Whitman-Hanson Express

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SSVT builds bridges … with housing

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Superintendent finalists to be interviewed

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School Committee interviews with the three finalists selected by a screening subcommittee will be 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.

 

Komedy for a Kause fights Duchenne muscular dystrophy

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WHITMAN — For Whitman native Mark Chauppetta the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a personal one — his twin 22-year-old sons, Troy and Andrew, have Duchenne.

But he also sees the need for humor in the world.

“I’ve always liked to entertain people to raise money,” Chauppetta said. “I just hate asking for handouts [when] there are so many worthy causes out there and so many people need help.”

This year, his second annual “Komedy for a Kause” show at Plymouth Memorial Hall will mark his first solo production. Chauppetta has received 501 (C) (3) status for his own fundraising orgnization, The Wheelchair Strong Foundation, of which he is executive director. That title stems from a T-shirt design made by his sons’ online company, twinteeshirts.com.

Proceeds for the Friday, Sept. 29 Komedy for a Kause 2 show will support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, providing grants to families and to fund adaptive sports, although his mission is to raise awareness and money through entertaining. General admission tickets are $45 or $75 for VIP tickets, which include dinner and a meet-and-greet.

He urges people not to wait until the last minute to purchase tickets.

“This event is going to get as big as ‘Comics Come Home,’” he said. “Our lineup this year is crazy.”

A Denis Leary fundraising show in Boston, Comics Come Home benefits the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care.

The Komedy for a Kause 2 bill of performers is designed to bring in a wide range of age groups and includes Jimmy Walker — JJ from the 1970s Norman Lear sitcom, “Good Times” — as well as Lenny Clarke, Rocky LaPorte — who has appeared on the reality show “Last Comic Standing” — and Dan Miller, Johnny Pizzi, Christine Hurley and Jerry Thornton, all three of whom appeared at last year’s show. Hurley is the headliner and Thornton is hosting the event.

“She is becoming, bar none, the best female comic in the industry right now,” he has said of Hurley, who is a sweet-natured mother of five off stage. “All Christine Hurley does is [dump] on her husband Jimmy Hurley. She’s so funny and a little blue.”

“Lenny Clarke is one of the nicest, most charitable guys you will ever meet,” Chauppetta said.

Thornton is a “local guy turned sports radio personality” at WEEI and a former Hingham court officer, Chauppetta said last year.

Kicking off the show is “American Idol” contestant William  Hung, whose infamously bad version of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” made him a household name.

“He had 15 minutes of fame and made millions off of that one TV appearance on ‘American Idol,” said Chauppetta. Now an engineer for the city of Los Angeles, Hung paid for his college degree with the money he made from that TV audition.

Chauppetta has also asked his wife if he could bring Hung along with them to his W-H 30th reunion the next night. She said fine.

“It’s going to be a very eclectic show,” Chauppetta said of Komedy for a Kause 2. “I like to put on the unknown, I like to surprise people. I like to make people laugh. My shows are kind of high-intensity, kind of like my personality.”

He recalled that, when he was 21 and living on Warren Avenue in Whitman with his parents while working as a corrections officer, “something pushed me to leave the Department of Corrections and go out to California to be an actor.”

His parents were not exactly thrilled, and the gamble didn’t bring show-biz success, but he used the opportunity to learn how to be a private investigator and put the skills he has amassed over the years to work for his charity as well as his sons, whom he calls his passion and inspiration.

“I’ve put together a powerful board of directors,” Chauppetta said. That board includes Plymouth County DA Timothy Cruz, Thornton and others. Chauppetta’s daughter Elizabeth is the foundation’s president.

“Last year’s event was so successful that Komedy for a Kause 1 raised $30,000 for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,” Chauppetta said. “We were a third-party vendor last year, meaning we collaborated with the Jett Foundation who solely specializes in DMD.”

He said the decision to hold the show in 1,500-seat, arena-style Plymouth Memorial Hall was dictated by the venue’s size.

“I’d love to have it in Whitman, I’d love to have it in Hanson, I’d love to have it in Brockton where my business is located , but there’s nowhere big enough,” he said.

Chauppetta decided his skills as a private investigator with solid media contacts, besides the Express, he will be talking to KISS-108, WROR, the Hill-Man Show on WAAF and other local papers and cable TV stations as well as Facebook.

“Facebook works,” he said.

SSVT panel OK’s new facility study

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HANOVER — The South Shore Vo-Tech Capital Projects Subcommittee has green-lighted a request for qualifications process for an existing facilities assessment at its meeting Monday, Aug. 14.

The vote came after a discussion of planning “the first and most important steps in working toward an ultimate goal” of creating a master facilities plan for the school by the end of this calendar year, according to Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey.If the study completed by this December, a proposed project could be included in the fiscal 2019 budget.

“There is simply no way we can handle our educational needs within this building footprint,” Hickey said. “You’re going to need something with a high ceiling and a free-standing out building could be part of that.”

The plan would also outline the available land on which the district can build.

The district already knows at least one out building is needed for the automotive shop or a greenhouse for the new horticultural program, as well as targeted expansion within the current building’s footprint — such as a possible second floor for academics. Hickey said examples of specific need should be included in any building study.

“This also gives us an unbiased look at what we’ve got when we go to do something,” said School Committee Chairman Robert Molla of Norwell. “This is just a piece of the puzzle.”

The master plan’s major goal, would include components to be used to inform an engineering firm on the repair or replacement needs the school is seeking to expand the school building and accommodate new educational standards and increasing enrollment.

“This document will also help when going to towns for a legitimate, verifiable need,” Hickey said of the needs of SSVT’s 70-year-old building.

Hickey also reviewed what some “end products” and request for qualifications (RFQs) would look like. The bulk of that presentation focused on a facilities plan that KBA Architects produced for Tri-County Vocational. An RFQ details information on what a school district or municipality wants to see in a construction project — to be used as the basis for a plan proposal.

The subcommittee would then wait for firms to respond, choosing three applicants to interview.

“There are firm criteria in here to determine whether or not the firms are eligible,” Hickey said. “My research is showing there are two ways of doing this.”

The panel can require a “not-to-exceed fee” in the proposal if they wish as a way to control the scope and cost of a firm’s engineering study.

“What we would need to do is make very clear what we want and what we don’t want, but we would have to either state that up front or in the form of an addendum,” Hickey said about components that may have been overlooked. “They could ask those questions, we could answer those questions and then we would supply any answers to questions asked, making it completely transparent to anybody who seeks them.”

Committee member Robert Mahoney of Rockland asked if the state could provide a vetted bid list of engineering firms for the facilities plan work.

“It’s not so much the pricing as it is approved state to use, kind of like the bid process for machinery,” he said.

“It’s the authority to get on a government project,” added Molla. “They pre-qualify you to bid.”

Hickey said such a list would be helpful and he would look into it.

One process of selecting proposals, starts with an examination of its qualifications and not the price proposal, he said, with price negotiated after a firm is selected. Some municipalities notify RFQ bidders that there is a not-to-exceed clause in effect, limiting the amount they are willing to pay for an engineering study.

“Everybody has a budget,” Hickey said, noting he does not want to spend the entire $125,000 booked in for master facilities planning and other design fees on the master facilities plan alone. “This kind of plan does not include the actual design of anything.”

Member Kenneth Thayer of Cohasset asked if there was funding built in for unanticipated cost overruns on such a plan.

“We’re basically going to tell them what we want,” Molla replied. “Those are things we know. They’re going to go through and say, ‘you can’t do this without that.’ It’s not them telling us what they think we need.”

Brookline High School did an educational master plan in 2015 at a cost of $105,000. Lincoln Public Schools did one in 2016, contracting with a firm for $40,000. Lexington spent $75,000 and Cape Cod Academy, a private school, paid $59,000 for a master plan in 2014. Tri-County Vocational spent $125,000.

“I personally don’t think that we would be spending that much money,” Hickey said. “We are not the same size and we have done some recent planning and our circumstances are such that parts of this building are in very good condition.”

He advocates being very specific about what parts of the building need review and which do not, making the school’s previous study data available to an engineering study contractor.

“Out of this should come a 10-year capital facilities maintenance plan that we should be able to debate, reprioritize, move things around,” he said. “But this outside analysis should give us a roadmap for the next 10 years.”

The major goals cover specific needs under the heading of architectural, civil or site requirements, structural, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, hazardous material and a capital improvement plan and cost estimate. A second goal would include a location for a greenhouse, a space needs analysis the percentage of  classroom use —including the amount and how much of the school day in which it is used — and identification of all buildable land on campus

“This is what we could bake into the RFQ,” Hickey said. “The firm should have a draft of the highest-priority items, unofficially, to the superintendent by Dec. 1.”

License hearing is continued

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WHITMAN — An Open Meeting concern has prompted Whitman Selectmen on Tuesday, Aug. 15 to continue a public hearing considering allegations about the alcoholic beverage license issued to O’Toole’s Pub.

The hearing will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 19 — to be the sole item on that agenda — as town officials inform two people involved in a fight at the 24 Raynor Ave. pub on Jan. 6, 2017 that discussions of the event could make them identifiable, even if their names are not mentioned.

A criminal investigation of the incident is still pending.

Pub owner Tom O’Toole has not yet had the opportunity to address the incident, but his lawyer David Flanagan said “we’re here, we’d like the hearing tonight.”

Flanagan had asked that witnesses not use names of those involved in the incident.

“They were redacted from the exhibits,” he said. “I don’t know any of the names — I haven’t received one name on a police report.”

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski asked if there was any way viewers of the cable broadcast of the meeting would be able to identify those involved from witness testimony.

“If it becomes clear to anyone watching this [meeting] video that he or she is being spoken about, whether names are mentioned or not, then that person had the right to have notice and to be here,” Kowalski said. “It’s not enough to not say the names.”

Town Attorney Matthew Tobin said the Open Meeting Law requires a board to provide notice. Any testimony those persons may give, if they opt to attend a hearing could be done in executive session, Kowalski said.

“That’s the issue, the right to be in executive session,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam.

Tobin said that right could be waived, but it is the right of those people whose identity or reputation is at stake to make, not the board’s.

“The fact that a meeting is publicly posted does not eliminate a necessity to provide notice to someone who may be discussed.” he said.

Flanagan said he understands the privacy issue, but said he and his client had no standing on the issue.

“This is between you two,” he said of discussions between Kowalski and Tobin on how the involved parties would be notified.

Tobin had outlined the timeline of the investigation and hearing postponements made to ensure a more definite statement of the allegations against him was provided to O’Toole so he could prepare his defense.

Lynam explained the hearing had been postponed more than once “due to a number of issues.”

An individual involved in the fight was injured.

“The board is now hearing from the licensee as to what occurred and why the event should or should not have been found in violation of his all-alcohol license,” Lynam said.

Tobin said the original hearing notice letter was dated March 31 and the board voted on March 28 to notify O’Toole of the alleged violations of his liquor license.

“It has been rescheduled a number of times, most recently by a notice dated July 31,” Tobin said. “A supplemental notice was issued Mr. O’Toole at the request of his counsel … in response to a request for additional information.”

That request provided O’Toole and his attorney with a list of exhibits as well as copies of them, audiotapes and a copy of a videotape that was provided by the pub to Whitman Police. They have also been provided a list of potential witnesses to the incident prepared to testify at the hearing.

Flanagan had advised Tobin that he would stipulate to Whitman Fire-Rescue documents and that Fire Chief Timothy Grenno was not required to testify at the hearing. Selectmen excused Grenno from the hearing.

During an executive session at the Aug. 15 meeting, Selectmen viewed a video of the fight, asking police officials including Chief Scott Benton and Deputy Chief Timothy Hanlon and a detective into that session, presumably to answer questions.

“We have concerns that, displaying that video in open session would likely offend the privacy interests of those parties affected by that video,” Flanagan said in requesting it be viewed in executive session and the board agreed.

Kowalski’s concern about supporting witness testimony was raised when, back in open session, Flanagan asked that witnesses attending to offer testimony not mention the names of those in the fight.

Tobin agreed that Kowalski’s concern over adequate notification was valid and that the records produced to Flanagan had been redacted.

“That’s what was a red flag to me, because I’m not sure,” Kowalski said. “It is possible that people can figure it out if they know of the events.”

Tobin also said the persons involved in the fight, and subject to testimony even if unnamed, are entitled to receive advance notice of their right to attend such a meeting.

“I can’t anticipate what their response would be,” Tobin said, adding that the issue had not been directly encountered in the case to this point.

“I’m simply asking the witnesses not to use any names,” Flanagan said. He said it would protect those involved in the fight, the police department and the district attorney’s office.

O’Toole’s had been disciplined once within the last four years for license violations and has been advised of the town’s liquor license regulations, according to Tobin.

“Prior discipline within that four-year window is something that may be considered by this board, consistent with the rules and regs, consistent with the board’s authority … in determining what, if any, discipline is appropriate based upon the incident that occurred on Jan. 6.”

Flanagan provided Selectmen with an information packet, including the 2015 disciplinary decision in which he highlighted areas that will be part of his argument in the present matter.