WHITMAN – In a frequently tense discussion, the Board of Selectmen voted to again table discussion on the fee agreement for environmental site work during its Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting. The delay allows time to invite state DEP officials to schedule a visit to the board to discuss the issue.

“The issue at hand is whether the town should be looking at and assessing the conditions for the property at 602 Bedford St., which we know to be contaminated, and we know has a substantial file at the DEP,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

The town sought a grant from MOBD to fund a Phase 2 assessment of the property in order to identify and ascertain the level of contamination, what the contaminants are and what would be involved in moving to the next step — estimating the cost of returning the property to useful condition.

“It would help us to put the property back on the tax rolls,” Lynam said, making it clear that, unless Selectmen decide otherwise, the town has no intention of taking ownership of the property. “The tax title action, which was advertised a few weeks ago, is a lien mechanism that has to be employed by the town in order to ensure its right to collect the taxes that are unpaid on the property.”

Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green prepared a proposal to represent the town in that request through the courts. Green noted that the fee agreement covers the Regal property on South Avenue as well. A previous court action allowed access to Regal for only 180 days and a refilling is necessary to continue a Phase 3 site assessment there.

Tracey Costa, a licensed site professional with Ransom Properties and who has worked with the town before, but is not currently under contract with Whitman.

“The timing is really something to consider because we really don’t know next year what the Mass. Development funding mechanism will look like,” Costa said, noting there is also an opportunity to apply for an EPA Brownfields Communitywide Assessment Fund. “You really want to be able to attract developers to the site.”

The assessment would not only determine the level of contamination, but also would outline cleanup options, according to Costa. But in conducting an assessment, the town is obligated to cleanup the site if imminent hazards are found.

While that is not likely, she said, it is built into the language of the fund.

Finance and Building committees member David Codero, who has an environmental background, has brought up concern that the town may by moving forward in a manner that flies in the face of state and EPA guidance in terms of future cleanups.

“What they are proposing is to do an investigation on a property we don’t own, and my concern is that is opening the town up for liabilities if they don’t put mechanisms in place through the attorney general’s office and through DEP in order to protect themselves from any liability,” Codero said. “What type of liability does a non-owner have when going onto somebody else’s property?”

Costa said that access would have to be acquired through an administrative warrant. Codero said that must be done upfront to avoid full liability.

“What we are voting on is a fee agreement with a law firm that will take are of the issues that David is concerned about, am I misunderstanding that?” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

Green agreed that was the issue at hand.

“It is to motion the land court to allow the town access to the property to conduct the site assessment,” Green said.

Selectman Randy LaMattina disagreed.

“There are some people trying to get something passed that clearly don’t have an idea of what they are doing,” he said. “I’m not speaking of Ransom, but I’m speaking about liability issues on this town — the property — we’ve been given misinformation as a board and I’m going to take an opportunity to clear it up.”

LaMattina noted there are two purposes for cleaning brownfields — reuse and redevelopment — and a team should be in place to handle it as the projects are started rather than “randomly start poking holes in property you don’t even own.”

He countered Green’s response to an email from Codero that brownfields grants cover legal fees. They are, instead, a specialized area of contaminated site cleanup that are highly litigious and involve a tremendous amount of legal work, LaMattina said.

“Those will not be covered under any brownfields grants,” he said. “That’s a cost that this town better be prepared to absorb. …We have no plans for reuse and redevelopment.”

He also said that, while heirs to the property have not taken title to the property, they have never renounced ownership of it. It also has a handful of liens and judgments against it totaling more than $5 million.

“Before this town saw any money, that’s where the money would go,” he said. “There are liability issues. We can’t overlook them for the fact that this sounds good, and unfortunately I think that’s what we are doing.”

He moved that the issue be tabled until the DEP can come meet with town officials about it.

Green countered that she has done a lot of research and did not go forward with her response to Codero’s email without doing so, granting that she is not a brownfields expert.

“She’s doing it wrong,” LaMattina said, occasionally cutting off others. “Plain and simple, she’s doing it wrong. … This is not the way brownfields are supposed to be handled.”

Green said Mass Development has never told her she was pursuing the grant incorrectly.

Selectmen voted to allow Green to pursue the grant a couple of months ago and are now looking at a fee agreement to complete that.

Lynam said the EPA spent $1 million on the Regal property to make it accessible for development before running out of money, noting LaMattina made some points well.

“You can’t have a development plan unless you know what it’s going to take to develop that property,” Lynam said. “One of the things that comes into play is, what is it going to cost to clean it?”

He said this was the first he had heard that DEP is willing to come talk to the board.

“I think we ought to say, ‘Thank you, and come on out,’” Lynam said.

COVID update

In other business, Lynam discussed Gov. Charlie Baker’s new guidelines for the continued reopening of state businesses.

“The only concern I have is that, as we start opening up, we’re seeing the numbers climb pretty much every day,” he said. “Today was low with 340-something, but I’m just hoping that people hold it together and do what they need to to keep it under control, because it would be a shame to move backwards.”

He said he met with the VFW and Board of Health during which an agreement was reached to halt meat raffles and motorcycle poker runs until further notice in the interest of public health.

Bezanson asked whether Selectmen or the Board of Health would be taking a position about Halloween activities.

Lynam said that would be up to the Board of Health, which will be issuing an advisory on it.

“The [state Department of Public Health] DPH has been emphatic in recommending that there be no door-to-door trick-or-treating and, while we technically can’t restrict that activity, we can certainly issue an advisory that we don’t think it’s in the best interests of the town to conduct that activity,” Lynam said.

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 29 continued discussion on a request by the Old Colony YMCA to lease of Needles Lodge at Camp Kiwanee for use as a learning pod for children whose parents have to work during remote learning days. [See related story below.]

“I’m supportive of this, but the devil’s in the details on the agreement we enter into with them,” said Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.

Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff said she adjusted language in the request to refer to it as a license rather than a lease.

“The interesting part about it is that what they are intending to do is set up a place for remote learning,” she said. “This is allowed by executive order of the governor.”

Towns must appoint someone to inspect proposals, including running CORI checks on all employees, as well as certification that health requirements are being met among other responsibilities.

FitzGerald-Kemmett questioned whether the town should be responsible for such employee background checks.

“I don’t want to minimize the burden on the town, but there’s a burden that’s been placed on the town by this executive order,” Feodoroff said. She noted that the town would have the same inspection responsibilities for private organizations offering the service on public property.

“We do have a private business in town that just got approved for the same exact thing,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, referring to the Boss Academy learning pod. “I don’t know if we fully appreciated that there was a liability that flowed to the town.”

Boss Academy worked with town inspection boards to ensure that all necessary documentation was in place, she said. It also received approval from the state’s Department Of Early Education and Care (DEEC).

“I don’t think it’s a liability, I think it’s just an obligation — an additional task,” Feodoroff said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said Boss Academy already does CORI checks on its staff, but Feodoroff said the town is supposed to fill that role for learning pod approval.

“I thought it was a strange, strange thing myself,” Feodoroff said Selectmen could approve the lease request contingent on her speaking to the DEEC about potentially outsourcing CORI checks as was done with the other business.

Selectman Chairman Kenny Mitchell said he was not comfortable voting on the request until more information is available.

“We could do it as quick as Saturday morning if we get all our ducks in a row by then,” Mitchell said.

Selectman Matt Dyer also voiced concerns about the dependability of the internet connectivity at Camp Kiwanee and whether Hanson students would get preference in enrollment.

“We have other vendors up there that are there throughout the week,” Dyer also noted. “Are we pushing current vendors out? Are we displacing them?”

Mitchell said the yoga program is looking into using space at the library.

Dyer also said compensation concerned him — $2,500 per month plus 25 percent of the enrollment fee, while the town charges $5,000 for a wedding, which only uses the space for four hours. He also urged calculation of utilities costs to determine if the Y program will enable the town to break even.

“They’re going to be there in the winter, when we typically don’t have the heat going full-blast five days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That’s going to be a significant cost. … I’d be surprised if $2,500 per month is even going to cover our heating costs during the winter.”

She said she wasn’t against the proposal so long as the YMCA covers the cost of the additional fiber optics installation and winter heating expenses and the $2,500.

Selectman Jim Hickey said the $50 per child cost could bring the YMCA as much as $50,000 a month.

“They’re going to pay us a drop in the bucket,” he said. “There’s a lot of questions.”

In other business, Selectmen discussed the Finance Committee’s vote against recommending an article to change the tree warden from an elected to an appointed position could lead to more costs down the road in view of the need to hire an experienced certified arborist.

Mitchell said that was a concern he shared and suggested more research on the issue was needed.

The position can remain elected until the next election and can also be raised again at the May Town Meeting, Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said.

Selectman Matt Dyer suggested placing the duties under the purview of the Highway Director.

“I really like that,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It addresses FinCom’s concerns … we have a unique opportunity, right now, to modify what that job description is.”

For that reason, the board let the article stand.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen voted to back Board of Health decisions about COVID-19 regulations concerning food service and public gatherings as well as authorizing the purchase of ionizing devices to clean air circulating through HVAC systems in town buildings.

At the same time, Town Administrator Frank Lynam offered to discuss meat raffles with health officials and VFW representatives, and the board tabled the issue of motorcycle poker runs vs. rolling “political rallies” to its next meeting.

Selectmen also voted unanimously to extend temporary alcohol licenses under which bars may operate during the pandemic within the governor’s limitations. The licenses expire at the end of the month.

Health regulations

“The problems we have been facing recently have been compounded by a couple of events that have occurred,” Lynam said. “It has been a difficult time for every business that’s operating today under COVID. Most everybody is working with us — although they’re very frustrated about it. …  But, at the same time, the Board of Health is really the deciding factor on what can and can’t be done under COVID.”

VFW Manager Al Rainey had sought permission from the Board of Health to hold a meat raffle, as has been allowed in Abington. Whitman health officials ruled against the request and Rainey brought the request before the Board of Selectmen.

“We’re following the guidelines,” Rainey said. “It’s an entertainment piece that were giving for outside and inside dining.”

He said the VFW is allotted 99 spaces for dining, arguing it is not an “outside event.”

Staff walks among diners showing the packages of meat up for raffle.

He accepted the health board’s ruling against his request until he noticed that Abington was allowing meat raffles, and asked again to determine if state rules had changed.

“The town has a vested interest in not seeing COVID blow up here,” Lynam said. “Wherever they’re getting crowds, wherever they’re getting a lot of people moving around and doing things, they’re getting infections.”

He argued having people walk around, selling tickets and taking money is a “high-risk operation.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” Rainey said. “Money is one of the dirtiest things around.”

“The why would you want to do it?” Lynam said.

He said they are a business that follows the guidelines, but does not have the capability to accept credit cards.

“Where is the level playing field between the two towns?” Rainey said.

“I don’t care what Abington does, Al,” Lynam said. But he did offer to set up a meeting with the health board and VFW to discuss the matter further. The VFW agreed to aide by any decision the Board of Health makes.

Selectman Randy LaMattina said Abington and Whitman are two different fields and the board has to support the Board of Health. He also said the cross-contamination posed by handling money between tables was a concern.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski agreed with LaMattina.

“I don’t question the Board of Health,” Kowalski said. “They know what’s going on in town and they take this seriously.”

Selectman Dan Salvucci said he trusts that the Board of Health does take things seriously, “but it’s not six months ago.”

Kowalski took issue with that characterization.

“It’s not six months ago, no,” he said. “We’re about to hit into late fall/early winter, and if you think things are going to get better — magically — then, you’re dreaming.”

“I’m hoping so,” Salvucci said.

Lynam noted a motorcycle event held over the weekend at the VFW, which drew estimates of about 600 motorcylists, in no way permitted social distancing when the maximum outdoor crowd limit if 50 people, or eight per 1,000 square feet.

“That stuff can’t continue and, I think if they heard it from the board rather than me or [Fire Chief Timothy] Grenno, or [Health Agent] Alexis Andrews, they might have a better understanding of it’s the direction we have to go in,” Lynam said.

Police Chief Timothy Hanlon also attended the virtual meeting to discuss events that require police presence and traffic control, that discussion was later tabled for further consideration.

A request for an upcoming poker run prompted the discussion.

Sunday’s America Backs the Blue run had started as a fundraiser for the Michael Chesna family but then turned into a political statement, Hanlon said.

“Our problems are two-fold,” he said. “The gathering that occurred Sunday was way over the [social distancing] limits, so you have to balance the right to assemble against any COVID-related issues such as not wearing masks, not social distancing and having a gathering over a certain number of people,” he said. The Police Department likes to be able to help charities with traffic control free of charge, but he noted it adds to the budget burden.

Hanlon said he would like to see a permitting process to help the department know what to expect, as some of the motorcycle runs sometimes come with no advance notice.

Grenno said the Board of Health had taken a strong line of no motorcycle runs because of the social distancing guidelines and concerns.

Air filters

Lynam said he and Grenno met with WHRSD officials last week to discuss the systems, which generate ion waves that attach to the coronavirus in the air and kills it, as well as airborne bacteria.

“These things have been going gangbusters for the last 90 days,” Lynam said, noting W-H spent $160,000 installing the devices in the schools.

Grenno has received a proposal to install the devices in all town buildings for about $40,000, reimbursable through the Plymouth County COVID funds. They would be placed in HVAC vents — three or four would be required in some buildings — to help create a healthier environment and monitoring the air quality.

“It kills strep, it kills TB, it kills COVID,” Grenno said. “It kills all kinds of common, known viruses and bacteria out there.”

He advocated installation in all town buildings not only for better air quality, but for peace of mind, as well.

The manufacturer also sells the devices for home use, saying the only negative feedback they had received was from a man who could no longer smell his bacon and eggs cooking in the morning.

“It works that good,” Grenno said, adding that the schools also report a noticeable difference in air quality. “It’s just a freshness throughout the building.”

The devices have a 20-year life expectancy and reduce the frequency in which air filters need to be changed. Some filter grades are so thick, they also tend to burn out HVAC system motors.

How did we get here?
Whitman and Hanson select boards met jointly with the WHRSD School Committee via virtual Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15 to review the history of town assessments in support of the regional school district.
“After we discuss that and get clarity, the object is to make sure we have systems in place so that it doesn’t happen again,” Whitman Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said of the mistakes made that caused division between the towns in recent months. “What happened was unfortunate and caused each of the towns to see each other with suspicion and that’s not how the towns have behaved in the past.”
Kowalksi said the object is also to ensure that the new Regional Agreement Committee continues with its work.
Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina outlined a timeline of the issue, which he has researched.
“We got lost in the effect, and didn’t get a solid explanation of the cause, and that’s my goal this evening,” LaMattina said.
He said his timeline has been verified by emails, meeting videos and minutes, and public record beginning with the 1993 Education Reform Act, which put in place a statute regulating how assessments are calculated.
“This was never addressed in any Whitman-Hanson agreement up until this previous year [when it] was finally the first year we’ve handled it correctly,” LaMattina said. He noted the confusion stemmed from a feeling that the alternative — or per-pupil — method was an illegal one.
“That absolutely was not an illegal method,” he said. “But what we clearly did not do was follow the statute.”
The towns should have been made aware they were using an alternate method and been afforded the opportunity to vote on the method used.
LaMattina said he didn’t know why the discrepancy played out since 1993, but noted the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provided some clarity in 2007 with and a memo affirming the correct process and their position in response to questions from some school districts.
“We don’t know who got that [memo],” he said.
An “erratic fact pattern in the filing of year-end reports” at WHRSD began in 2012.
Whitman resident Christopher George began to question the process in May 2016 through an email to former Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. George, active at the time in the pro-override Save Our Schools group, had included a link to the 2007 DESE memo in his email. Both George and School Committee member Fred Small have both said there was a follow-up discussion between George and Gilbert-Whitner.
In 2017, Gilbert-Whitner reached out to School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes about the need to revise the “antiquated” regional agreement that referred to closed schools and other outdated information. The Regional Amendment Agreement Committee was then formed and worked on doing so from 2017-18.
“This was obviously where a lot of our answers can be found and a lot of very deep questions start to come from,” LaMattina said.
Representatives of the Mass. Association of Regional Schools (MARS) attended the committee’s first meeting Sept. 25, 2017 in which the assessment method was mentioned as a “significant issue,” and stated the district “currently uses the statutory method.” It was stressed that to use the alternative method that the district was, in fact, using “both towns would have to vote on it each and every year,” LaMattina noted.
On Aug. 14 LaMattina called MARS representative Malcolm Reid to ask why they assumed WHRSD was using the statutory method.
“We asked Christine (referring to former Business Manager Christine Suckow), and that’s what she said she used,” Reid replied, according to LaMattina. “She was using a formula, but the numbers were wrong,” Reid told him.
“There was obviously not a nefarious intention,” LaMattina said he determined from his conversations with Reid. “It appears that, at this time, we had somebody employed by the school district that didn’t have a full understanding of what she was using.”
MARS representative Stephen Hemman on Aug. 17 told LaMattina Suckow was using her own hybrid assessment method, which did not use the minimum local contribution. A fact Hemman found out in a meeting with Suckow and Gilbert-Whitner.
LaMattina said the error was never mentioned to new district administration, and it continued for two more budget cycles. Hemman and the MARS assistant director came to W-H in June 2019 to meet with Hayes and Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak “where an actual pen to paper was put to Christine’s numbers and it was fully discovered what she was doing wrong at that time,” according to LaMattina.
School Committee member David Forth stressed that, while both the former business manager and superintendent were named in the meeting, the problems surrounding the assessment issue were in place for years before them.
“To blame these two people is just a narrative that’s being pushed,” he said. “I think you could say they were part of the issue, but this goes further back.”
Through the summer of 2019 “quite a bit of infighting” between the towns had started to take place and the school district began an investigation on the former business manager. In 2016-18, year end reports had reflected the alternative method and were “very erratic” in previous years, LaMattina said.
He asked Hayes whether the schools, indeed had followed the statutory method all along.
“If the answer is no, what are we going to do as partners to make sure this doesn’t happen again?” LaMattina said.
“I think everyone is much more schooled on it now, than they were in the past,” Hayes said, noting the district has a new business manager who is taking a different approach. “It depends on the correct information of those statements.”
Kowalski said he was not certain that the purpose of the meeting was to ask questions like that and asked Szymaniak if LaMattina’s assessment met his understanding of the issue.
“What we really need to do is look forward more than look back, and have some reassurance that we have systems in place that that can’t happen again,” Kowalski said.
“The timeline that Mr. LaMattina has presented is the timeline that I’ve been able to track back,” Szymaniak said, who took the helm at WHRSD in July 2018. “When things come from DESE they’re addressed to superintendents and charter school leaders, so that they’re covered. Business managers might have been on this one, but it usually goes right to the superintendent’s office and at that point, it was Dr. John McEwan, who was the superintendent.”
Whitman’s passing over the Regional Agreement article in May 2018 is when questions arose for him.
Forth, who also researched a timeline, starting in 1978 when funding cases began to process toward regionalization. He stressed that the regional agreement was intended to be reviewed every five years. He said Kowalski, who was chairman of the school committee in 1993 should also have been aware of the assessment issue.
“I don’t understand why we waited until 2016-17 to update a regional agreement that should have been updated every five years since ’91,” Forth said.
School Committee member Dawn Byers said when she began researching the issue, she was cautioned that proceeding would “tear the two towns apart.”
“I was intimidated, people tried to silence me, and I was lied to and told that we were using the statutory method,” she said. “I knew these numbers were exactly why these two towns were having budget issues.”
She said there has been a generation of students in W-H who have suffered as a result.
Szymaniak agreed that, going forward, the agreement should be reviewed every five years and joint meetings with finance committees and selectmen should be used to increase transparency in budgeting.
Hanson Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said she is questioning the checks and balances in this situation.
“To say that this is blowing my mind would be the understatement of the year,” she said. “We have got to make sure that people are held accountable.”
An open line of dialog should have been opened with town officials as soon as the problem was discovered.
Small advocated a clear action plan for the budget process and assessment going forward, including a complete audit.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Sept. 8 voted to proceed with the purchase of a new ambulance to be submitted as a COVID-related expense to the Plymouth County Commissioners for reimbursement.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said the Commissioners have told towns that they wish to finalize distribution of federal COVID grant funds in October and transfer funds from communities that have not spent all the money they received to financially overburdened cities and towns.

Whitman already has two reimbursement claims pending, and Lynam said, the purchase of an ambulance — the sole use of which for the duration of the pandemic is for the transport of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 — is potentially a good move for the town. After the pandemic ends, the ambulance would become a fleet vehicle.

The cost of about $334,000 which may still leave the town with additional funds, depending on the claim from the school district to cover its COVID costs.

“We are slated to purchase an ambulance in two years,” Lynam said. “In fact, we put aside $150,000 in this year’s appropriations toward the purchase of the ambulance, so it seems to me that it would be advantageous to do that.”

The town must buy the ambulance before the county would reimburse for it. Two other county communities have purchased emergency response vehicles and received reimbursement, Lynam said.

“While we know there is some risk associated with this, we know that if we don’t do this, in FY ’22 we’re going to be looking at putting up more money for that same ambulance that we would then be purchasing,” Lynam said.

Joining the Zoom meeting, Fire Chief Timothy Grenno said the federal guidelines for the funds spell out that the money is intended to support purchase of equipment for medical or emergency transport.

“That’s what these departments are hanging their hats on,” Grenno said.

“I see no problem in it,” said Selectmen Vice Chairman Dan Salvucci, who conducted the meeting in Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski’s absence. “Where there’s a number of towns that are doing it, why wouldn’t we?”

Grenno described how the Fire Department operated in the spring during the first wave of COVID cases, noting that a second wave is forecast by some health experts for this fall.

“We have two primary ambulances,” he said. “One … which has the powerload stretcher, which is a stretcher that keeps the attendant away from the patient, and that is the recommended [ambulance] for COVID.”

One ambulance was designated as the “COVID truck,” Grenno said.

“It was draped in plastic and parked out back, and that truck only went out on COVID responses,” he said. “That forced us to put the reserve truck into service.”

That ambulance, a 2008 or 2010 model has an old stretcher and HVAC system — and is the one the department had already planned to replace next year.

“We actually ran three ambulances, but one was designated as the COVID truck,” Grenno said.

“I don’t question the purchase, I think I was the one actually advocating the purchase of one this year,” said Selectman Randy LaMattina. “I know these take months to spec out … do you know what’s the order time, the lag time to get it? When do we actually pay for it?”

Grenno said the dealer he works with has a demo that fits the department’s needs and specifications that can be delivered to the town as early as next week.

As a COVID-related expense spent from a COVID account from which the town expects to be reimbursed, no town meeting is required to authorize the expenditure, Lynam said.

“This is great planning,” Selectman Justin Evans said. “I think it’s a great use of the funds to get ourselves a couple of years ahead in our ambulance replacement plan.”

He wanted to make sure the schools or other department did not have unaddressed COVID needs.

Lynam said there is currently more than $1 million available in the COVID fund right now, and while he expects to see a significant figure from the school district, “They’re so wrapped up in scheduling, I can’t get a number out of them.”

The chairman of the Plymouth County Commissioners has informed towns that he wants all reimbursement requests in by Oct. 1, in order to begin reallocation to other communities by Oct. 2.

“There are so many resources out there for federal funds and federal resources out there right now, that it’s actually pretty crazy,” Grenno said. “When this money dries up, there are grant opportunities out there for PPE and stuff like that.”

Grenno said he now has enough PPE right now if things do get bad this fall.

If the ambulance reimbursement is denied a town meeting would be required to authorize the balance of what is needed to pay for it, Lynam said.

Library trustee

In other business, meeting jointly with the Library Board of Trustees, the two boards elected Margaret McEwan to fill a vacancy until the next Town Election. It took two ballots as the boards’ votes were tied between McEwan and Katherine Getchell.

“I feel as though I’d like to give back to the community,” said McEwan, who has lived in Whitman for more than 40 years. “Both my family and I have used the library extensively, and at this time in my life I thought it’s an opportunity to give back to a community service that’s meant a lot to me.”

Getchell also pointed to a desire to contribute to the community as a lifelong Whitman resident who recently retired from WHRHS.

“I read all the time and am a huge patron of the Whitman Public Library,” Getchell said, noting she has joined a couple of groups at the library. “I like to participate in what the library has to offer.”

Getchell has also been active in the Arts Council and Whitman Youth Football.

While he carried the towns of Whitman and Hanson, U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III lost the Massachusetts state primary to U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Election officials in both towns said early and mail-in ballot activity was heavier than ususal, as was in-person voting on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

“We had almost 2,000 mail-in ballots,” said Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan. “Everything is going very smoothly today.”

Whitman saw 31 percent of the town’s 10,800 registered voters cast ballots in the primary. There were 68 absentee ballots and 1,772 early voting ballots cast. In Hanson, where election workers had been counting votes until after midnight, there had not yet been information on the percentage of the town’s 7,769 registered voters who cast ballots.

Kennedy garnered 1,385 votes to Markey’s 1,133 in Whitman and eaked out a narrow margin 909 to Markey’s 899 in Hanson.

“We may have lost the final vote count tonight, but we built a coalition that will endure,” Kennedy told supporters.

In other races on the primary ballot, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch won his Whitman primary vs. challenger Robbie H. Goldstein 1,783 to 679.  He took the 8th Congressional district with 66 percent of the vote over Goldstein’s 34 percent with 76.5 percent of the votes counted Tuesday night.

The other contested race on the ballot, state Sen. Mike Brady topped Brockton City Councilor Moises Rodrigues 1,581 to 793 in Whitman and 1,173 to 510 in Hanson on the way to a district-wide win in the 2nd Plymouth & Bristol.

“The age of incrementalism is over. Now is our moment to think big,” Markey told supporters Tuesday night. “This election is an undeniable mandate for action, and it is our young people who will lead the way,” Markey said.

He noted that progressive issues such as universal health care, an end to systematic racism and passage of the Green New Deal are among the urgent issues requiring bold action.

“The time to be timid is past,” he said.

Congratulating Markey after conceding Tuesday night, Kennedy pledged his support for Markey in the months ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. For his part, Markey committed to “talking with and working with Kennedy to make the lasting, meaningful change that I know that we are both committed to.”

“The senator is a good man, you have never heard me say otherwise,” Kennedy said of the contentious primary contest. “It was difficult at times between us … elections often get heated.”

Local Markey supporters — W-H School Committee member David Forth and Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly — spoke about the Senate race while sign-holding for Markey in Whitman Tuesday morning.

“I’m feeling good right now,” Forth said. “I think we have the momentum on our side — hopefully, things turn out well.”

Forth said he thought recent online negativity between supporters of the two candidates would motivate people to vote no matter who they support.

“The polls have shifted to Markey right now, but before it was pretty close,” he said. “I do think, whether it’s negativity going to Kennedy or going to Markey, I feel their voter base is going to feel motivated to come out because the want to prove the other side wrong.

Forth, 19, spoke about political veteran Markey’s appeal to younger voters.

“He has been there for awhile, and I think that’s one of the things that’s discouraged some people that have a progressive outlook … but, for the most part, I think he’s supported young people, he’s supported what’s best for the community, he’s supported older people.”

Forth said the bottom line is that Kennedy has never given a reason why he should be supported over Markey other than the latter not being visible in Massachusetts, but Markey’s legislative record speaks to progressives.

“If you’re a Sanders supporter or something like that, you would align yourself with Markey,” Forth said. While both candidates accept super PAC money, but the sources of Markey’s funds are not connected with oil companies or other other sources that “go against progressive ideals.”

Connolly said, as a town official as well as a constituent, she finds Markey’s accessibility a plus.

“When I have an issue with things, I can call up Markey,” she said. “[He] picks up the phone and listens.”

HANSON — While fiscal 2020 was a “favorable year, financially” with revenues nearly 3 percent over budget, an override is seen as likely to be necessary for fiscal 2022, Selectmen were advised during their Tuesday, Aug. 25 meeting.

Town Accountant Todd Hassett met for his quarterly report via telephone with the Selectmen who gathered in a socially-distanced manner at Town Hall.

“Fiscal ’22, even despite what may go on with state revenues, will be extremely challenging for us absent an override or some sort of major change going forward,” he said. “We need to start some preliminary planning so we get the message out to the community. … It’s important to get ahead of this early.”

The fiscal 2021 budget is balanced, “despite some moving pieces” on the revenue side, Hassett stressed.

“The actions that Town Meeting approved [did not produce] a shortfall,” he said. “We have a balanced budget.”

While there have been about $90,000 in unused reserve funds this year, Hassett said that is unusual and traceable to the COVID shutdown this spring. Town Meeting had also used $450,000 in free cash to support the operating budget.

Fiscal 2021 revenue estimates at Camp Kiwnanee are down to $142,000 — compared to $218,000 in fiscal 2020 — as event cancellations continue to require refunds.

“Although the sign-ups for future events at the lodge seem to be rebounding, a lot of them are pushed into the next fiscal year,” Hassett said, advising the $142,000 be held in case the camp’s operations need to be shored up. “We’ll cautiously watch how this year progresses.”

The transfer station, meanwhile, exceeded revenue forecasts by about $30,000, mostly from the three-year sticker sales, meaning a decline will be seen in fiscal ’21 as disposal costs continue to rise.

Selectmen also heard an update on the former Maquan School.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett noted that the reuse committee has been investigating the possibility of using it for senior housing despite hurdles ranging from town administrator turnover to COVID.

“I just wanted to get a sanity check, because we are definitely in very different economic times than we were when we originally talked about this,” she said.

The “backup plan,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said, was the $1 million approved at a recent Town Meeting for demolition of the building.

A formal request for proposal to contractors for possible reuse — to be able to say all avenues were explored — have produced early returns indicating people were looking for the town to invest in a sewer system first, among other services.

“We’re not spending any money for somebody else to make money off of that property,” she said. “Everybody said [in a town survey] wanted to retain the property.”

Both the library and senior center have spoken about the need for expansion.

A consulting firm had also advised the reuse committee that lease of the property would bring in only between an estimated $800,000 and $1 million because of the site work and engineering planning needed.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked for a vote from the board on whether they wanted to sell the property.

“I say definitely don’t sell it,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell.

Selectman Matt Dyer said whether the property is used for a library or senior center project, a comprehensive plan is needed on how to best use the space.

FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the Maquan property dovetails well with proposals for the reuse of the Plymouth County Hospital site.

The board also heard a quarterly report from Fire Chief Jerome Thompson who noted the department is answering multiple calls 15 percent of the time, arguing that supports the need for a full staff of four firefighters at all times.

Aggressive maintenance programs keep buildings and equipment in good shape, he said.

Thompson credited his department for its response to COVID-19 despite guidance from state officials that sometimes changed daily. Since March 1, the department transported 68 cases of suspected COVID and 14 confirmed cases.

“I want to point out that there could have been more confirmed [cases] that we don’t know about,” he said. Even suspected cases required the use of full protective equipment and a 30-minute cleaning of the ambulance on return to the station.

“It changed everything we did,” Thompson said. “It pretty much affected all aspects of out operation. … And it will for the foreseeable future.”

PPE supplies from the state are in good shape so far, he noted, but cleaning supplies are hard to come by.

FitzGerald-Kemmett also lauded the fire and police departments for the — sometimes controversial — rolling birthday parades in which they participated this spring.

“It helped people mentally at a very bad time,” she said.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Aug. 11 decided to seek a joint meeting with the School Committee and district officials on the school budget assessment issue within the Regional Agreement.

Selectman Randy LaMattina suggested the discussion in open session, as it had been discussed that way by the School Coommittee, on Thursday, Aug. 6 — as well as on Facebook. The School Committee had voted 7-3 to table the issue.

“Obviously, this is something that has drastically affected our two towns,” LaMattina said. “Over the last six or seven months now, we’ve talked about partnership.”

He said the last budget process was part of the effort to try to preserve that partnership, and he was seeking a sense of the board’s opinion on the “obvious issue” that will hang over the partnership between two towns and school district until it is properly addressed.

The issue he takes up now, LaMattina said, is that through documents uncovered by Assistant Town Administator Lisa Green over the last couple of years, and a statement from a recent Regional Agreement committee illustrates that nothing points to actual malfeasance.

“Why [the assessment issue] was never discovered? I don’t know,” he said. “The talking point has been, ‘We never knew.’ I thoroughly disagree with that statement that somebody did not know. … Unfortunately we didn’t know about this and, when I say we, I mean the towns of Whitman and Hanson.”

LaMattina noted School Committee member Fred Small asked for a third-party investigation, including the Whitman and Hanson Select Boards. He concurred, not out of a goal of seeking financial retribution, LaMattina said, but to obtain a proper explanation to the towns and accountability to the taxpayers.

“One member of the School Committee made some statements [Aug. 6] as if current sitting Selectmen had covered this up,” LaMattina said. “I think that is an aggregious statement. I think this board has been at the forefront of trying to find an answer to this.”

The School Committee on Thursday, Aug. 6 discussed the issue toward the end of a lengthy meeting centering on the school reopening plan.

Small had moved that Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak be empowered to collaborate with the two Select Boards and the District’s legal counsel and town counsels, if needed, to “contact and work with the appropriate investigative authority … in order to determine if there was any impropriety or malfeasance concerning the methodology of the Regional School’s assessment over the past several years.”

School Committee member Dawn Byers asked if he had a time period in mind, to which Small suggested perhaps 2013 forward.

“What I’m hoping to accomplish here is we would have a third party that would be looking into the assessment situation and we can finally be able to get an unbiased assessment of what had occurred, be able to decide where we go from there, and close the door and move on.”

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes noted that, as of the Aug. 6 meeting no others had been contacted about the motion.

School Committee member Christopher Howard suggested a third party, perhaps a law firm “with nothing to do with this” be hired to look into it.

He said it should not be limited to the state and suggested it might not be the best course of action to have the state do that.

“I think it requires some additional thought,” Howard said.

Hayes suggested the motion be amended to require the boards turn over all pertinent documents to any investigators who might be looking into the issue, rather than empowering the superintendent.

“I consider our superintendent to be an unbiased third party, because whatever happened, happened before the current administration,” Small said.

School Committee member David Forth said he would not consider any party involved in the issue to be completely unbiased.

“I think we should take more time with this,” he said, suggesting another meeting in which the committee could focus on it more and obtain more documentation. He also said any decision to investigate should come as a formal vote.

School Committee member Christopher Scriven agreed with Forth and Howard, questioning the ultimate objective, which Small said was closure.

Forth, who said he has already made inquiries with the state inspector general and the Attorney General’s office about how such a probe would move forward, asked if the Committee would be able to move forward if “the people who caused the problem are continuing to be part of a future discussion, whatever that may be.”

He argued that the there has been so much focus on COVID-19 that, there hasn’t been enough time to look into the assessment issue. New member Hillary Kniffen argued that, now that a budget has been approved, it is time to move forward.

Scriven agreed that the issue can’t be passed over in the hope the issue would just go away.

“I just think the divisiveness is not going to lead to good,” she said.

School Committee member Dan Cullity said the investigation would not be about budget or which methodology was used, but about what happened along the way “either deceiving, hiding, doing whatever” in the past.

“We can’t go back and fix any of that,” Cullity said. “You have to find your history to make sure you don’t repeat it.”

Howard leaned toward a discussion in executive session before sharing the information with the public, while Forth favored an open session for that discussion.

“When we’re done, we owe it to the public to have everything transparent,” Howard said. “I just don’t know how to get everything out on the table publically without there being legal ramifications, which is our responsibility to understand.”

LaMattina on Aug. 11 called for a public meeting in which the issue is aired out and a third-party investigation is possibly authorized.

Selectman Brian Bezanson agreed, also arguing — like Small at the School Committee meeting — that both towns need closure.

“We owe it the taxpayers to find out what happened and to remedy it so it can’t happen again,” Bezanson said. “Was it a mistake? Was it incompetence and then a cover-up? Who knows?

He said an investigation by the state inspector general or other independent agency to determine why Whitman paid $4 million more than they should have.

Selectman Dan Salvucci agreed, but was concerned if they were going over the School Committee’s heads. Selectman Justin Evans expressed concern about it turning into a proxy fight, preferring to see all three boards come together in a public meeting.

“We have 10 [School Committee] officials,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski. “It’s their issue. So I have some hesitancy to take the ball and run with it.”

He said things he would like to see, but are not likely to, are the schools admitting the error and Hanson to admit Whitman carried them all those years.

“Maybe that’s what we’re looking to get,” LaMattina said. “We’re looking to say, ‘You wronged us,’ and through that have accountability.”

That accountability can ultimately rebuild the partnership, he said.

In other business, Whitman Selectmen on Aug. 11 reviewed Lynam’s job description and the process for hiring a new Town Administrator as he prepares to retire.

If the town opts to go with a search committee, he strongly suggested the board keep it small, with two Selectmen, another town official — he recommended the treasurer-collector — the assistant superintendent of schools and a citizen at-large or two. If the board does not want to use a committee, someone is going to have to coordinate with Paradigm, the search contractor on developing candidates, Lynam said.

LaMattina said the board is strong enough to make that decision, and that is the kind of work they were elected to do. He envisioned that the company would supply the board with three-to-five candidates to interview.

“We’re the people that are dealing with it constantly, and I don’t remember being asked to be on the search committee for the superintendent,” he said. Bezanson and Salvucci agreed.

Lynam said he believes Selectmen are fully capable of making the decision without a committee, if that is the direction in which they want to go.

The board decided to have the consultant narrow the applicants to a final group of the best three-to-five for them to interview. Lynam said it could take up to the end of September. While he used October as a target date for retirement, he would consider staying on until the search is concuded.

The School Committee on Thursday, Aug. 6 unanimously approved a hybrid reopening plan “for the students who decide to come to school” in Whitman-Hanson.

The first day of school was also pushed back to Tuesday, Sept. 15. The school year has been trimmed to 170 days, with snow days becoming remote learning days.

School officials recommended a hybrid model, because there would not be adequate funding for a fully in-person model under current pandemic requirements.

Social-emotional learning is also more feasible in a hybrid plan than with remote learning alone.

“Parents, if they are not comfortable at any point, can take their students out of school and take our remote learning option,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeffrey Szymaniak said.  “Whatever we put out today, we could pivot — because of an uptick locally, or an uptick in the Commonwealth of the virus.”

While the meeting was held in person at the high school library, a public audience was not possible due to continuing state limitations on crowd size at public gatherings. The public was asked to email any questions to the meeting via joshua.torrey@whrsd.org.

“Our reopening plan is going to take some time,” said Szymaniak, noting there is a backlog on orders for Chromebooks across the country due to delays with U.S. Customs because of some companies’ potential child labor issues.  “The overarching concept is to make sure our schools are safe for both our staff and our students.”

He said the district puts students’ physical and social-emotional health and academic well-being in the forefront.

Szymaniak presented options for remote hybrid and in-person learning options to the committee for consideration.

“Teaching and learning takes precedence over this,” he said. Procedures for the main office and transitioning to passing between classrooms in the hallways must also be developed as well as for eating and drinking water and mask breaks.

Health rooms and areas where students might have to quarantine are also being planed.

“Our classrooms are going to be very different from anything we’ve seen in the 21st Century,” Szymaniak said, noting the library tables set up in rows for the committee in a way replicated what those classrooms would look like. He kept his mask on while speaking to demonstrate what teachers must be doing when speaking in class.

The district is recommending those desks be spaced six feet apart, which permits about 15 desks per room. The state recommends three feet, but W-H school officials were not comfortable that enough space was provided between students by that distance.

Students must also be aided through the trauma of the abrupt loss of a structured learning environment since March. Enrichment programs such as after-school activities, art, music, phys ed, athletics and the like are being reviewed to determine how they can be offered or if they will be possible.

Nurse Lisa Tobin is in contact with the Mass. Department of Public Health almost daily.

Noting social media conversations about why Commissioner of Education Jeffrey C. Riley didn’t just provide a plan for schools to adopt, Szymaniak said Riley wanted superintendents and school committees to have local control over learning environments due to differing levels of COVID across the state.

“We are W-H, and we are going to do what we feel is best for the students of Whitman and Hanson,” Szymaniak said. “We’ve stolen other ideas from other districts, that’s what good teachers do, but we have put together a plan for us.”

Comprehensive plans that were due Monday, Aug. 10 are non-binding.

The four possible models were: a return without restrictions; in-person learning with new safety requirements; a hybrid model or remote learning.

The fully-person model includes new classroom configurations, safety equipment and schedule changes. The state requires all districts to develop a hybrid model in case they are not able to bring all students back to school. Alternating schedules is one possible way to accomplish this. Masks and/or face coverings, physical distancing, more attention to hand hygiene and the creation of a COVID-19 isolation space are required for in-school instruction.

Remote learning is a routine that was done since March, with important changes to how students interact with teachers. Elementary grades would work on student instruction from 8 a.m. to noon; middle school instruction from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and high school students working from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. instruction — with a maximum of seven hours of work, including homework per day. Attendance will be taken, grades will be issued and there will be more accountability than in the spring.

“The feedback we’ve received, especially with some of the older students, the later they could go, the better,” Szymaniak said. “They were more engaged in the afternoon than they were in the morning.”

In a hybrid model, two cohorts of students would be spit into Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday in-person learning with Wednesdays used as a virtual instruction day in which teachers report to buildings to teach via devices. The district will be moving off the Zoom platform to Google Classroom or Google Meet.

“We are physically going to have a challenge transporting kids anyway, but trying to transport two cohorts in a day …” Szymaniak said. The first group would have to start on the bus as 6:05 a.m. and the last bus route would finish at 6:45 p.m. Students would be assigned cohort positions by family.

“We are asked to sort of do the impossible,” Assistant Superintendent George Ferro said. “Everybody we’ve talked to said, ‘This is brand new, this is different, but it can be done.’”

Ferro stressed the remote plan, meanwhile, is geared to a situation where the entire district would be forced to go to a remote plan.

“When your students are not in school on their cohorts, they will be face-to-face, there will be work that’s done, and that’s what’s pivotal about that Wednesday check-in, because you reteach to the students you’ve seen,” Ferro said. “You can pre-teach or you have the ability to work on things like social-emotional learning, you have the ability to work on things like citizenship, you have the ability to work on things kids need that they might miss in the traditional five days.”

Szymaniak said parents, teachers and administrators alike are all dealing with heightened anxiety over the new school year.

Special ed

Special Education Director Lauren Mathieson said, regardless of what plan is approved for all students, DESE is asking districts to prioritize students with the most complex needs — and try to offer up to full-time services for those students.

“While everyone was affected by being on remote [learning], there is definitely a certain population of our students that was disproportionately affected,” she said. “There are students in this district that just cannot learn on a computer screen.”

Whether because they are either still learning English or have a  learning disability, remote learning harbors obstacles for these students.

Preschool and kindergarten level special needs; learning disabled students who send the majority of their day in a sub-separate program; English language learners; and economically disadvantaged students (on a case-by-case basis) or who may be homeless are all included in the prioritized population.

Lack of internet connectivity is a concern about the last group. School officials are also planning to meet with representatives of the YMCA about potential childcare or virtual learning sites to help families who have to work.

Structures for socially distant cafeteria and gym protocols will also be included.

“The concept of movement in a school is going to be a little bit greater as the child gets older, because that is the makeup of a high school schedule,” Ferro said. “Younger grades, it’s a lot of teachers might have to move from class to class, the cohort stays — except for phys ed or the movement to the cafeteria, which is unavoidable.”

At the high school, principal Dr. Christopher Jones is working on a passing schedule to address concerns.

Facilities

Facilities Director Ernest Sandland outlined how the schools are being cleaned and prepared for the school year, no matter which plan is used.

He said that on July 22, DESE provided “roadmap to an adventure we’ve been on since the kids were out of school,” regarding health of facilities.

“We were pretty much working on those early on,” he said. Repair work on windows at Hanson’s Indian Head and Hanson Middle schools was done last October. Air movement in buildings has been a major concern for DESE.

Mask breaks for students also required designation of an area of the Indian Head playground for that. Entrance controls and isolation space in the nurses’ office at schools have also been created.

HVAC systems, however, are the “magilla we’re looking at right now,” according to Sandland. “Right now the important thing is for us to get air ventilation into those [300-plus district] classrooms.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 19 professionals will be brought in to train staff on touch points and what has to be cleaned during the day when students and staff in the building and a hygienist will test cleaning crews on how well they follow the protocols.

After all the cleaning and ventilation work is done, desks in classrooms will be reconfigured according to physical distancing requirements. Storage will have to be found for extraneous items from classrooms.

Health

Head Nurse Lisa Tobin reviewed protocols for students and staff who either become ill with COVID-19 or symptoms of it, including advising that anyone not feeling well stay home.

“The attendance police are not going to get you,” Szymaniak said.

Adjacent, but separate, rooms are being set aside for children experiencing symptoms in school so they have access to the nurse. Both towns’ boards of health have already done a walk through.

As Tobin has been shifted to a district-wide post to deal with the issues of the pandemic, a replacement, part-time nurse will be appointed at the high school to take care of preschool pupils. Two float nurses will be added to cover when another school’s nurse is absent, as well as a CNA for supervision of the medical waiting rooms

“I would rather have more than less at this point, and if we have to pull back in January, we can pull back,” Szymaniak said. “I don’t want to have a nurse’s office uncovered.”

The commissioner’s office has been concerned about what would happen when a school nurse is absent, he said.

Tobin said that, if a teacher sends a student they suspect is showing COVID symptoms to the nurses office, a nurse will be alerted and can meet the student at the door for an assessment to decide if the student will go into the medical waiting room until they are picked up by a parent.

The student will then be required to see a physician, and if tests positive, contact tracing can be done in that cohort of students. If they test negative, the student may return to school after 24 symptom-free hours. If a family opts against having their child tested, the child must stay home for a two-week quarantine.

Szymaniak said that, like the call made to change graduation plans, the plan accounts for family members potentially spreading COVID in their household and unwittingly compromising other students at the school.

Transportation

Bus drivers will wear masks and will provide adequate masks for children who get on the bus without a mask. Szymaniak also wants to put a monitor on elementary buses to monitor physical distancing.

Buses will be wiped down between runs with a complete disinfection at the end of the day.

HANSON — Voters approved the amendment to the Regional Agreement governing the assessment formula, to fall into line with the vote taken by Whitman Monday, July 27.

They also approved the Selectmen’s recommended school budget 434-83 and the budget as a whole, based on the Selectmen’s recommended budget of $11,214,177 — at Town Moderator Sean Kealy’s motion — after the assessment article passed.

The vote was checked by a hand count after a resident asserted that visitors may have voted.

The town convened its 200th annual Town Meeting — one of the few bicentennial events not cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic — on Wednesday, July 29. There were 518 residents attending.

The outdoor session was held, like Monday’s Whitman Town Meeting, at the ball fields behind Dennis M. O’Brien stadium.

Kealy led the meeting in a moment of silence to all those lost to COVID-19 as well as a round of applause for the health care workers and first responders who cared for those who contracted the virus.

In another concession to the pandemic, Kealy — instead of individual department heads reading articles they have proposed — read all articles into motion with Selectman Matt Dyer making all seconds. Some of the warrants’ more routine articles were combined into one of two consent motions to streamline the outdoor meeting before mosquitoes became a concern after dusk.

Kealy also appointed Barbara Arena as deputy town moderator to help recognize those wishing to speak in the dispersed gathering.

“We have a balanced budget,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell in announcing that the town’s budget would balance even if the school articles passed. “This wasn’t easy at all. This was a combination of the Board of Selectmen, our financial team, FinCom, department heads, Police, Fire, Highway [departments]. Everyone worked up until last night to get a balanced budget.”

There was $1,296,088 available in free cash; $1,311,186 in stabilization; $161,647 in school stabilization; $820,493 in water surplus; $4,205 in recreation retained earnings; and $15,585 in solid waste retained earnings.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes echoed Whitman Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski’s analogy of the “Wizard of Oz” and the need to use heads, heart and courage in deciding the school funding issue.

“Tonight we have some tough decisions to make regarding the W-H Regional School District, public education itself and our greatest assets — our children,” Hayes said, noting that Hanson has the fifth-lowest tax levy in the area and fifth-highest in spending on police and fire and lowest spending in education.

He said he had attended Whitman’s Town Meeting and wondering where Kowalski was going with his reference to the 1939 MGM adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, “The Wizard of Oz.”

“It takes courage, ladies and gentlemen to make tough decisions, it takes brains to think things through and do what’s best for schools and taxpayers, and you need to have a heart to realize we are all in the education of children together,” Hayes said. He noted that — just as in Whitman, the Finance Committee was unanimously against the article while Selectmen had voted unanimously to recommend it to voters.

“Some people will say that we probably should have got a better deal,” he said. “This is the only deal that is on the table for both of these towns.”

Hayes said a no vote would mean Hanson could lose $570,917 and would be assessed on the statutory formula. He reminded voters that the district is already on a 1/12 budget and faced a Dec. 1 deadline before the state completely takes over the schools if a budget was not approved. The district would lose more than 40 district positions in the interim as the state made its move.

“Class sizes will get larger and difficult to manage and with COVID-19 uncertainty and the future hanging in the balance, this looks pretty bleak for the school system,” Hayes said.

He noted that the assessment formula was adapted with the Education Reform Act in 1993, but the W-H District, for some reason did not.

“Our students are the leaders of our future,” he said. “Please vote yes on this article.”

An amendment was suggested from the floor to amend the article to change wording to split calculations for the statutory assessment cost and per-pupil cost method down the middle as it has been for years, increasing Hanson’s portion by $575,000 for 2021 and a decrease for Whitman in that amount. It was argued that moving to the statutory method alone would cost Hanson an additional $1,150,000 with a corresponding savings for the town of Whitman.

Hayes said that, if the amendment had been approved, the School District and Committee would have to start over again and Whitman would have to approve any change Hanson would make. Failing that, a super town meeting would be required.

“The problem with 1/12 budget is you can’t plan for what you’re going to do for the rest of the year. You need to have a budget in place” said resident Joseph O’Sullivan, noting the concerns of the MTA on the readiness of schools to open on time because of the pandemic.

“The strength of a school system isn’t the building, it’s the teachers,” he said.

Only 1 percent of 10,000 Massachusetts teachers said their schools are fully prepared to open in September; 41 percent said their schools are somewhat prepared and 58 percent said they are not prepared. The MTA has recommended a 10-week delay in school reopening during which time educators would work to “reimagine” what school will look like with distance learning and meeting later on whether to reopen or use a hybrid.

Resident Elizabeth Welch questioned whether Hanson was footing the bill for Whitman students because of the division of student population. Kealy cut short her remarks as off-topic when she began to criticize the quality of individual teachers.

“This is a difficult issue for the town of Hanson, for sure,” said School Committee member Christopher Howard, noting that after the towns make their minimum contribution, the 60-40 split based on student population kicks in. He said Hanson’s School Committee members fought hard to protect Hanson’s interests, before the Education Reform Act proved insurmountable.

“We discovered that all roads lead to statutory,” Howard said, strongly advising against the amendment and approve the original assessment article. “But this compromise helps the town of Hanson.”

Another resident noted that Hanson pays assessments to SST under the statutory formula as one of the eight member towns.

“We’re a partner with Whitman,” said resident Kim McCoy. “The statutory method is the preferred method for the regional school districts funding their schools, the statutory method has been used for years for other partnerships in this town without uproar or problem.”

Resident Jane Durante, who disagreed with the assessment agreement, asked by the Finance Committee voted against recommending the original article.

Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Sullivan said the article cannot be supported by the operating budget.

Resident Frank Melisi, who asked why — amid the concern for budget dollars — that children were not being mentioned.

“I haven’t heard much about the kids,” he said. “Last year’s school year failed our kids, not as the fault of anyone in this school system, the teachers, School Committee or anything like that. It was for unforeseen circumstances.”

He said students do not deserve a second year of having a wasted school year.

Kealy defended his motion for the Selectmen’s budget, as did Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff.

“Town Meeting is full of tradition, for sure, and Hanson’s tradition is normally to go with Finance Committee recommendations, but that’s not necessarily a legal obligation,” she said. “As a matter of fact, the Board of Selectmen are the ones who prepare the warrant so they, under the law, have control of the warrant.”

Both the $10.4 million Finance Committee column, which did not consider the apportionment passed in Article 5, and the Selectmen’s column of figures balanced.

“If we hadn’t passed Article 5, then I would have moved the Finance Committee’s numbers,” Kealy said.

Comments from the floor objected to it as being improper.

“By all means, I’d be happy to go to Superior Court on my own behalf,” said Kealy, who stressed he does not cast votes at Town Meeting.

There was also some discussion during the special Town Meeting concerning private road improvements as residents asked why such work would be done on private roads.

Highway Director Matt Cahill said the five miles of private gravel roads are required by town bylaw to be improved twice a year in the interest of public access and safety.