More than a decade ago Ida (Buzzy) Gardner wrote a story about a woman who brought small toys to young children on Martha's Vineyard. The Santa Claus Lady was her name, and as the story goes she "brought Christmas in tiny packages wrapped in odd pieces of paper tightly tied with bits of ribbon."
School Budget Talks Highlight Steady Rise in Cost of Education
By RACHEL KOVAC
The merits of forming a single regional school district came to the forefront of an all-Island school committee meeting this week, as an increase in the budget for the Vineyard schools superintendent prompted discussion once again about ways to manage rising costs in education.
Library Group Tries Fresh Tack, but Is Rebuffed by Selectmen
By RACHEL KOVAC
The Edgartown library expansion project took another turn this week when a joint advisory committee reviewing the $11.5 million project asked the town selectmen for $35,000 to study the possibility of converting the old elementary school to a library.
The proposal, which is not supported by library trustees, was quickly shot down by selectmen.
Dropout Rate Sees a Decline
State Report Reveals Vineyard Students Are Staying in School; Strong Network of Support Cited as a Key Factor
By RACHEL KOVAC
The student dropout rate at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School has been steadily declining over the past five years and now stands at just 1.7 per cent, compared with the state average of 3.7 per cent.
Bids Opened for Town Hall Project; Cost of Renovation Over $5.5 Million
By IAN FEIN
The price tag for the West Tisbury town hall renovation project shot up to $5.5 million yesterday, after selectmen opened construction bids that were, as expected, well over the original estimate.
Voters will now be asked at a Nov. 16 special town meeting to open their wallets and approve another $1.8 million for the beleaguered renovation. A special town election will be held the following day with a corresponding Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.
High School SAT Scores Remain Solid
By RACHEL KOVAC
Students at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School continue to do well on the SAT, posting verbal scores above the state, New England and national mean scores. And in math students scored above the mean for New England.
Although the SAT scores for the class of 2005 were lower than the class of 2004, scores overall still show a steady increase over the past nine years.