successful,” he said. “It was a pleasure working with Nick Kostan and his administration, and I wish the new group of people an awful lot of luck.”That new pair of School Committee members, Vincent Spirito and Maria Carrasco, were in attendance Monday, and watched with interest as the committee voted to cut $1.72 million from the city’s appropriated budget.”I am looking forward to getting started,” said Carrasco. “There will be many issues I am sure we will talk about in a few weeks.”While the financial squeeze was an essential piece of business addressed by the committee, the meeting was otherwise a series of tabled issues.The original agenda called for a comprehensive review of a recent audit by the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, conducted in October.A dozen members of that office set up shop in Lynn schools for a week, speaking to parents, students and teachers and reviewing nearly every aspect of the department. Representatives had originally hoped to meet with the School Committee last Thursday to discuss their findings, but bad weather forced the meeting’s cancellation.Representatives were not able to make it to the rescheduled meeting Monday because of scheduling conflicts, and are expected to meet with the new regime when meetings resume after the holiday break.Kostan said he anticipates a positive review from the EQA based on preliminary conversations he has had with the office.The Committee also voted to table a discussion about changing the name of the Welcoming Middle School, and will hold off on approving a state required update of the Special Education Policy and Procedure manual until Attorney John Mihos can review the document.An executive session took place following the meeting to discuss the contract of new Business Administrator Kevin McHugh, the terms of which will be reviewed and approved at a future meeting. McHugh was hired earlier this month as a replacement for the retiring Stephen Upton.