By Avice Meehan

The Botelle Board of Education (BoE) welcomed Kevin D. Case, Norfolk’s incoming school superintendent, at its June 10 meeting while simultaneously honoring Mary Beth Iacobelli, who has served in the role for the past 11 years. The leadership change took effect July 1 (see related story on page one).

The BoE also tackled more routine matters, including updates on school activities, the resignation of Mary Krusch as the part-time music teacher and progress on the installation of new boilers. Krusch was highly regarded and left to accept a fulltime position. Although there was no comment from the public, members of the community joined the meeting for the presentation of awards (see related story page 7).
Adoption of new policies on restorative practices and school climate drew fire, however, as board member Walter Godlewski questioned the lack of time for review and use of generic language not specific to Botelle. “I will vote against all of these,” he said. “This is not acceptable behavior by a board of education.”

As the discussion unfolded, it became clear that the policy subcommittee of the board had not met for eight months and, at the same time, that the board had little choice but to adopt the policies or be out of compliance with the state. Principal Lauren Valentino noted that many of the practices outlined in the polices were already in place at Botelle and that the school was in a “very good place.”
Board Chair Virginia Coleman-Prisco said she did not “want to call anyone out” on the lack of policy meetings, but that she appreciated Godlewski’s comments as an opportunity for the board to improve its practices. The policies passed on a 3-1 vote with Godlewski dissenting.

Case, who served as superintendent of the Canton public schools for 17 years until retiring in 2023, said he was not ready to retire and had hoped to succeed Iacobelli when she stepped down. For her part, Iacobelli said her 11 years in Norfolk “had flown by” and that she would miss both the school and the community. As noted by Coleman-Prisco, Iacobelli led the one-school district through a period of considerable change and challenge, including the implementation of a multi-age classroom teaching model and the Covid pandemic. Donna Rubin, a noted baker and board member, provided a scrumptious carrot cake following the meeting. n