Whitman-Hanson Express

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

Special TM eyed for DPW building

By

WHITMAN — Selectmen approved a two-step process of a special Town Meeting in January and a clear plan of steps taken to set up a building committee, in order to prepare for a fall Town Meeting on a final plan for a new DPW building.

“What we buy from it is more planning, more details and some of the money in the final override kind of thing,” said Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski. 

The Board of Selectmen discussed the issue during a joint meeting with the Board of Public Works Commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

The new DPW Building Committee will have 10 members – two of the commissioners, the two superintendents, a Selectman, the town administrator and four residents at-large, some of whom may be DPW employees.

Heineman will be preparing a draft warrant article for Selectmen’s review for presentation at the Dec. 21 meeting, including funding sources for the 10 percent of the projected total cost of about $11 million – to be used to come up with a shovel-ready plan, or 10 percent, of the overall projected construction costs.
“There’s been an effort to figure out what to do with our dilapidated DPW barn on Essex Street for several years,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said, noting that the Board of Public Works Commissioners has worked with Environmental Partners Group for about seven months to come up with a tentative plan and design schematics for what that new building might look like. Funds for that work had been appropriated at Town Meeting this spring. 

Consultant Ziad Kary from Environmental Partners Group made a presentation on what the drawings entail such as cost estimates, building design and layout to  reach the consensus achieved with Selectmen this week on the next steps for the project.

“This is something that’s very important to the DPW,” said Commissioner Kevin Cleary in introducing Kary, and his follow-up on decisions made so far by his board and where they would like to see the project go.

“The town had already hired a geotechincal investigation person who did some [test] borings,” Kary said. “The site was really not suitable for a typical foundation, so he came up with granite aggregate.” The material was chosen because of the site’s past use as a landfill and there was potentially materials in the soil that would rule out more typical foundation work.

“But we didn’t really do any subsurface exploration ourselves,” he said of the recommendation for stone columns.

The original design rejected by Town Meeting in 2016 included provisions such as separate locker rooms for female and male employees, drive-through garages for maintenance facilities and other amenities. Some utilities would have to be relocated beneath an existing building.

“This existing building would have to be demo’d,” Kary said of the present building, noting that the current plan involved a prefabricated metal building. “Really nothing would be salvaged out of it.”

A conceptual cost estimate of the pre-engineered steel building on a shallow foundation with steel columns, based on previous projects and current costs, is for $10.9 million, including a 25 percent contingency and estimates on the impact of COVID and resulting supply chain problems.

An independent cost estimate was sought to have “a second set of eyes” on the plan and costs, with that firm coming up with a price tag of $9,750,000

“The only difference is they did not include engineering and [owner project manager] costs,” Kary said. The second estimate was also based on a 15 percent contingency and escalation forecasts for midpoint and future bid date added about $750,000.

Schematic designs and the selection of an owners project manager are among the steps remaining before bids can be sought.

“Everyone knows the history,” Cleary said of the original process that began in 2008. “We got very good support at [the 2012] Town Meeting, but not at Town Election. … Unfortunately some things kept getting in front of it, whether it was some water line work, the sewer force main … unfortunately, the building kept getting pushed and we just can’t push it anymore.”

The building has continued to deteriorate and facilities such as bathrooms, break room and locker facilities are lacking.

“We have millions of dollars’ worth of equipment,” Cleary said. “The townspeople have invested a lot in the last few town meetings with truck upgrades.”

The DPW Board has voted they want to move forward with the full project at the next Town Meeting.

“We have a good concept and we have a good estimate,” he said. “We just need to move this forward. Any delays are only going to cost more.”

Kowalski said the town needs to move forward in a way that’s going to have the town’s support. 

“We’ve got to get this out there sooner rather than later,” Cleary said.

OSHA guidelines will soon pose a problem for the town if nothing is done, said  Selectman Dan Salvucci who was on the previous building committee.

“Time does not save us money, it costs us money,” Salvucci said.  “It’s that simple. … We’ve needed this building for many years, but people seem to think the DPW is just a large garage where you keep trucks,” he said. “They are as important as any department in this town.”

He said residents need to realize a new building is needed for the well-being of employees as well as the maintenance of new and expensive equipment.

Hieneman supported appropriating $1.1 million to come up with a shovel-ready plan, or 10 percent, of the overall projected construction costs – possibly at a special Town Meeting by February – then attempting a debt exclusion when “crystal clear” architectural plans are ready. He also suggested a building committee and research into a new location – the latter has already been done.

Kowalski asked how far back would that put the opening of any new building. Heineman estimated six months.

He argued if it adds six or even eight months, the flip side of it not passing in a ballot initiative is a much longer setback.

“We’d like to move forward with the full plan at Town Meeting in May,” Cleary said. “We could have a design ready for bid by fall and construction by the beginning of 2023.”

“There’s a lot to be said about keeping the current site,” Salvucci said of work done during the previous building effort to find alternate sites around town.

“Committees spend a lot of time talking and not a lot of time doing and I don’t want to push this down the road much,” Kowalski said. 

“I don’t want to see you guys in that building much longer.”

Selectman Randy LaMattina questioned why the new plan did not include and estimated cost of site work?

Demolition and foundation is included, but site improvements are limited to the buildings.

“Based off this alone, there’s a lot of variables,” he said. “I would say you are missing a ton of information …I don’t think anyone on this board is questioning the need for this building. I like Lincoln’s plan. We get a taste for where the public is on this.”

He said a building committee has to be set up and an OPM hired.

“It’s not to add a $1.2 million to the project, it’s to basically pay $1.2 million now and do some of the detail work that Randy sees,” Kowalski said. “It’s actually reducing the cost to the voters.”

Selectman Brian Bezanson said, conceptually he loves the plan.

“Nobody deserves it more than employees of that department,” he said. But he agreed with LaMattina’s concerns.

Hanson reviews audit process

By

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen tabled a decision, on whether to proceed with the town’s contract with Team TMS on the pending audit of WHRSD finances, until their Tuesday, Dec. 14 meeting.

The delay would help the town figure out if it needs to go back to Town Meeting for additional funding and to get a better idea of Whitman’s position on what company does the work.

“I want to make it clear that we cannot have either firm that audits the towns as the firm we bring in to audit WHRSD,” Town Administrator Lisa Green said.
Agreeing that Green was making a good suggestion, Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said she would rather wait to see where the Whitman Board of Selectmen come in on the question. Green said she has had a long conversation about the audit with Whitman Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman, who has told her that he would rather go out to bid again.

“Why are we waiting for them to decide what they want to do?” said Selectman Jim Hickey. “Why don’t we vote the way we want to vote, and if they vote the other way, then we can talk about it.”

Former town administrators from both towns had agreed on the company selected for the audit based on the previous bid, before COVID stalled the process.

“It was laid a little bit to rest,” she said. “Now that it’s come back to life, I want to give you all the options of what we can do.”

Both towns agreed to go out to bid for an auditor a year ago, according to Green. A bid was advertised and one bid was received at that time.

Selectmen discussed the issue at their Tuesday, Dec. 7 meeting.

“There was a company that stated they declined to bid,” Green said. “And here we are, unfortunately, we are almost a year and a half or two years later.”

Green said the audit was put on hold when Hanson decided to begin a de-regionalization study.

“It has resurfaced and the company that put in a proposal — Team TMS — was also the company that was undergoing the de-regionalization study,” she said. “They have been gathering voluminous documents from W-H. They may already have many of the documents required to conduct the audit.”

That company will also honor the price for conducting the audit that they proposed in March 2020, according to Green. She cautioned that, if the town rebid for an auditor right now, they may not receive any more bids and the cost could be higher. The bid process could also take another three or four months and would have to burden the schools to produce the documents.

“Who knows how long the schools may take to comply with the requests for the documents,” Green said. “I just want to present all the options.”

Selectmen Chairman Matt Dyer said his opinion was that Hanson budgeted $14,000 of the $28,000 for the project, divided by the two towns.

“In the light of everything in the last week or so, I say we should just move forward sooner rather than later, and let’s stick with the number that is known, rather than putting it out to  bid, but that’s just me,” he said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said that Hanson can’t unilaterally decide on TMS, if they are doing the audit in concert with Whitman.

“I don’t know if we can take a vote tonight in regard to using TMS,” she said, even if Hanson can appreciate that the firm has already begin gathering data.

“I have had a concern recently about, shall we say, some lapse in good judgment that they used in handling the de-regionalization study, enough so that I would not feel comfortable that they would be my pick,” she said. FitzGerald-Kemmett also wanted to know if TMS had any conflict such as projects for the school district.

She said the work done by “our dear, esteemed “former Town Administrator John Stanbrook on Circuit Breaker funds was “extremely alarming” as have some other issues that have cropped up recently.

“Plus, we’ve got all this ESSER money … COVID money, there’s certainly enough that would compel us to say, ‘This would be a good time to do a good, thorough kicking of the tires and an audit of the distict,’” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Community aids Lirosi family

By

WHITMAN — Vincenzo Lirosi, 22, of Whitman is being remembered by family and friends as a fun-loving person who had been active in youth sports while growing up. 

A Gofundme account set up to pay for funeral costs and services for the University of New Hampshire student who was found dead in a marshy area of Durham, N.H., Sunday after he had been reported missing the night before. Lirosi had attended Whitman schools and was a 2018 graduate of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.

The fundraiser, with an initial goal of $5,000 — set up by his brother Giovanni — had raised $48,505 and more than 1,700 donations by Monday afternoon.

“My son is a Wildcat,” one woman wrote, referring to the UNH mascot. “I cannot imagine your pain at this time.”

“Vinny was a wonderful boy and he will be missed dearly,” another woman wrote.

“Wildcats stick together,” a man wrote on the Gofundme page. Others noted that, while they did not know Lirosi, they wanted to help his family and were sending their prayers.

“He meant a lot to so many people and me and my mom really appreciate everything you guys are doing to help us out during this tough time,” Giovanni, who goes by Gio, wrote on the Gofundme site. “All of this support is way beyond me and my mum’s wildest expectations. I literally cannot express how much this means to us and all of our family and friends.”

“He was a great kid,” Whitman Police Deputy Chief Joseph Bombardier said Monday. “His mother is a great gal, and Gio, his brother, is a good kid. They lost his father years ago, so it’s been tough on the family.”

Bombardier had coached Vincenzo Liorsi in Whitman Youth Football.

New Hampshire police said a path through the wooded area near where Vincenzo, or Vinny to his family, was a shortcut to Lirosi’s residence, according to a report on Boston 25 News Monday. He had been out drinking with friends and did not have a phone or ID with him, according to published reports.

W-H students face charges in threats

By

Three Whitman-Hanson Regional High School students face charges in connection with a school shooting threat posted on social media, according to the school district and police.

The students will be charged with making threats and will be issued summonsed to appear in juvenile court at a later date, according to police. 

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said school officials were informed that the students had allegedly posted a threatening image on social media “following non-specific threats at other schools in southeastern Massachusetts” over the weekend, according to the district and public safety officials in a joint press statement. “It was determined that there was no credible threat to the school community as a result of the post.”

The incident was described by police as local students allegedly piggy-backing on a more specific threat received by Brockton schools over the weekend.

“Our increased presence was due to an nonspecific threat to schools on the South Shore,” according to Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch. 

On Monday morning a social media photo allegedly posted by the W-H students was said to depict a student wielding a realistic-looking pellet gun, captioned, “Don’t come to school today.”

Once informed about the post, the school district, Whitman and Hanson police launched an immediate investigation in which students and family members have “fully cooperated,” according to the report.

“The district treats all issues of school safety with the highest priority,” Szymaniak said in a statement about the incident. “We want to thank the Whitman and Hanson Police Departments for their assistance during their increased early-morning presence at the high school this morning and in investigating the subsequent social media post. I would like to assure all members of our school community that there was no threat to students or staff, and we will continue to monitor the situation as necessary.”

Szymaniak also said the students will be subject to the school district’s code of conduct policies.

School officials in Abington and Brockton also reported school shooting rumors. Abington was not specifically mentioned, but Brockton was and security screenings were reinstated at all high school entrances on Monday morning, according to WCVB-TV there was also an added police presence at Brockton High School during the day. 

New Whitman firefighters sworn in

By

SWORN IN: Town Clerk Dawn Varley administers the oath of service to new Whitman firefighters Brian Feeney, left, and Joshua Gray. Both joined the department within the past year.                      Photo by Tracy Seelye

WHITMAN – In a ceremony delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Nov. 23 hosted the swearing-in of two firefighters who recently joined the Whitman Fire Department.

Firefighters Joshua Gray and Brian Feeney were sworn in together by Town Clerk Dawn Varley in the Town Hall auditorium during a brief ceremony before the Selectmen’s regular business meeting.

“This has been long overdue due to the pandemic and I’m glad we can gather tonight to swear them in,” said Fire Chief Timothy Clancy.

Feeney, a longtime Whitman resident was accompanied by his fiancée Jill and their two sons, Lincoln and Scott. A 2004 graduate of WHRHS, he holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology before attending EMT school and paramedic school. He scored the highest during the 2020 selection process and joined the department in April 2020. His uncle Joseph Feeney was a longtime deputy chief on the Whitman Fire Department.

Gray, who was pastor of the First Congregational Church in Whitman, where he still lives, and department chaplain before becoming a firefighter, was joined by his wife Ann and children Caroline, Jackson and Ryan. Their son Ethan died at a young age.

“While he was our chaplain, be became a call firefighter and fell in love with the fire service,” Clancy said, noting Gray then went on to EMT and paramedic schools before starting his professional career with the Halifax Fire Department. He worked with the Scituate Fire Department before joining the Whitman department when the opportunity arose.

Once reconvened in the Selectmen’s meeting room, the board held the annual joint tax classification hearing with the Board of Assessors during which Selectmen voted to follow the assessor’s recommendation for a uniform tax rate of $14.57 per $1,000 valuation – or or $5,569 on an average single family home valued at $384,354.

They also concurred with assessor’s recommendations against a split rate for residential, commercial, industrial and personal property taxes.

“To split the rate or not to split the rate, that’s the question,” Assessor Kathleen Keefe said to open the hearing. “The focus of tonight’s meeting is to opt for either a uniform rate or a split tax rate.”

Assessors annually brief Selectmen on the town’s financial status and the effects of the uniform or split rate.

The single tax rate was set at $14.57 per $1,000 on uniform tax rate. That rate is down from the current $15.50 per $1,000 valuation because assessments went up spread over more housing stock in town.

Whitman is the fourth-lowest area community in terms of tax bills per single family home, Keefe noted.

“This year, for the first year, there was a vote at Town Meeting in an outside article to tax fully to the levy … so we do not leave on the table any excess levy capacity under the restrictions of Proposition 2 1/2,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said.

The state Department of Revenue annually reviews and approves the adjusted values proposed by the Assessor’s Office. The residential value is based on the sales market and commercial value is based on income and expenses as well as the comparable sales and cost analysis. Whitman’s values were approved Nov. 9. Fiscal 2022 completed a five-year revaluation, which is a more in-depth analysis of property values.

The town’s total property valuation for all classes is $2,030,707,351 of which almost 90 percent – $1,816,440,717 – of the town’s property is residential. Another 5 percent – or $101,920,205 – is commercial, 1.2 percent – or $25,329,423 – is industrial and 4.2 percent – or $87,017,006 – is personal property.

The fiscal 2022 budget required that $45,494,988 be raised as voted by Town Meeting. Receipts were estimated at $15,908,895 leaving $29,586,093 to be raised by the tax levy, divided by the different classifications.

Small commercial business exemptions are limited to firms with fewer than 10 employees with a total property value of $1 million or less and any exemption goes to the property owner, not the business, unless the property owner wishes to share that benefit. In business developments with more than one tenant, all the tenant businesses must meet the qualification criteria.

Residential exemptions are intended to benefit communities with a high number of non-owner-occupied properties.

Neither exemption was recommended by the Assessors or approved by Selectmen.

John Galvin, a member of the Finance Committee, who spoke as a private citizen voicing his own opinion, suggested after Keefe’s presentation that, at some point, Whitman should consider a split commercial tax rate.

“If you’re not going to consider it this year, I think the board needs to start considering the thought process of splitting the tax rate,” Galvin said, noting that they also will be “putting a tremendous demand” on taxpayers in the next couple years in view of infrastructure needs such as the sewer force main project, a DPW building and potentially a new Whitman Middle School.

 “Sewer rates have gone up and they will go up again,” he said. “Any amount that we can give back to the taxpayers, I think, is important and I honestly think splitting the rate is not going to impact the businesses that much. … I think we have to get creative because we’re going to be asking taxpayers for a lot.”

town employee vaxx mandate?

Selectmen also left a Board of Health request to mandate COVID vaccinations for new employees on the table, pending guidance fro OSHA.

The health board recommended in October that all new employees except those with “firmly held religious objections,” or medical exemptions signed by a doctor, be vaccinated.

“I don’t see the benefit of doing this for just new employees, given that we hire, what, five or six people a year,” Selectman Justin Evans said. “If we were going to consider a vaccine mandate it would probably be for all employees and I think, at least at this time, where there is potential OSHA guidance pending that I’d like to see, and other towns already fighting this out in court, I don’t think I want to see us use our legal expenses to pursue this right now.”

Selectman Brian Bezanson agreed.

He said all employees should be encouraged to be vaccinated, but it was ultimately up to them.

“We have a way to go, folks,” Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said, noting that despite Whitman’s 60 percent vaccination rate, that means four out of every 10 people one encounters in public places are not vaccinated. “I understand the Board of Health’s intentions here, I believe, and let’s try to deal with this pandemic that we haven’t dealt with yet – and to have a 60-percent vaccination rate is not having dealt with it.”

Circuit Breaker funds reviewed

By

An ongoing internal school district accounting review has determined that there are “a couple of accounts with excess funds” that should have been returned to the towns.

District Business Manager John Stanbrook reviewed the district’s use of Circuit Breaker funds in depth during his financial and budget report to the School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Stanbrook said Circuit Breaker has been used as a revenue source in the general fund. This year there is $600,000 as a transfer from Circuit Breaker as a revenue source. He said he counted the uniform Massachusetts accounting system process through which the Department of Revenue said the district should be showing a Circuit Breaker.

“It shouldn’t be shown as a revenue source in the general fund and an expenditure in the general fund,” Stanbrook said. “It should be shown just as a reduction to the expenditures in the general fund.”

Stanbrook said as of the fiscal 2023 budget, the committee would see a line item reflecting some type of transfer from Circuit Breaker showing zero — which means expenditures would be reduced by the amount, instead of showing it as revenue.

Committee member Fred Small asked if the process could accurately be described as the district spending up to threshold and then spending Circuit Breaker money.

“Is that not what has been happening?” he asked.

Small outlined a hypothetical to illustrate his question on a $98,000 expenditure. He asked if the first $48,000 is the responsibility of the district, with the other $50,000 being a reimbursement formula known as a 75-25 split — for every dollar the district spends, it received 75 cents in Circuit Breaker funds.

“What I’m talking about here is only to show what we do when we get the actual money from the state,” Stanbrook said. “I think we’re talking about two different things. … After doing the reimbursement rate allocation [the question is] what do you do with that money?”

Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said the district has historically been using Circuit Breaker to offset the budget.

“That’s not the appropriate way to do it because you’re just taking money and putting it as a revenue source,” he said. “Circuit Breaker money should be allocated to a direct special education expense.”

The funds are to be used for expenses such as funding a mid-year out-of-district placement, for example.

Small asked if the district’s past approach has any impact on anything else in the budget over the years and whether money was carried over that shouldn’t have been.

Stanbrook said he didn’t know about past impact, but said it should have a net zero effect. Carry-over is only permitted for one year, he added.

Up to fiscal 2019, there was only a small amount carried over and there is a “small amount of reimbursement in there right now.”

Small also asked if funds were spent out of the general fund that qualified as Circuit Breaker money and, if so, did it end up in excess and deficiency.

“That’s what would happen if we didn’t spend it,” Stanbrook said. “Have we spent every dollar of Circuit Breaker? No we have not.”

Committee Chairman Christopher Howard said previous meeting recordings could be checked to verify it, but said he recalled that unused Circuit Breaker funds were applied to the budget, but it was not used as an all-purpose fund.

Last year’s Circuit Breaker reimbursement was about $1.3 million, according to Stanbrook.

“That’s a pretty healthy number,” Howard said, noting that some districts have a Special Education Stabilization Fund to help offset costs.

“If we’re holding general funds and we’re holding Circuit Breaker monies that could be spent instead of general funds — if we had spent the Circuit Breaker money, we would have had additional funds from the general fund — we could have had, perhaps, programs, etc.,” Small said.

“I don’t know if we’ve managed Circuit Breaker well over the years,” Szymaniak agreed, but he is uncertain the past numbers are readily available and that Stanbrook is looking at ways to do it better.

Committee member Dawn Byers said she was concerned about whether the way Circuit Breaker has been handled has inflated the budget.

Whitman resident John Galvin, speaking for himself and not as a Finance Committee member, commended Stanbrook and the budget subcommittee for diving right into their work.

He said “net zero” describes the effect of reimbursement when they are properly handled.

“The problem is that’s not the way we’ve been doing it over the last who knows how many years,” Galvin said. Over the last five years the district has received $5,958,138 in Circuit Breaker reimbursement. It budgeted $3,235,000, not using $2,723,138.

“That money came out of the towns,” he said, noting that the percent of reimbursed funds has slid from 97 percent of money received to 34.88 percent — $600,000 of $1,720,374 — in fiscal 2022.

“We have $1.4 million sitting in that account today,” Galvin said. “What are we going to do with it?” He said another $1.2 million is expected in the next nine months.

Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina said he was speaking as a representative of the town and that research he and Galvin have done on the issue also led him to ask why the Circuit Breaker funds the district received were not used to pay the expenses for which the district’s special needs kids qualified.

“It is not a net zero game,” he said. “Those expenses should have come out before the town’s assessment. … Why wasn’t this money used … for the kids, for the services?”

LaMattina said fiscal year 2020, the year use of the funds fell to 38 percent, and the resulting layoffs of 15 teachers within the budget cuts made, was blamed on selectmen from the two towns.

“In fact, there was probably $700,000 left of available funds that year that could have been used to offset those layoffs,” he said, asking for an explanation of how it happened and whether it was due to a misunderstanding of how Circuit Breaker works or something else.

“It’s almost two separate issues here,” LaMattina said Tuesday, Nov. 30. “We have a major accounting issue that has impacts Whitman and Hanson, and we also have an issue why in last three budget cycles has so little Circuit Breaker money been used?”

Whitman resident Shawn Kain pointed out that the cost of special education plans can be quantified and therefore should not be a surprise during budget talks.

Whitman Selectmen also discussed the issue at their Tuesday, Nov. 23 meeting during an update on the independent school audit requested by both towns. Galvin told Selectmen that both towns had approved the funding and Hanson had begun to accept bids when the process was put on hold due to the pandemic.

“Whitman and Hanson should definitely put it out to bid again, in my strong opinion,” Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman said, noting the bid information Hanson received is now two years old.

“It seems like it’s coming close to a time when it [might] yield some pretty interesting information, if I understand the School Committee meeting I witnessed last week,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said.

He said Howard had called him and indicated that he understands what Galvin and LaMattina were talking about when they addressed the committee.

“He understands better now about the way special education money was funded and [that] he just needs a little more time to sort it out — have the committee work on it,” Kowalski said. “And I told him I could support that.”

Galvin reiterated his support for the budget subcommittee’s work as well as Stanbook’s, acknowledging that Stanbrook has just begun his accounting review and that the audit would help him in that work.

SST eyes capital project alternatives

By

HANOVER – The South Shore Tech Regional School Committee, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, was updated on the Capital Subcommittee’s work.

Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said the subcommittee, along with its architect and engineering firm, had reviewed feedback and ideas about a potential new construction project on campus, intending to bring back some revised ideas to the subcommittee by the end of November.

The proposal is for a 9,000-square-foot structure to be placed at the front of the school in a grassy area between the two entrances, potentially allowing space for up to two programs. 

Hickey explained that the strategy is, by opening up some space, the school can relocate one shop while renovating some of the shop spaces in the 1962 wing of the building. Shops such as automotive, HVAC and electrical would then have more space to meet demand.

That doesn’t mean more students would be admitted – at least not in the short-run – Hickey said.

“But only 9,000 square feet might allow for a small increase,” he said. “I almost don’t want to promise that, but my theory is if we’re able to open up more space in higher-demand programs, then through the exploratory program … we might be able to take more kids, who we’ve already accepted, to major in those programs.” 

More “mundane” concerns such as the size of the school’s cafeteria and science labs are more likely to hinder any effort to accept new students right now, according to Hickey. If shop space renovation and expansion helps free up some space for science labs, he suggested that the 2023-24 school year might be the year they could see some success there, but it really needs to be part of a broader renovation project.

SST is really looking to the MSBA to open up more of the $100 million that the Legislature is discussing focusing on vocational schools.

“If we can tap into additional funds, then we can talk about the additional renovation that we all want,” he said.

In the meantime, the subcommittee is planning what it can do now.

“My hope would be that we would bring the scope of the idea to the full committee by our December School Committee meeting,” Hickey said.

All eight member communities had passed debt authorization approval at town meetings this spring, Hickey reminded the committee, a portion of which is intended to fund opportunities to renovate and/or expand shops. The disrict is still waiting on MSBA, as it has been on various projects for several years. Some interest-only borrowing would be done for the first few years.

“We went to our communities and said we need to make some adjustments, we have programs that need more space,” he said. “The communities responded, which is fantastic, so we’re taking the next step as quickly as possible.”

The project manager and engineer would work on revising the scope of planned projects. Subcommittee members have offered feedback on points and construction materials and Hickey said he would be meeting with Hanover officials about septic capacity.

The district plans to go out to bid on the building and shop renovation with an eye toward having two projects going on this summer – the shell of the new building and roof repairs to the 1992 wing of the school. It would also allow all construction planned for next school year to be to work on the interior of the new building, possibly with students working on it, with renovation of the shops planned for summer 2023.

“The beauty of the model that we see is that it would have no impact on the kids in the building,” Hickey said.

Dollars For Scholars now taking orders for holiday gift cards

By

Whitman & Hanson Dollars for Scholars will be processing orders for gift cards this holiday season as part of its fall fundraising drive. Interested individuals will be able to order gift cards from over 300 nationwide merchants. DFS will receive a commission for selling the cards while the recipient will receive the full face value of the gift card. 

A Dollars for Scholars representative will be in the Community Room of the Whitman Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 4, and in Training Room of the Hanson Police Station from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Dec. 5, to answer any questions. Orders may be placed at those times. All gift cards ordered are expected to be delivered by Dec. 11. Payments should be in the form of a check or cash. Currently, DFS places gift card orders every other month for its board members. Members use the gift cards as gifts for family or friends or toward everyday purchases such as groceries, gas, prescriptions, and restaurants.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit graduating high school seniors in the form of scholarships at the end of the school year. For more information on the gift card ordering program, contact Mike Ganshirt at 781-252-9683 or visitWhitmanAndHanson.DollarsforScholars.org.

Student numbers level off

By

By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com

Enrollment is down historically from where it used to be, but leveling off, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak reported to the School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

“That’s a national trend [seen] in the commonwealth, except we seem to be leveling off,” he said. “Will probably never get to that 200-plus kids [at Whitman Middle] we used to have in eighth grade. It’s not going to happen.”

Hanson middle school enrollment has also taken a dip, with grades forecast to number below 150 in the future.

Kindergarten enrollment trends are consistent with national trends, with the number of eighth-graders leaving for vocational high school programs also showing consistency.

“We can have some good information moving forward when we start looking at a five-year plan for budgets, based on enrollments,” he said.

Home-schooling has also made an impact, with 76 students learning at home this year, up from the pre-pandemic 33 students. There were 95 students home-schooling during last year’s lockdown.

“We did take a hit,” Szymaniak said. “I do think some students have enjoyed home schooling, or the curricula that their parents have purchased for them. I’m hoping to bring them back at some point, but I don’t know.”

There are students coming back to the district from home-schooling, already, he said. 

In the meantime, there is “tremendous growth” in English language learning students, which leads to an increase in costs for student support services, such as translation online services. There are 106 English language learning students and 126 families that do not speak English.

Whitman-Hanson WILL reviewed the annual student drug surveys with the committee, outlining the challenge that alternative cigarettes – particularly vapes pose for the district.

“These are our challenge right now,” Szymaniak said.

Szymaniak said the district is talking about developing an anti-vaping curriculum for the district in cooperation with W-H WILL and school resource officers in both towns, as well as alternative consequences/learning for students caught vaping at school.

Gabrielle Peruccio of the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative and High Point Treatment Center’s prevention services team, briefed the committee on the annual state and federally grant-funded survey’s findings. About 1,100 students in grades six through 12 completed the survey last school year.

Few middle schoolers said they used alcohol, cigarettes e-cigarettes or marijuana or prescription drugs at least once over the past 30 days with seventh and eight-graders having a higher percentage of vaping use among the few students who said they tried any of the substances listed. In the high school, alcohol was the most reported substance used by juniors (14 percent) and seniors (27 percent). Reported use of vaping and marijuana also increased as the grade levels increased, Peruccio said.

“That’s a common trend we’ve been seeing,” she said. “That middle school level, when talking about prevention, and curriculum around these substances is key.”

Students were also asked about their perception of risk — how harmful do they view each of the substances mentioned in the survey. Middle school students showed a view of moderate to great risk, but the perception of risk for marijuana decreases as students reach higher grades, especially since the legalization of marijuana.

Students’ views of their parents’ risk perception of the substances showed most in the middle school grades saying their parents thought it was wrong or very wrong, fluctuating a little at the high school level.

However, at least 90 percent of students in all grades said their parents would feel any substance use was wrong or very wrong.

Peer disapproval, was a bit less stringent at all grade levels, especially at the high school.

“A while back our focus was on prescription drugs and opioids, because that’s what our students were really struggling with,” Peruccio said. “Now we’re seeing marijuana, THC, vaping and alcohol being those top substances that we’re facing.”

The School Committee voted to continuing to allow W-H WILL to share the data with the community and survey students again this year.

“When we talk about school and our students, while our elementary kids are not surveyed … those students might go home to a home that has parents who are addicted,” School Committee member Dawn Byers said. “We need to support students in our school who may struggle with this with other family members. … It’s a community-wide issue.”

She lauded Szymaniak for thinking about a curriculum.

Students, K of C cheer others

By

WHITMAN – A return to traditions – with a tweak or two here and there – marked two of the town’s pre-Thanksgiving celebrations, as Conley students shared a socially distant gift with the Whitman Food Pantry, and the Knights of Columbus returned to an in-person holiday luncheon for seniors.

As the COVID-19 pandemic made its mark on a second Thanksgiving, the giving continued – sort of in-person – as students were updated on the collections and gift-giving via the Conley School’s news team after they had paraded past the lobby to wave at Pantry volunteers Lauren Kelley, Jim Davidson and Walter Gurry, as well Animal Control Officer Laura Howe on Friday, Nov. 19.

Conley’s gifts of food baskets and a cash donations for “furry friends” in the charge of Whitman’s Animal Control Officer are usually bestowed during an all-school assembly, compete with songs performed by students.

Assistant Principal Chris Ahearn gave an emotion-filled speech to the student body as she thanked them for their work on behalf of Principal Karen Downey, who was unable to attend.

“We want to make sure everybody understands what an important time this is,” Ahearn said, noting the school’s traditional large assembly. “I know [Downey] would be impressed with the incredible generosity that has been shown here today.”

She told Conley students that donations may not seem like a lot when they bring in one can or one boxed item at a time, but that those gifts add up.

“But when you look at the amount of things we have brought in and how many families that can help feed in our community, it’s overwhelming,” Ahearn said. “I’m always touched by this assembly and amazed by how special our school community is.”

She then presented a check for $1,225.70 to Howe to aid the animal shelter, 24 Thanksgiving food baskets for the pantry along with, through a gift by a former Conley families – Sandy, Scott, Collin, Aidan, Gavin and Connor McCarthy – and the parents’ company, AEW, a donation of $1,500.

“A generous thank you to our Conley Cubs, big and small who contributed to  the Thanksgiving baskets, Penny for Paws and Helping Hands,” reporter Sophia Lombardi said while taping the broadcast for the school’s morning news. “Our Conley Kids really showed how much they love and care for our community by bringing in donations to make the baskets.” She and fellow reporter Kaitlyn Soper and adviser Brenda McLaughlin, a paraprofessional, then panned the camera down a hallway lined with 24 laundry baskets brimming with all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner – to which the food pantry would add a turkey. Some baskets even included loving touches such as greeting cards for the family receiving the donation.

The “spare  change” donation to the Animal Control Officer brought an emotional thank you from Howe.

“Every year, this means so much to me,” she said, explaining that her partner was also planning to attend, but had to attend to an emergency. “But the good news is they helped a dog and everything will be good. Two days ago we helped a heron and a swan. … He wanted me to express how grateful we both are. We don’t have a hugs budget, and this is enormous. What you guys have done at your young ages, is not only commendable and respectable, you have character and dignity and that will carry you so far in life.”

Howe, who was wearing slides, said she tried to jump in Hobart’s Pond to aid  one of the birds, but her shoes kept floating away.

Through the Helping Hands drive, students also donated items needed by area veterans. Students Shane MacCurtain and Ana Flaviana also participate in the Conley new program.

“As a former teacher from Whitman, I just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Kelly said on behalf of the Pantry, with a break in her voice. “All the families will appreciate it. Keep doing … and I’m not worried about the next generation.”

On Saturday, Nov. 20, the Knights of Columbus celebrated a return to the in-person Thanksgiving dinner for seniors who might otherwise be alone on the holiday. It was the 47th year for the meal, served up by members of the W-H Panther football team – ahead of their 110th annual Thanksgiving game vs. Abington at home – as well as Whitman Police. Members of the East Bridgewater Vikings midget football team, fresh off a super bowl win, helped by doing door duty at the event.

Last year, meals were delivered to seniors since in-person meals were not possible because of COVID.

“We thank you for the generosity of all the volunteers who are going to make this meal possible, for the Knights for hosting it once again and for all those who have made this community what it is,” said the Rev. Adrian Milik, the new pastor at Holy Ghost Church in his blessing.

Grand Knight Devin Morrison extended his welcome and Council on Aging Director Mary Holland addressed the crowd, joking that her predecessor Barbara Garvey hadn’t mentioned there would be a speech involved.

“It’s great to see so many people out and enjoying today,” Holland said. “I’m here to thank everyone, especially the Knights of Columbus, who give constant kindness and generosity to our community – especially our seniors. They volunteer countless hours of effort and their resources, not just today, but all year long to make this happen.”