Whitman-Hanson Express

You are here: Home / Archives for Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

Regional contract reviews continue

By

The School Committee’s Regional Agreement Amendment Committee took another step toward completing its work Monday, Feb. 25 as its members reviewed the assessment formula and voted to remove a section of the regional pact.

The committee voted unanimously to delete Section X, which outlined steps for withdrawing elementary grades pre-kindergarten through grade eight from the district as fiscally unworkable. Originally included as a “carrot” to gain passage of the regional agreement, members and Mass. Association of Regional Schools (MARS) consultants agreed.

The next committee meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Monday, March 19 in the high school library with another to follow “if necessary” in April, according to School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes who also chairs the Regional Agreement Amendment Committee. After the committee approves final draft, it goes to the towns for approval at town meetings.

“The burden of that cost would probably never see that happen,” Hayes said. “The discussion has come up, but it’s been, ‘Let’s just do this, it’s easy.’ Nobody has ever spelled out what the initial cost would be. Some people actually thought that would be cost-saving.”

Changes requested by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education representative Chris Lynch to sections IV, V, and VI, pertaining to the budget process were also discussed. Lynch is the “person who must approve this before it goes to legal,” said consultant Malcolm Reid.

He said Lynch had a particular concern over present language that dissolves the district automatically if one town votes to leave.

“She believes that it shouldn’t happen automatically,” Reid said. “If one town votes to get out it should go through the regular withdrawal process that is spelled out earlier in your agreement.”

That would require another revision of the agreement being approved by both towns and ratified by the commissioner of education.

“Why do we have this language in here at all?” asked committee member James Egan of Hanson. “That was put in there sort of as a carrot because people weren’t confident that they wanted to stay in the region over the long haul. I think we’re beyond that at this point and don’t see why we need this language.”

“You have the curveball that this high school is owned by two towns, basically,” agreed member Fred Small of Whitman.

“You’re going to be back where you were with a high school and two K-8s, each with their own school committee, their own superintendent and share of central office area and everything else,” said MARS Assistant Executive Director Stephen Hemman.

He said division of assets and liabilities between two K-8 districts would be difficult at best, with millions of dollars in other post-employment benefits (OPEB) among the most expensive liabilities.

“Something like [withdrawal] should be difficult,” said committee member Christopher George of Whitman. “Difficult and costly.”

Reid, Steve Donovan and Hemman, also reviewed the funding formula for calculations of the foundation budget, minimum required local contribution, Chapter 70 aid, total district budget, net school spending and statutory assessment.

“There is a minimum required local contribution based on the property values and the town’s income of its residents,” Hemman said in the assessment PowerPoint presentation, aimed at setting the stage for discussion of the agreement’s budget sections. “They’re usually two years behind on that, but they calculate that based on [a town’s] wealth.”

Chapter 70 aid is based on the district foundation budget — not including transportation, debt and capital expense based on enrollment and number of economically disadvantaged students — minus the minimum required local contribution.

The minimum local contribution is increased incrementally each year by the Department of Revenue and DESE, according to Hemman.

Net school spending is based on the required local contribution plus Chapter 70 aid.

Statutory assessment formula starts with the foundation budget minus Chapter 70 aid, minimum local contribution and any other local funds.

“That amount, whatever it is, is then assessed to the member towns,” based on enrollment, Hemman said. “All this needs to be in the agreement so the towns know exactly what they’re going to be voting.”

Non-mandated busing language was unchanged due to its impact on bus service contracts.

Budgets would require passage at both town meetings by a simple majority. If a budget fails, the committee must issue a new budget, Hemman said. If that fails, a super town meeting is required.

“If that fails, you’re required to do it again,” he said. “If you don’t have a budget by Dec. 31, the Dept. of Education will set a budget for you and then it is also going to take fiscal control.”

Whitman seeks LED streetlights

By

WHITMAN — The town’s planned purchase of LED streetlights is aimed at shedding light on safety while saving the town money down the road.

Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green presented the proposal, which the board supported 5-0, to Selectmen at the Tuesday, Feb. 20 meeting. The purchase will next go before voters at the annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 7.

The town’s roads are illuminated by 856 streetlights, each currently powered by high-pressure sodium technology, Green noted.

“Over the last few years, many Massachusetts cities and towns have been purchasing their streetlights from National Grid and converting [them] to LED (light-emitting diode) technology,” she said.

The streetlights now cost Whitman an average of $152,600 per year to power them. LED lights cost less and use less power to operate, and National Grid has provided the town with a quote for purchasing the streetlights.

“That quote is zero,” she said. “It’s going to cost us zero dollars to purchase the streetlights from National Grid.”

There is also a $49,263 grant available, and National Grid is also providing a reimbursable utility incentive of around $70,000. Total construction cost for converting the lights to LED technology would cost an estimated $278,364.

The grants will bring the cost to the town to $158,309.

The LED lights would save Whitman an estimated $51,396 annually in operating costs.

“As you know, Whitman is a Green Community and converting streetlights to LED is an energy-saving measure, so you are able to include that number [$158,309] on our next Green Communities grant application,” she said. “If we were awarded the next Green Communities money, this project could be funded 100 percent [through grants]. … That is an incredibly huge benefit to the town of Whitman.”

“There is a possibility that we will not receive that grant,” Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. “The way I’ve recommended structuring this program is that we will seek permission to borrow $280,000 at the annual Town Meeting.”

He is looking into Statehouse Notes for the possibility of subsidized borrowing for the funds. The Metropolitan Planning Council may also be an alternative funding source but the expectation is that by moving ahead with the project even without grant funding, the cost could be recovered within four years through the savings in the streetlight account.

“It’s a win-win,” he said.

Selectman Dan Salvucci asked if the change to LED streetlights would be brighter than the current ones.

“LEDs can be purchased in different illuminations,” Green said. “They do tend to be brighter, but not you-need-sunglasses-type brighter.”

Salvucci also asked if residents of a street with no streetlight can purchase one and pay operating costs, as is done in Hanson on some private roadways.

Lynam said there are two lights being privately built right now. He also stressed that the Green Communities grant is a competitive process.

Green said the project was ready to start Wednesday, Feb. 21 by entering into an agreement with the Metropolitan Planning Council to begin an audit and the process of reconstruction of the lights. To fund by Green Communities, the town would have to wait for that grant approval, sometime in July.

“The whole project has to be completed by Dec. 31, 2018 and right now everything is falling into place for us to meet that deadline,” Green said.

The town would have to contract for a maintenance plan for the streetlights.

In other business, Selectmen voted to decline its right of first refusal for an affordable housing unit at 100 Franklin St., which was a 40-B project containing five affordable units in the facility, according to Lynam.

“When an affordable unit is sold, the town reserves the right of first refusal,” he said. “Certainly we have no desire to own this property.”

Lynam contacted the Housing Authority, which did not wish to commit the funds to purchase it, so he asked the board to vote to decline the right of first refusal.

Selectman Scott Lambiase questioned the terms of sale, which indicated if a buyer is not found through a lottery sale – which would not be unusual – a sale at market rate would be allowed with any profits going to the town of North Andover.

“Whoever typed that [the letter outlining sale terms] got a few things wrong.” Lynam said. “But the money, if it’s sold in open market conditions, any profit over the acquisition would come to the town to be used for affordable housing [in Whitman].”

Whitman does not have an affordable housing trust, so the sale proceeds, “after consideration, probably would be turned over to the Housing Authority to use to supplement affordable housing,” according to Lynam.

“This isn’t how I typically see it done,” Lambiase said.

Another procedural error with the sale is that the right of first refusal notice had been sent to the Board of Appeals a week and a half earlier, instead of Selectmen, Lynam noted.

“North Andover is an error all the way around,” he said in response to Lambiase’s concern that that community had taken over the lottery sale process. “Obviously this is a form letter they use in surveys.”

Lynam will note that the town of Whitman has voted to decline its right of first refusal and point out that any proceeds, should it go in the public market are to go to the town of Whitman.

Kiwanee review completed

By

HANSON — Selectmen have requested a facilities assessment at Camp Kiwanee be boiled down to a spreadsheet matrix ranking the urgency of work remaining to be done at the facility.

The Recreation Commission presented its facilities assessment and audit to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, Feb. 27. That report outlined work already done and a ranking of work remaining. Selectmen also voted to support a letter from the Recreation Commission to the Community Preservation Commission seeking funding to replace the dock at the Cranberry Cove beach.

“What I liked about the report itself in general was that you gave an indication of how long it would last and the timeframe in which it needed to be replaced or upgraded,” Selectmen Chairman James McGahan said of the projects reviewed.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett asked for an overview of how the assessment was conducted and what projects might need to be done immediately.

“We look for things that we consider need to be done right away,” said Lee Chizek of AEI, the independent contractor hired to conduct the assessment. “Then we look at what you would need to allocate for continuing to have [a] building function forever and ever.”

The quality of original materials factor into that consideration, he said. The projects are ranked one through five regarding urgency, with one a high priority, cost recommendations and a year suggesting when work should be done, McGahan said.

“What we found is that you have a number of buildings that have been reasonably well maintained,” Chizek said. “Some of the buildings … we thought you would really want to allocate money for routine maintenance. We didn’t find anything alarming.”

McGahan advocated for a more user-friendly, spreadsheet matrix organized by priority. FitzGerald-Kemmett said she would like such a matrix to be sorted by priority, price or length of life.

Selectmen Jim Hickey, meanwhile, argued that work should be completed at each building before a high-priority ranking moved attention to another building.

“I wouldn’t want to do the priority one items and … move on to work on something else,” he said. “Let’s [for example] finish the chalet first so we at least know something is done.”

“If you are fixing one thing, it can lead to another,” McGahan agreed. But he stressed some repairs would be separate and a spreadsheet could help identify the differeces.

“The point is, right now we can’t sort it by anything because it’s all these separate [priorities], which is helpful, but when you’re trying to look at it from a global, large-scale perspective you really need to have all that information in one place,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Chizek said he could get back to the board on the spreadsheet idea, but had not done such a plan before.

“We want to share these findings with the townspeople,” said Recreation Commission Chairman Annemarie Bouzan of the assessment paid for with funds approved at the October Town Meeting. “The reason the Rec Commission wants to present tonight is two-fold, one is for the townspeople to have an in-depth look at the facility and [to] understand the ongoing problems, but also to understand that — while it’s the desire of the entire commission to bring recreation back to this wonderful facility, based on our mission statement for our policies and procedures … recreational programs are organized to encourage participation and enjoyment and should be held at a safe and well-equipped facility.”

The Commission’s hiring of Joshua Wolfe as its new director, and the town’s planned hiring of a facilities manager are part of the plan to see to it that the work is done so those recreational programs can be offered again. Wolfe will be meeting with Selectmen at their March 6 meeting.

Bouzan also presented a list of projects already completed over the last 12 months as well as a list of permits for work done between 2003-2016, prior to the current commission’s involvement with the camp.

“These items were either an urgent repair or due to damages, or repair work that was needed in order to provide a safe environment for our renters,” she said.

Chizek produced “a number of reports” centering on Needles Lodge as “the most critical of the properties because it’s used for a number of functions” including the main income-generator — weddings.

Other facilities reviewed included the Frontier Cabin, the north and south end cabins, the caretaker’s building, the so-called electric cabins, the two bath houses and the bridal cottage.

Some electrical work has been redone at the lodge with some remaining that is original to the building constructed in the 1930s, Chizek said, adding that work on a water connection to the building was not done to code.

“That doesn’t pose a danger, but it’s something that should be addressed if you’re going to be using the facility,” he said of the old wiring. “When you go through the report, you’ll see other things. It will tell you that you have to replace your fire alarm system.”

Selectman Don Howard, who also serves as a Water Commissioner said he was under the impression that the water connection was done correctly. Town Administrator Michael McCue said the Water Department did what it needed to do, but a plumber was required to complete internal work.

“I applaud your effort,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the assessment. “As we go forward and [you’re] asking for funding … we don’t need to second-guess what needs to be done. We’ve got a report that has been professionally put together.”

She advocated doing such an assessment for all town buildings.

Bouzan said CPC funding is being sought for replacing the docks, not on the report, and will be before the CPC March 6. FitzGerald-Kemmett, a former CPC chairman, said water-based recreation is one of the areas for which the CPC grants funding.

“I’m not going to step into the shoes of the CPC, but think it’s an excellent and very creative way to use the funds and something a lot of people in town could benefit from,” she said.

Bouzan said she has discussed fundraising with McCue as an additional funding source the CPC likes to see being considered.

Hanson board backs naming Winter Street bridge for Mann

By

HANSON – The Board of Selectmen have agreed to work with Hanson and Hanover state representatives toward naming the Winter Street bridge connecting the two towns in honor of the late Charles Mann – a past state representative and a House Minority Whip, Hanson town moderator and member of the town’s school committee, Mann also served as a Plymouth County deputy sheriff and many other town and regional boards and committees. He was a graduate of Hanover High School and an Army veteran.

Selectmen also agreed, during the Tuesday, Feb. 13 meeting to agree to a net metering agreement to purchase power for municipal buildings from Blue Wave solar power in Westport, pending contract approval by town counsel.

Hanson’s state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, briefed the board on the bridge-naming effort.

“He actually campaigned against me when I first ran for this [office], but I grew to admire and appreciate him because he had a civility about him,” Cutler said. “When the election was over he moved on and we worked together.”

Cutler, state Rep. David DeCoste, R-Hanover and state Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, filed the pending legislation for naming the bridge, which is located near Mann’s family home.

The bridge, unnamed according to MassDOT, was built in 2010 near the site of the historic area where the Teague foundry – said to have possibly forged the anchor for the USS Constitution – was located. In recognition of that, a plaque or historic marker is being considered as part of the bridge-naming, on or near the span.

“This would be paid for by the state, by MassDOT,” Cutler said. “We’d love to have your support for this legislation. The board voted 5-0 to grant that support. His next stop is to the Hanover Board of Selectmen to obtain their backing.

Any Teague historic marker would be handled by the towns. Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett, a former chairman of the Community Preservation Commission (CPC), said that as an historic site, the placement of a Teague marker might be eligible for CPC funding.

Cutler also announced a $20,000 earmark had been released by the governor to fund water quality study of Wampatuck Pond.

“It’s a modest amount of money, but everything helps in this environment,” he said offering to support similar “smaller-dollar items” during Ways & Means Committee hearings.

Energy costs

Blue Wave Senior Director Elizabeth Glynn presented the proposal.

“By participating in our solar farm, the town of Hanson can save significantly on its energy costs,” she said. “Our mission is to make solar energy available to everyone everywhere so communities can take control of their energy production and consumers can choose local, low-cost power.”

A “B” corporation, the company operates on a mission for societal change although it is a profit-seeking enterprise. Hanson was offered net metering credits at a 22-percent discount, which could provide the town 405,000 kilowatt hours of its annual municipal electrical consumption for an estimated saving of $14,700 a year and $294,000 (possibly $323,000) over 20 years. The company would provide the first 100, kilowatt hours – valued at about $16,500 – free during the first year.

At this point, residential customers are not included and the program would not place solar panels in town. Several area towns and four housing authorities have signed onto the program.

“It would not preclude us from moving forward … should we choose to put something [solar panels] up at the hospital or at other sites,” Town Administrator Michael McCue said. “We will continue to pursue our own projects.”

The deadline for a purchasing agreement is Wednesday, Feb. 28 because the state’s incentive program is changing later this year .

The board supported the program, but wanted town counsel to review the contract so any concerns could be acted on at the Tuesday, Feb. 27 meeting.

SSVT builds bridges … with housing

By

HANOVER — The South Shore Regional School District Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 14 voted to support an out-of-state field trip aimed at showing some love — in the form of still much-needed home repairs — to New Jersey victims of the 2012 Superstorm Sandy during part of April vacation week.

“This is a pioneering effort on the part of the school to participate in a service/learning project,” said Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey.

Science teacher and Student Council advisor Matthew Fallano said the project comes after frequent requests for a student trip.

“But it’s not in our nature to go on a pleasure cruise with our students,” he said. “We were looking for something a little more co-curricular — something that went along with our own mission statement.”

Students taking part in the trip will be putting their skills to work to benefit a community, an effort Fallano said has been in the planning stages for about four years.

“Even though it sounds a little bit strange, they’re still rebuilding after Sandy,” Fallano said. “Our students will be spending part of their vacation building a home.”

The school will be working with a company that coordinates with AmeriCorps, with 20 students and four faculty members will be leaving the Friday before April vacation starts and return mid-week with an original cost of $300 per student.  School transportation and food is helping control the cost, bringing it down to $250 each — and the Parent’s Association has donated $1,500, so the trip will be even more affordable. Another parent is working to organize a meat raffle on either March 2 or March 9 to help with costs.

“It’s a wonderful project that [lets] students really get a feel for what they are doing and kind of get an idea for how things come together in the field,” said Cohassett representative George Cooney, whose church does similar volunteer work with an Appalachian service project in Kentucky. “It’s a real eye-opener for the students. It’s certainly a help to the community down there.”

He said the project would provide a sense of satisfaction in helping others while providing a chance for practical application of their skills and that the difficulty in rounding up 20 volunteers this time will not be a problem going forward.

“I think it’s going to feed on itself,” Cooney said. “I think it’s going to be limited seating in the future.”

Whitman representative Dan Salvucci also suggested that the 20 who have volunteered be publicly thanked.

“When we have our graduation it might be nice to have those students who do go there stand up to get applause for donating their time and their vacation to help people in another community,” he said.

The committee also discussed the potential for students to assist with school renovations as part of its discussion of a recently completed master facilities audit. Hickey said he would be referring to the audit frequently as he integrates it with the existing capital plan.

“I want to identify those recommendations that … could be stand-alone projects that maybe we could fund on our own, pluck off this list, do and be done with,” he said. “I also wanted to note any of these items that they would recommend we don’t try to attack piecemeal, but instead look at as part of a larger project.”

The latter would include items best sought-after as part of an MSBA project.

“In some of these smaller projects, is there a possibility that our students could do it?” Salvucci asked. “It would be a learning experience. … Not only would it save the  school money, but just think how they would feel saying to themselves, ‘I helped build — or renovated — that school.’”

Hickey said in most cases the answer would likely be no due to licensing requirements, but there is at least one — the repainting of exterior steel columns they could do. Installation of ADA-accessible sinks in some shops could be another. In others, students would at least be able to observe work where a professional license is required.

The committee voted to approve submission of a statement of interest letter to the MSBA to address severe overcrowding; prevention of severe overcrowding expected from increased enrollment; replacement, renovation or modernization of facilities to increase energy conservation and decrease costs and for replacement of, or addition to, obsolete buildings to provide a full range of programs.

In other business, the committee honored Adjustment Counselor Michelle Craig as the SSVT Staff Member of the Month.

“As an adjustment counselor, Michelle deals with many of our students in some of the worst moments of their lives,” said Assistant Principal Mark Aubrey. “It could be the breakup of a first love — it was Valentine’s Day, she was very busy today — an issue on the home front, including the death of a family member or friend, or a traumatizing event in the student’s personal life.”

Craig has worked at SSVT since September 2016 and has been an integral part of the school’s focus on the social-emotional wellbeing of students.

“Mrs. Craig is always upbeat,” one student said. “Sometimes that’s enough.”

“She actually helps with your problem — I appreciate that,” said another.

“She is always there when I need her, even if it’s a simple e-mail to acknowledge that I’m here,” still another wrote in nominating Craig.

“She has the smallest office, but she has the biggest heart,” another student said.

A new leader for W-H: Szymaniak is offered region superintendent position

By

WHRHS Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak was the School Committee’s unanimous choice to become the school district’s new superintendent after final interviews were conducted in a special meeting Thursday, Feb. 15.

“The search committee put a tremendous amount of time into winnowing down what started out as a 19-candidate pool of people,” said by School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes in thanking them for their work to kick-off the interviews. “We had a great mix of teachers, union people, principals, a student, School Committee members, parents at-large and they put a lot of time in.”

The next step is negotiating a contract with Szymaniak, which will be voted on at a Wednesday, Feb. 28 meeting. If the committee and Szymaniak fail to reach agreement on a contract, it could then be offered to the panel’s second choice, Sharon Schools Assistant Superintendent for Information Systems and Administration John M. Marcus. If he should be unavailable or fail to reach agreement with the committee, the committee would meet to consider re-posting the position.

The committee decided the job would not be offered to the third candidate, Lincoln (R.I.) High School Principal Kevin J. McNamara. Differences in Rhode Island and Massachusetts school systems, uncertainly over whether he would be interested in a superintendent job opening up in his current district since he applied at W-H, and a less impressive interview than he gave in the first round, were among the committee’s concerns.

Marcus was visibly disappointed when Hayes gave him news of the vote after the meeting in the main office where Marcus was waiting. An Easton resident, he had expressed a keen desire for the position during his 55-minute interview, noting that he and his wife had spent a weekend touring Whitman and Hanson — eating breakfast at the Olde Hitching Post and sampling the coffee at Mary Lou’s in Whitman center while chatting with residents.

“A year ago, when I wasn’t made the superintendent in Sharon, people told me, ‘Oh, well, things happen for a reason,’” Marcus said in his opening remarks. “But, then, last week I came here. … I have never seen a school so vibrant, a community feeling so alive. … The people I met are good, honest, hard-working people who really just want the best for their kids and that’s what I’m all about.”

Szymaniak’s opening remarks stressed his accomplishments in the district including a reduction in the drop-out rate while increasing the number of advanced-placement courses, the addition of a transition room for students returning to school after extended absences and positive changes to school culture and climate.

QUESTION TIME

Questions all three candidates faced centered on curriculum needs and how changes would be made, their vision for central office staff, priorities for programs not currently funded in the budget, how they would conduct a campaign for passage of a general budget, experience with budget cuts, and how they would supervise the district’s custodial contract.

Both Szymaniak and Marcus gave nearly equal weight to trying to fund elementary school social workers and no-cost, all-day kindergarten.

“Prioritizing is a challenging question, but … right now, given the state of where we’re at, I think elementary social workers in health is huge,” Szymaniak said. “Social-emotional learning right now is elevated to a point that we’re at a critical stage. You see what happened in Florida [Feb. 14].”

He said identifying and instituting support systems for kids who have social-emotional needs can benefit everyone. He lost an assistant principal due to budget cuts a few years ago, but when the funding was returned he put it into adjustment counselors for that reason.

“I also like the idea of full-day K,” Szymaniak said. “I think, if we establish full-day K in this district, we’ll reduce [the number of] our charter school students.”

There are currently 45 W-H children who attend charter school and have “never set foot in this district,” he noted. “I don’t know but if we offered that full-day K if parents would give us an opportunity to educate their kids.”

He also advocates an incremental build-up of middle school foreign language programs with an eye to adding either Chinese or Arabic at the high school later on.

“That’s a tough one to pick just one,” Marcus agreed, noting he would look to input from the community and staff to support kids as much as possible. “Personally, especially in light of [the Feb. 14] awful events, our mission of supporting students, in their mental health and their social-emotional strength and well-being, has got to be paramount for us these days.”

But he stressed he also feels one of the most important curricular changes he’s seen in his 25-year career is full-day kindergarten.

“How you get there is really tricky,” Marcus said. When he worked in Stoughton, that district obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to help get its program started about 15 years ago.

Szymaniak also impressed the committee by voicing his wish to hire an assistant superintendent — to fill the current vacancy from Patrick Dillon’s departure in the fall — with someone who is “opposite my skill set” who is also a multi-talented team player.

“That person has to be a communicator,” he said. “That person has to be an ally and a confidant of myself as superintendent.”

He also advocated an evaluation of central office staff to determine if it is efficient and effective before considering if changes would be made.

He sees a “definite need for improvement of curriculum at the elementary level,” affording teachers more buy-in to what is being done with literacy and numeracy.

“I think teachers have to play an active role in developing the curriculum,” he said. “They’re the masters of what they’re doing in their classroom — I think our curriculum directors are supplemental,” Szymaniak said.

He pledged to take an active role in campaigning for budget support.

“I have no problem getting out in the community and talking to people. I think that’s the job of the superintendent,” Szymaniak said. “It’s a priority of the superintendent to market and talk about the district. … I’m going to be honest with [the public] and I’m going to tell you hard facts.”

He is an advocate of face-to-face talks with town officials as well as social media to communicate with district parents.

Szymaniak also scored points with his knowledge of the current custodial contractor and the ways in which he has dealt with problems in the past.

All three candidates, when given a chance to question the committee asked what its vision of the ideal candidate is. They mentioned qualities such as bringing passion to the job, communication with staff, encouraging use of independent judgment of what’s best for kids, public relations about curriculum and budget needs and the social-emotional needs of  students.

Committee member Fred Small used a football analogy.

“I want to see the GOAT — the greatest of all time,” he said. “Someone that can take our team, be collaborative, and inspire and lift everybody to the next level and once you get to that level, inspire them to climb higher.”

SITE VISITS

Site visits were conducted at all three schools last week as well, with W-H ready to go first.

“Everybody loved all three of these candidates, site visit-wise,” Hayes said.

School Committee member Robert O’Brien Jr., was impressed that one of the students they spoke with had initially circulated a petition against Szymaniak’s change from trimester to semester schedule.

“He and Mr. Szymaniak actually had a sit-down about it and discussed it and, come to find out, that student and a lot of others actually liked it,” O’Brien said. “Their enthusiasm about all the positive things going on at the high school was something nice to hear. Usually, we don’t get to hear nice things in our position.”

He also said district principals voiced a wish to have a superintendent who can hit the ground running.

School Committee member Fred Small said Szymaniak was also strong on school safety.

“In light of the tragic events [in Florida Feb. 14], that’s probably in our minds as well,” he said. “Also that he’s open-minded and willing to listen.”

In fact, the reports from all three site visits were universally positive of administrators who put the interests of students first.

O’Brien said the sentiment in Sharon was that “they absolutely loved [Marcus]. They’d hate to see him go.”

They were also impressed with his technology acumen and how Marcus instituted a program through which high school students were dispatched to elderly housing and senior centers to tutor seniors on computers and use of social media. Small, however, was surprised that Marcus was not afforded the opportunity to interview as a finalist when Sharon hired a new superintendent a few months ago.

“They wanted a change is the way it was told to us by someone who was on their search committee,” Small said.

“It was a really positive environment there,” which was attributed to Marcus School Committee member Kevin Lynam said. “He really seems to work wherever he’s needed.”

School Committee member Robert Trotta, who taught in Stoughton when Marcus worked there validated those reports.

“He transformed the school that he was at,” Trotta said. “I saw that myself.”

McNamara was credited with improving the culture of his high school to compete with both charter and private schools. The school’s wood and auto shops as well as robotic programs also puts the Lincoln, R.I., high school on a level playing field with some vo-tech  programs, Small said.

“The guy’s there every day, even Saturdays and Sundays,” School Committee member Dan Cullity said.

Commitment to serve: Whitman swears in three new firefighters

By

WHITMAN — For the first time in more than 50 years, the Whitman Fire Department has officially added personnel to its ranks with the swearing-in ceremony of firefighter-paramedics Zachary Baldwin, Russell Lucas and Jerry Thompson.

They now wear badge numbers 18, 19 and 20 respectively.

The Board of Selectmen convened in the Town Hall Auditorium to start the Tuesday, Feb. 20 meeting with the swearing-in ceremony, accommodating a large gathering of the new firefighters’ proud families and new colleagues.

Town Clerk Dawn Varley administered the oath of service for each of the three before a family member pinned on their new badge — Baldwin’s by his mother Cindy, Lucas’ by his grandmother, Mary, and Thompson’s by his father Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr.

Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, who presided over the ceremony, later presented each firefighter with a congratulatory General Court Citation sponsored by state Rep. Geoffrey Diehl, R-Whitman.

“We celebrate not only three new members to the ranks of our great profession, but are making history in our great community, Whitman,” Grenno said. “Tonight, we mark history by increasing our shift strength to six members per shift through the generosity of our citizens — after hearing our plea, understanding the department’s staffing needs, and voting in favor of a safer community — firefighters who were approved by our taxpayers [through] last year’s Proposition 2 ½ override and graduated Mass. Fire Academy are here tonight to be sworn in.”

Grenno said the hiring process was meticulous. All three were hired off the state Civil Service List and passed background and criminal offender record information (CORI) checks before interviews before a committee of shift officers, local union representatives and Grenno — rising to the top of a field of about 12 candidates.

“Those top three are here tonight,” he said. “What you’ll see about these three candidates is [that] their work ethic and their commitment is second to none.”

Baldwin, a 2012 graduate of WHRHS is also an entrepreneur, founding his own business while still in high school — Lawns by Zach — that now employs about a half-dozen people.

“This is a guy who, in high school, decided that he was going to start his own business and his work ethic brought him down that road,” Grenno said of the Whitman native. “His success shows us his determination and his commitment to getting the job done.”

He joined Whitman Fire as an EMT and was in the process of completing his paramedic license, when he applied for the firefighter job. He has since become a licensed paramedic.

Lucas, a 2011graduate of WHRHS, grew up in Whitman before moving to Hanson, where he served as a call firefighter and worked as a paramedic for South Shore Hospital. He participated in the high school’s internship program at Whitman Fire/Rescue.

“Russ graduated high school knowing what path he would take,” Grenno said. “[He] was employed by South Shore Hospital as a patient transporter and that’s what got him involved in EMS.”

Lucas went from there to attend EMT school and becoming a basic EMT before moving to the hospital’s ambulance division and putting himself through paramedic school.

“Then he came to us,” Grenno said.

Thompson, a 2013 graduate of WHRHS and native of Hanson, took part in the high school’s internship program with Hanson Fire Department.

“That internship solidified his desire to work in the fire service,” said Grenno who graduated W-H in the same class as Hanson Chief Thompson. “Jerry became a member of the Hanson Fire Department as a call firefighter and put himself through EMT school while he was working for the school district in the maintenance division.”

After attaining EMT certification, he enrolled in the paramedic program, during which he was hired by Whitman Fire/Rescue and, like Lucas, completed the paramedic course during his probationary year.

“That just shows they wanted to get the job done,” Grenno said.

The new firefighters and their families and friends then went to Venus III in Hanson for a celebratory reception.

Hanson repairs panel revived

By

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen is asking the Hanson School Repair Committee to resume regular meetings after recently being alerted by a member of the Finance Committee that the Indian Head School playground had been closed. The board, by consensus, supports a new playground project at Indian Head.

The former Maquan and Indian Head Priority Repairs Committee had been renamed and charged to encompass Hanson Middle School in May after votes by Selectmen and the School Department to close Maquan School.

“Due to the age and safety concerns [at] the Indian Head School Playground, it is my recommendation to remove all structures immediately,” Schools Facilities Director Ernest Sandland wrote in a Jan. 23 a letter to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. A copy of the letter had been emailed from to Selectmen Chairman James McGahan and School Committee member Michael Jones on Monday.

“Ernie would like to start the removal of the Indian Head playground structures as soon as possible,” Gilbert-Whitner wrote in her email, asking the board to “Please let us know what we need to do in order to proceed.” Selectmen indicated they needed more information about cost.

Jones and Christopher Howard were members of the repair committee before both were elected to the School Committee.

“I know for a fact that I saw good things come out of that committee,” McGahan. “I’m hoping that we have some parents out there willing to step up — certainly if you have some mechanical or electrical experience, you’d be a valued member on that [repair] board.”

Sandland’s letter advised Gilbert-Whitner that a survey conducted by independent consultant Playground Inspections of New England LLC had determined last November that 70 percent of the playground’s structures do not comply with safety standards. Replacement costs for the playground — estimated at about $96,000 for the structures alone — have been included on the School Department’s capital projects matrix.

A fence would cost an additional $15,000 and rubberized ground cover, if it is desired, would cost about $67,000 more.

The town is not being asked to act on removal, according to Town Administrator Michael McCue, who said he has included a placeholder article for the May Town Meeting to address the new playground.

“My understanding is, this conversation centers on whether or not the Board of Selectmen wishes to be the sounding board for this particular article and supporting this article, vs. the repair committee, which basically hasn’t been meeting,” he said.

He said the School Committee is only asking for the funding to build a new playground.

“I believe they feel that they can facilitate the removal on their own,” McCue said. “I don’t think they’re looking for funding, they’re not looking for approval. I think they have the means, and I don’t think it’s going to cost very much to remove it.”

Safety is the main concern of the survey, which included photos of deteriorating conditions at the structure.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the board could vote to support removal, but needed more information on that cost.

“During the inspection/evaluation, it was evident that the structures are old and worn and there were many hazards that would prohibit this structure from being retrofitted,” Sandland wrote. “Temporarily we have placed saw horses and caution tape in this area until the structure is removed.”

Moving the Maquan playground to Indian Head has been ruled out as it would cost about the same as a new one and presents liability issues.

“As far as I’m concerned, we don’t have any choice,” Selectman Kenny Mitchell said. “We have to replace that playground … but I’m not in favor of discontinuing the repair committee.”

Selectman Jim Hickey asked how such issues were addressed before the Priority Repair Committee was formed after the proposed new elementary school was voted down in 2014. Hickey, who now chairs the repair committee, said he would act to get that panel back to meeting.

“Part of the problem was things weren’t being done that we felt should have been,” said McGahan, citing a window at Maquan that had leaked for 10 years. “Before then, I don’t think we were happy with what had been going on.”

Planning Board member John Kemmett suggested the Community Development Commission could be asked for funding to support the project.

“We should have caught this thing well before this happened,” McGahan said of the repair committee. “If we’re closing a school and moving grades to [Indian Head], then goddammit, we should have had the playground ready in advance.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett and Hickey both countered that he has only been working with the repair committee since June and the playground conditions were not surveyed until November.

In other business, Selectmen are seeking one more member for the Maquan Reuse Committee, which currently meets every other week for about an hour, to resolve logistical issues that sometimes surface for current members.

FitzGerald-Kemmett, who chairs the committee, said people with an open mind are being sought because “we’re really going to lay everything out on the table and make a recommendation … on how we should proceed and move forward.”

McGahan said timely completion of that work is needed because insurance costs for an empty building will be more expensive than the $15,000 per month the school district now pays, for the town to insure it until another use is found or it is sold.

Finalists queried on W-H top job

By

School Committee interviews with the three superintendent finalists selected by a screening subcommittee was held beginning at 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15 in open session at the W-H library.

The finalists are: Sharon Schools Assistant Superintendent for Information Systems and Administration John M. Marcus, a North Easton resident; Lincoln (R.I.) High School Principal Kevin J. McNamara of Greenville, R.I.; and WHRHS Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak of Pembroke.

The search began with a list of 19 applicants, School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes reminded the Committee at the Wednesday, Feb. 7 meeting.

The Committee planned to send representatives to conduct site visits to the three schools between Thursday, Feb. 8 and Monday, Feb. 12 ahead of the interviews. But the entire committee could not go on site visits without requiring the posting of a public meeting.

“These candidates … are currently interviewing with other districts as we speak,” noted subcommittee and School Committee member Michael Jones. “I’d hate to lose any candidate by going any longer [with the process].”

Hayes confirmed that some of the three finalists are, indeed, finalists in other districts.

“I would rather candidates come here and meet with groups, whether it’s teachers, whether it’s families or principals — that kind of thing — I’d rather they come here and meet with them than me go to their schools,” Committee member Robert O’Brien Jr., said.

“I think both [ways] have value, but this is a committee decision,” Hayes said.

“I think it’s most beneficial to us to have those interviews next week,” Committee member Kevin Lynam said. “I don’t want us to postpone this into school vacation and to push it back to the week after that. The deadline of next Wednesday should dictate our decision.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner countered that site visits were really an opportunity to glean important information.

“We’ve done both,” she said. “It think for a position of this importance, you need to do both. … I’ve learned from going to site visits that you learn a tremendous amount about the candidates by what that person has you look at, who the people are you talk to, what you see and what you don’t see — and it is extremely helpful.”

Having candidates is equally important — providing a real sense of their inter-personal skills. Site visits are just as important with inside candidates as for those from other districts, she added.

“If they want the job badly enough, they’re going to make it work,” Gilbert-Whitner said.

Maquan update

With the passage of a transfer of funds from free cash at the Monday, Feb. 5 special Town Meeting in Hanson, work will begin over February vacation — Feb. 19 to 23 — at Indian Head School to contain and abate asbestos in the area where work on classrooms and bathrooms will be worked on later.

“As we know, there’s asbestos at Indian Head — we’ve dealt with that for a long, long time — that will be the beginning of the project which then follows through to the next special Town Meeting which will be held in the town of Whitman on [Monday] March 12 at 7:30 p.m. for the allocation of the remaining funds,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “We’re very grateful to the folks of Hanson.”

The district will also be fine-tuning timelines over February vacation in order to develop a more exact schedule for work to be done in subsequent weeks.

W-H rolls out FY 2019 budget

By

The W-H Regional School District rolled out its proposed fiscal 2019 budget at the Wednesday, Feb. 7 School Committee meeting — a foundation budget of $50,706,972 that is up 4.1 percent from fiscal 2018. The current fiscal 2018 budget is $48,688,029.

The projected deficit for that budget now sits at $2,674,821 with a projected revenue shortfall — without a local assessment increase — of $655,878 and increased expenses of $2,018,943. Last year, the deficit a rollout was $2.7 million.

Operating assessments will depend on the final operating budget approved by the School Committee by mid-March. Last year’s assessment increase was about 8.5 percent on average — higher for Whitman than Hanson based on enrollment. Hypothetically an 8.5 percent assessment increase this year, coupled with a $500,000 transfer from excess and deficiency, would still leave a $457,000 deficit. For each 1 percent of an assessment increase, it means $202,000 in revenue for schools.

The foundation budget proposal centers on a level service plan with the addition of “several top priorities that the leadership and administrative teams have deemed are critical to the success of WHRHSD students,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner wrote in her budget book introduction.

“The numbers tonight are just the beginning, but we feel it’s very important to express to you all what we see as the financial needs of the school system,” she said.

Those priorities include: the first of a multi-year one-to-one devices (Chromebooks) plan; two special education teachers for middle school science inclusion; a family liaison and instructional materials for the elementary science program.

“The issue of level services is rather unique this year and that is because we’re closing the Maquan School, which has really shifted funding a way from Maquan … to the other buildings and also to programs,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “It’s what I call a proposed budget.”

Some of the approximately $600,000 in cost savings to be realized this year as a result of closing Maquan are a principal’s salary as Dr. Eliabeth Wilcox serving as principal of both Maquan and Indian Head schools, consolidation of the Indian Head special ed programs and pro-rated building utilities, maintenance and insurance costs. School-by-school, budgets show scales of increase depending on where Maquan programs are moved.

A $40,000 request for Chromebooks, licenses and carts is part of a $155,000 seven-year initiative taking district schools through fiscal 2026.

Priorities not included, but still advocated are: full-day, no-cost kindergarten; consistent school opening times; supplementing the middle school foreign language program; instrumental music, professional development; and instructional materials to align with updated state standards.

Committee member Fred Small expressed concern over how much could be safely transferred from excess and deficiency. Last year, $750,000 was taken from that account to lessen the budget shortfall, with $1.3 million returned from the previous fiscal year. Over the course of fiscal 2018, only $450,000 had been put back.

“The budgets are just tighter and tighter,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “We’ve become more dependent on it and with very tight budgeting we’re not putting back the same [amounts as in the past].”

Right now, there is $936,761 in excess and deficiency.

“If we look at $750,000 this year and we’ve got $936,000 in it, we’ve got to hope that nothing goes wrong or changes in the school district or throughout the year,” School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said. “I would recommend we don’t hit that for anywhere near $750,000 this year.”

Chapter 70 state funds have leveled off since local target shares of total school budgets were begun in 2007. State calculations have the WHRSD receiving $4 million more in Chapter 70 funds than it should be, Gilbert-Whitner said.

First reaction

“Whitman Finance Committee is currently meeting with departments and reviewing their budgets … I appreciate the opportunity to have this information to bring back to them early,” said Richard Anderson, whose board will be meeting with school district representatives in the next couple of weeks. “We’re facing some pretty significant challenges in the town of Whitman, but it’s still early in the process.”

State Education figures put the average per-pupil expenditure at $15,545, while W-H’s per-pupil expenditure is $11,815. To meet the state average, Gilbert-Whitner said the W-H foundation budget would have to be $62,180,000.

Declining enrollment, one of the considerations that went into closing the Maquan School, is also a challenge for school budgets across the state as well as the nation.

“People might think right away, ‘Enrollment is down, why is this budget going up?’” said Whitman resident Dawn Byers. “For me, personally, I have two children at home, when they move on to college my enrollment at my home is going to be zero, but my homeowners insurance might go up, my personal health insurance might go up.”

State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, said state revenues are running $158 million above projected benchmarks for January and about $800 million higher for the year to-date, but cautioned that could be in part due to people pre-paying property taxes ahead of implementation of the new federal tax reform act.

Staff members from the offices of state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, and state Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, joined Cutler at the meeting.

Cutler also said the consensus revenue forecast is up 3.5 percent in terms of revenue growth, which in turn should mean local aid would increase by the same percentage.

The minimum per-pupil increment, however has again started at a rate of $20 by the governor.

“That’s happened in the past,” Cutler said. “We’ve always been able to increase that number — last year to $30, two years ago to $50. I’m optimistic that we’ll see an increase in that. I don’t know how much it’s going to be yet.”

He said the Regional School Caucus has been more active and has been trying to increase spending for regional school transportation, among other needs.

“The idea is that we should be reimbursed at 100 percent,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “We are not.” She added that circuit-breaker funds that aid special education is supposed to be a 75-percent reimbursement, but is currently at 65 percent.

The W-H operating budget also depends on grants and other funding sources for $1.7 million of its revenue, according to Gilbert-Whitner.

“Over 88 positions in the WHRSD are paid for by grants,” she said. “These are extremely important. If these federal grants are cut or reduced, that’s a huge hit to the WHRSD and that needs to then be picked up by the operating budget.”

Charter school as well as homeless student transportation reimbursements are also paid to the district by the state at a rate of less than 100 percent.

“We have some real concerns with some of the revenue at the state level,” Gilbert-Whitner said.