New math: Schools have cash in the kitty

Not only does the override eliminate the need to cut roughly 40 full-time positions, but as of the third quarter of the fiscal year, the School Department has a surplus of roughly $500,000, according to Peter Rowe, deputy superintendent for finance. The reasons for the lower-than-expected spending include the large number of teachers who retired last year and were replaced by younger, lower-paid teachers; a cut in special education services of about $250,000, partly because there are seven fewer out-of-district student placements; and this year's renegotiated employee health insurance costs. Enrollment, which in recent years has risen sharply, this year grew by a more moderate 18 students.

The town is making it hard for anyone to have an excuse for not exercising today. At 12:30 p.m., with police leading the way, residents can bicycle a 5-mile loop at Brookline Bikes Beacon. Then, townsfolk can gather at Amory Park for the annual Fitness Fair put on by Brookline on the Move. People of all ages can try out classes in dance, Pilates, martial arts, and more; participate in fitness races for children; play Frisbee golf; and sample healthy food. Details are available at BrooklineBikes.org for the bicycle parade, and at brooklineonthemove.com for the fitness fair.

If "Bob the Builder" is big on your TV screen, you may want to bring the tyke down to the Department of Public Works on Tuesday, when all the equipment, from street sweepers to front-end loaders, is open for child inspection. Also on tap: operating the remote-control robot that explores sewer and drain pipes for leaks, measuring stuff with a pedometer, planting flowers, and recycling things with humorist Jack Golden. There will also be take-home recycled art. (Those guys are always thinking).

Got a news item for Brookline? E-mail Andreae Downs at andreaedowns@yahoo.com.

This year's winners of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School faculty grants show that the high school's curriculum ventures far beyond traditional subjects. Among the recipients are science instructor Sarah Colby's ecological field research class, in which students monitor the ecosystem changes at Alewife; new audiobooks at the library that make English literature accessible to more students; and culinary arts instructor Catherine Thomas's Culture of Food in Cambridge course that introduces students to ethnic cuisines and resources around the city. The award recipients were chosen in March by the school in conjunction with the parent group Friends of CRLS and were presented last month.

May is Haitian Heritage Month, and while Cambridge cannot boast of an ebullient parade the likes of which will hit the streets in Dorchester and Mattapan today, the city will host a celebration of its own. Haitian Flag Day festivities start at City Hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and will feature food and dancing. Given that French or French Creole is the third-most-common language spoken in Cambridge, due in part to the city's sizable Haitian population, the event gives residents an opportunity to not only find out more about Haitian culture but also possibly meet a neighbor or two.

Drinking Water Week wrapped up in Cambridge last weekend, just as city and state lawmakers stepped up scrutiny of the safety of the state's water supply. Officials on Beacon Hill held a hearing on the possible presence of pharmaceutical products in drinking water last week, and a report presented at the City Council on Monday provided members with details on Cambridge's drinking water supply. Of the 86 local drinking water samples tested, none contained pharmaceutical products, while three of the 86 raw samples (water collected before it enters the city's treatment facility) contained traces of DEET and two other compounds. The results come from a series of tests conducted in late March; further tests are scheduled for September.

Got a news item from Cambridge? E-mail Victoria Cheng at vcheng@globe.com.

Restaurants could be serving cold beer at their sidewalk cafes as early as July, thanks to an ordinance passed last month by the Board of Aldermen. The ordinance allows restaurants that have liquor licenses and are licensed for outdoor seating to serve alcohol on city sidewalks. The city's Licensing Commission will try to draft guidelines to implement the ordinance at its meeting tomorrow. Once the commission approves guidelines, restaurants can ask to serve alcohol outdoors, and could go before the board for approval as early as June, said Joanne Burke, the commission's executive secretary. She said she expects a half-dozen businesses to apply initially and that another eight to 10 will probably follow suit.

Residents will no longer have to try to make sense of City Hall on their own. As of last week, the city has installed a help desk at the entrance to the Highland Avenue building, which will be staffed by its 311 operators. City spokesman Tom Champion said the greeter at the kiosk will be able to answer a host of questions about city services. Most of the operators who will take turns working the counter speak a second language. Visitors also will be able to pay water bills, property bills, excise taxes, and parking tickets at the counter. The desk will also be stocked with yard waste stickers, environmental service guides, recycling bins, and welcome kits. It will be staffed whenever City Hall is open.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is playing tour guide again, traveling for the second time as mayor to his family's hometown of Gaeta, Italy, with 40 Somerville residents, most of them seniors. A city press release said the 10-day trip, which includes two days in Rome, is designed to "solidify sister city bonds" and initiate a foreign student exchange program. The cost is between $2,299 and $2,699 a head; a city spokesman said the mayor and six staffers are paying their own way.

Got a news item from Somerville? E-mail Danielle Dreilinger at djdreilinger@comcast.net.