Whitman-Hanson Express

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COVID to shorten school year?

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HANOVER — The South Shore Tech school calendar could be modified next month to reduce the 180-day school requirement.

“The commissioner has hinted at this,” Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said at the Wednesday, July 15 SST School Committee.

Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley has announced he would  allow districts to plan 170-day calendars for the school year, with additional staff training days.

Hickey has been holding meetings of a working group of administrators and faculty to plan a return to school in the fall. Such a move the first day of school to after Labor Day.

“We’re definitely, like so many other school districts, threading a needle insofar as — we don’t have all the state guidance on transportation and some other aspects — but we are expected to submit a plan [to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] by the end of the month that will address how we want to open,” he said.

While details will have to be worked out throughout the summer are:

• Capacity to open, including space on buses, students who drive themselves and family drop-offs; and

• Flexibility of the school’s master schedule.

Families have been surveyed on the issues surrounding reopening and their concerns.

“If the state guidance on bus transportation is somehow less than one kid per seat, what I just said to you is, unfortunately, going to have to be visited even more,” he said. “But everyone seems to be, if we’re going to bring children into this building, we must find a way for all of them to be on campus for their technical studies.”

The school could handle bringing every student back for their shop weeks with two grades of kids per shop, according to Hickey who said, and another model is being developed which will allow them to return for a portion of their academic week. Greater focus will be on younger students, especially freshmen. Weeks when they are not in school, would focus on remote learning.

Hickey said he personally does not think it will be possible to bring everyone back for academic and shop instruction, transportation and classroom capacity based on social distancing guidelines for students.

All classrooms have been already modified to comply with state guidelines then officials have to look at the master schedule to figure out ways to balance off some class sizes before being able to really judge class sizes.

What will opening day look like?

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The School Committee on Wednesday, July 15 reviewed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) re-opening guidelines.

“School’s about building relationships,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said during a discussion about the start of work on the 2020-25 strategic plan. “My priority for my kids is to get them back so they feel good about school again — and then start school, and when I say start school, I mean academics.”

The plan is not precisely to “hit the ground running.”

“The opportunity, because of the pandemic, is an opportunity to rethink how we teach kids,” Szymaniak said. “Good, bad and indifferent, it’s given us an opportunity to think way outside the box, and we’ve hit some home runs and we’ve struck out on a few things, but it’s an opportunity to do some things differently.”

Szymaniak said, despite news reports about proposals elsewhere, DESE has been consistent about requiring school districts to develop three different plans for school operations in the fall. The plans are due July 31.

“We’re looking at a full opening,” Szymaniak said. “What a full opening means is yet to be determined. … I don’t know if we have the capacity in the traditional classrooms, even in the gyms and cafeterias to be able to go back full.”

If there is a budget reduction on a 1/12 budget, Szymaniak said he cannot commit to anything full time right now.

All instructional plans will also have to be bargained with the Whitman-Hanson Educational Association, with whom Szymaniak said district officials have a very good collaborative relationship. Any remote learning plans will include a memorandum of understanding on how many hours a day of active learning will be expected.

Social distancing is another concern.

DESE now recommends a social distance of six feet with a minimum of three feet apart in classrooms. That puts and average classroom at a maximum capacity of 23 pupils. If six feet apart is required it is reduced to 12 in a classroom.

“We have no classes that are running at 12 right now,” he said. “Something above 200 sections of high school classes are above 23 right now.”

He stressed school officials can look at every available space in school buildings to have classes, but “that doesn’t mean I’ll have all the teachers I need to fill those classes.”

Teachers have been asked to remove all personal property and items not school-related from classrooms.

“Think of the old 1920s classroom where all you have are rows of desks facing the teacher,” Szymaniak said about the education commissioner’s directive. “No bookshelves, no extra chairs, no extra tables. … That’s what schools going to look like, folks, based on the requirements and recommendations.”

Each school in the district has a COVID-19 building-based team looking at each school’s specific needs, Szymaniak said.

“We have to look at scenarios about how kids enter buildings, how kids get their lunch, how kids go to the bathroom, how kids wash their hands, where their lockers are going to be, if they can use lockers, if there’s transitions,” he said.

“It’s nice to hear we need toworry about the students, but we also have to worry about the staff,” said Hanson School Committee member Hilllary Kniffen, who is a teacher, noting there is not a lot of answers from DESE right now. “I don’ t see a lot of that happening.”

Kniffen also said that students could end up eating lunch in hallways under social distancing guidelines.

“I don’t know how that’s going to be beneficial to a student’s mental health, for one thing,” she said.

Hanson member Christopher Howard also cautioned against forgetting parents and their concerns.

“I am very worried, with everything that’s going on, what that will look like,” he said. “And I also look at it through the lens of an employer.”

Howard said there are a lot of employers talking about bringing people back to the office sometime after the summer, setting up what he called a “perfect storm” of educational priorities and employers’ demands on parents. He said a survey of parents — even if inconclusive — could be helpful in that area.

“This is round peg in a square hole and there’s no direction — and it’s dark outside,” Szymaniak agreed.

Assistant Superintendent George Ferro is the point person on the district-wide planning team with Szymaniak, Special Education Director Lauren Mathieson, Facilities Director Ernest Sandland, lead Nurse Lisa Tobin, teacher union representatives Kevin Kafka and Cindy McGahan, Business Director John Tuffy, Athletics Director Bob Rodgers, Elementary Cirriculum representative Jane Cox, Food Services Director Nadine Doucette, Tech Director Steve Burke, data person Kim Barnard and Karen Villaneuva is representing transportation as well as a person heading up parent and staff surveys and a School Committee member and human resources staff.

“One size does not fit all,” Whitman School Committee member Dan Cullity said of DESE guidelines, especially six-foot distancing, which he said is not doable. “Three-foot is barely going to get us to what we need to do.”

He said the district panel will be key in finding solutions to state mandates.

DESE has dedicated $292,000 to the district for technology and COVID-related expenses. State Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Pembroke, and Rep. Alyson Sullivan, R-Abington, have committed $200,000 each in appropriations bills before their respective bodies.

“I don’t count those dollars until we get a check,” Szymaniak said of the bills, but noting the district already has the DESE funds in the bank.

Szymaniak also anticipates $855,000 — based on a formula of $225 per pupil — that should be coming to the district from the Plymouth County CARES grant, but it is not an appropriation, it is a reimbursement.

Szymaniak is confident the financial assistance will help the district provide a Chromebook to every student to take home if the district must go to remote learning again. He said teachers should also have a district device to use from home for instruction, as well.

South Shore school superintendents are also discussing various hybrid educational plans.

Hybrid plan options

One is a four-day-a week split-session plan for elementary students in the buildings with Fridays dedicated to virtual learning with only teachers and staff in the building. Another would have half of the elementary students in the building for a full day on Mondays and Tuesdays, the other half on Thursdays and Fridays with Wednesdays as a virtual learning day for all students. Similar plans, with different times, are being discussed for middle school students.

“The high school has a lot of flexibility in how we want to work,” Szymaniak said. “The high school schedule is going to be the toughest to operate, or it may be the easiest.”

At first the commissioner’s guidance indicated students would be expected to stay in classrooms — especially in elementary grades — including lunch, he said in response to a question from School Committee member Christopher Scriven of Whitman. That was adjusted to permit use of the cafeteria for lunch with students staying six feet apart, but he does not see how movement between classes can be avoided in the middle and high schools.

“I anticipate teachers using the outdoor absolutely as much as they can,” Szymaniak said.

He said the main challenge for any hybrid plan is transportation. Split days would require four bus runs, based on safety limits of 24 kids on a bus. The bus company has also said they do not have enough buses for that.

“I can’t afford two bus runs,” he said, noting he would likely do another parent survey on the hybrid options.

Chorus programs might also be affected by guidelines aimed at limiting the particulates into the air.

Szymaniak said the School Committee would be asked to decide which plan to use if a hybrid model is used, because setting a school schedule is one of its charges.

“The health and safety of our children and our staff should be our priority, not the economics of our district,” he said. “To say this is a daunting task — double that, and quadruple that, not having a budget,” he said. Szymaniak said he is budgeting with the assumption that the towns will support the school budget.

If there is no budget by Aug. 1, it “might take a full-time return to school absolutely off the table, and might take hybrid off the table in some respects,” as the district would be faced with staff cuts.

Szymaniak also said he is confident the commissioner of education might support a 177-day school calendar while relaxing time-on-learning requirements.

Parents also have the opportunity to choose fully remote learning at any time during the school year, which is not the same as home schooling.

School budget recommended

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HANSON — Parting ways with the Finance Committee, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, July 21 voted 5-0 to recommend that voters approve Article 5 to amend the W-H Regional Agreement at the Wednesday, July 29 Town Meeting.

The Finance Committee had voted 5-0 against recommending the article. Both boards had voted to recommend approval of the school budget.

Selectmen had met to review the special and annual Town Meeting warrants and vote on recommendations of articles on which they had not yet taken action.

“This isn’t where we want to be, but I really, really truly believe that we should try find a way to support this article and take the 50-50 deal,” said Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell, arguing that the following year’s move to the statutory assessment method is not necessarily set in stone. “You could still renegotiate that agreement — that’s an addendum to the agreement.”

He argued that a “No” vote on the article will cost Hanson more money in the long run, while providing the town less services.

“Everyone has different reasons why they’re not going to support this, and I totally get it,” Mitchell said. “Most of the reasons I agree with, but if I put the reasons aside and I think about the kids and I think about COVID-19, everyone’s been through such a difficult year.”

Mitchell pointed to the challenges the schools must overcome related to the pandemic [see related story] between now and the start of school — and what that will look like.

“If this article gets voted down … We’re the leaders,” he said. “We’re the ones everyone in the town voted for as their voice of reason, and as a resident if my Selectmen didn’t support it, then why would I support it?”

Selectman Matt Dyer initially expressed concern that the article was a “this or nothing” proposition.

“I just don’t think we should be mandated, or sign a contract saying in perpetuity this is going to be statutory,” Dyer said.

Selectman Jim Hickey said he wanted to hear the Finance Committee’s reasons for voting against recommending before he voiced his opinion.

Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Sullivan said it came down to a math problem.

“I have to present a balanced budget to Town Meeting,” he said, noting someone would have to offer an amendment from Town Meeting floor to provide the $800,000 needed to fund the article. “Right now, we don’t have the money to cover that $800,000 so it would lead to the significant cuts we’ve discussed.”

He noted the overwhelming margin of defeat of the override question on the June 27 Town Election ballot. He also said there would be no leverage to force Whitman back to the bargaining table.

“If we agree to this, there’s no going back,” Sullivan said, noting he had favored the override.

“I was also for the override and I voted for it,” Hickey said. “But, this is the 11th hour and I’m not willing to take the chance — my kids have already gone through the school system — but, as a parent, I’m not willing to take the chance.”

He said that, while Whitman has the chance to vote on the issue before Hanson does, if Hanson Selectmen do not recommend the article, then Whitman doesn’t have to vote.

“Prior to the [Town Meeting] we’ll know what Whitman did,” said Moderator Sean Kealy about that community’s Town Meeting on Monday, July 27.

“If we, as a board, at least recommend this there will at least be a school system for our kids to go to,” he said. “If this article isn’t approved, there’s a real possibility that the whole school system is going to be shot to hell.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed that finding the $800,000 will be the challenge.

“If we pass it, where does the money come from?” she said. “But to think we’re going to get a better offer is delusional.”

Sullivan said revenue is down and new growth is way down, so it would have to be settled at Town Meeting because he said the town could not afford to close the session with that size hole in the budget.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said even if the article fails, Hanson is looking at a bare minimum $10.9 million expense with at least a $500,000 deficit and a future of statutory assessments.

“Everybody’s going to be a colossal loser in that picture,” she said. “To me, this amendment is an opportunity for us to say we agree to the 50-50 for this year.”

She said that while Whitman appears a willing partner to negotiations this year, but is uncertain for prospects after that.

“I can’t believe there is anyone here who rationally believes that we will get a better deal from Whitman,” said Selectman Wes Blauss, but he advocated recommending the article as well.

“I just don’t want to be sitting here on Dec. 2 saying, ‘You know what? We should have took the deal,” Mitchell said about the looming possibility of a state takeover if an agreement can’t be reached.

School budget review

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The School Committee heard a spending update from interim business manager John Tuffy regarding the 1/12 budget under which the district has been operating since July 1. The 1/12 budget is in effect unless and until town meetings approve a school budget next week. This district cannot deficit spend.

“Income hasn’t been an issue in the past,” Tuffy said. “This is a very different time that we have now.”

That presentation, during the Wednesday, July 15 meeting, followed a review of the region’s assessment problem by Whitman School Committee member Fred Small.

“We need to be as transparent as possible,” said Small. “We need to be forthright with the public, and we all need to find some way to all come together because we have a lot of children’s lives at risk and their education is at risk — and education is life.”

He said he was a volunteer official who did his best, and apologized to residents and promised never to take the word of school administration — and that his new motto would be trust, but verify.

“There’s been finger-pointing back and forth in both towns,” Small. “The residents of our towns bear no burden in this.”

He recalled a Whitman resident speaking to him in 2016 about the town’s paying $200,000 to $300,000 too much annually in the budget for schools. He brought the concern to Chairman Bob Hayes who, Small said, responded that he was informed it was a “swinging number” and minor in a $50 million budget.

He relayed that information back to the resident along with the advice that the superintendent would be the best person to reach out to. In 2017-18 a Regional Agreement Committee was formed to review that document and the Mass. Association of Regional Schools (MARS) was hired to redraft the agreement, making it legal to today’s standards.

“I would encourage everybody to go back, watch the meetings and draw your own conclusions as to some of the verbiage that was used,” Small said,

A Whitman Selectman asked him last March which assessment method was being used by the district. He asked the same question of the district’s business manager and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. He was told by both the district and DESE that the statutory method was used and he reported that to Whitman Selectmen.

“Over the following months, it was determined, and I’m not sure who did the physical math … that the statutory method was never being used,” Small recounted.

The district administration investigated and the business manager was placed on leave in September 2019. Months of discussions on the impact and a presentation on the assessment formulas from DESE followed that.

“The discussions about the compromise and its impact continue to this day,” he said. “In January 2020 the School Committee had been informed that an agreement had been reached,”

In an executive session, the details of which may now publicly be discussed, the business manager was paid through March 31 and the former business manager and the district mutually agreed not to disparage each other.

“When we were told this I did strenuously object to any type of agreement,” Small said. “The towns have been partners for a long time, you can’t blame one town over another.”

He stressed that the calculations in question were performed during a prior school administration.

Tuffy reviewed the current cash flow situation within a 1/12 budget based exactly on what the district spent in fiscal 2020 — $4,368,000 per month — but the assessments will be based on assumptions made when the fiscal 2021 budget was calculated. Any funds not spent in July are added to the allotment available in August and so on through the year.

“If we were a private business, we’d talk about burn rate — how fast do we go through our money?” he said. The first billing warrant processed for fiscal ’21 is just over $2.1 million.

He said that is unusual and due to a lot of subscription fees to technology products and the $1.2 million assessment from Plymouth County Retirement.

A teacher payroll during the school year runs about $1.5 million.

“We certainly don’t expect to have any issues through July and August, but once we start to get into September, if we’re still in a 1/12 budget, we’re going to have to be careful how we move forward and maybe talking to the state about some form of relief,” Tuffy said.

Hanson member Christopher Howard said, regarding Town Meeting that there seems to be misinformation and/or confusion in his community between the correlation between the budget article and the assessment methodology.

“It seems like there are some folks that are suggesting that [people should] vote no against the budget article because they don’t like the assessment methodology and that’s really not accurate at all,” he said. “It really takes both towns to agree.”

He stressed the Town Meeting vote concerns the budget, not the assessment formula.

Hanson member Hillary Kniffen agreed there is confusion and asked if another town meeting could be held in both towns before September. Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said a lot will be determined by the result of the town meetings and cash flow within the 1/12 budget.

“We’re trying to open school in a pandemic and the thought of losing 40 positions or being level-funded is challenging,” he said. “This isn’t a joke. This is real. I don’t have the money.”

Chapter 70, regional transportation and Circuit Breaker funding is also uncertain.

$400K in school relief funds secured

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Legislators secure $400K in relief funds for W-H schools

BOSTON — The Mass. House and Senate have both approved a supplemental budget to provide additional relief for COVID related expenses, including funds for personal protective equipment, field hospitals and contact tracing.

Included are a pair of amendments filed by Senator Mike Brady, D-Brockton, Representative Josh Cutler, D-Pembroke, and Rep. Alyson Sullivan, R-Abington, to direct additional funds to the towns of Hanson and Whitman for the benefit of the regional school district.

One amendment will provide $200,000 for Whitman-Hanson to fund remote learning related expenses and another amendment will provide an additional $200,000 for personal protection equipment for the schools, staff and teaching professionals.

“We know this will be a challenging school year for all involved and these additional funds will certainly help,” said Cutler. “Now every Whitman-Hanson high school student will have access to a chromebook and every teacher and staff member in the district can be assured of having an adequate supply of PPE.”

Brady added, “Maintaining access to educational opportunities for all must be a priority. These amendments will allow our teachers to better support their students and provide the best education possible under these challenging circumstances.”

“We know that our classrooms are going to look different this fall as we grapple with the impacts of COVID-19. These amendments will provide sorely needed resources to benefit our schools and reduce the burden on local taxpayers,” said Sullivan.

As part of Governor Baker’s education guidance, school districts are required to create three separate re-opening plans. One of those plans must be for completely remote learning in the Fall. Another plan must be for a hybrid model that includes both remote and in-person learning. These plans will require support from the state and investment by school districts to ensure that remote learning still meets the needs of students.

The House and Senate bills will be reconciled and then sent to Gov. Baker for his approval. The budget is facilitated by federal CARES Act funding in response to the COVID pandemic.

State to offer a vote by mail option

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For voters concerned about the safety of voting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an alternative besides absentee or early voting.

In July, a new law was passed to allow all registered voters in Massachusetts to vote by mail in any 2020 election, with no excuse needed.

Whitman and Hanson town clerks said the applications were being mailed to all Massachusetts voters beginning Wednesday, July 15 for the state primary election Sept. 1.

“They’re mailing out applications on July 15 to every registered voter as of July 1 that has not already applied for an absentee ballot or an early voting ballot,” said Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley. “This is all new to us.”

Applications are mailed back to local clerks’ offices. Return postage of the ballot application is paid by the commonwealth.

“We send it out, they fill out the application for early ballot and it’s only good for this year,” said Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan. “Once we receive the ballots, we mail it out to the people and they have to get it back to us.”

Secretary of State William Galvin’s office has been great about updating security measures and providing clerks with direction on the issue.

As required by the new law, a Vote by Mail application will be mailed to every person who was registered to vote by July 1 and who had not already requested an absentee ballot for the State Primary or for all elections this year. A second mailing will be sent out in September to all voters who have not already applied for a Vote by Mail ballot for the November election. The applications are pre-addressed to your local election official and no postage is necessary.

Vote by Mail applications must be delivered to your local election office no later than four business days before the election. For a State Primary ballot, your application must reach your local election office no later than Aug. 26. For a State Election ballot, your application must reach your local election office no later than Oct. 28.

If you wish to vote by mail, you are strongly encouraged to return your application as early as possible, to make sure that you will receive your ballot in time to return it and have it be counted.

Vote by Mail applications are available for download and may also be requested by contacting the Elections Division.

Ballots and outer envelopes must be signed by voters under the pains and penalties of perjury, that the ballot inside is theirs,” Varley noted.

Sloan said she has not heard any concerns from voters on the security of voting by mail, but Varley said she has.

“I’ve had a lot of people comment about it — about [potential] fraud and, ‘what happens to my ballot?’” she said. “My answer is we are responsible town clerks. … I assure them that their ballots are kept in a secure place, that we don’t open them.”

She said people are most often concerned that their ballot will be looked at. Varley assured voters that her staff is not interested in looking at who a resident votes for — they just want people to vote.

Ballots are taken out to the tabulating machines in bulk and checked against voters’ names just as each voter would have to do at check-in tables. Absentee and early vote ballots are counted the same way.

“We have to record in the state system when we mail in the application,” she said. “We have to record in the state system when we mail a person the ballot. We have to record in the state system when we get the ballot from the person.”

After the ballots are mailed back the clerks’ offices alphabetize them and place them in the vault.

“They have to be opened in clear view in front of people,” she said. All envelopes and ballots have to be saved for a specific time in case a result is challenged.

“I haven’t heard if we can put them in [to machines] as we get them, but not tally,” Sloan said. “I know that was supposed to be part of the election law, but I don’t know if that got passed or not.”

She said Galvin’s office has been inundated with questions and has not provided complete direction on counting mail-in ballots yet.

“Of course, we’re not to that point yet, so we don’t have to worry about that part,” she said. “From what I understand, they were going to try to pass a law that we could put the ballots into the tabulator — but not tabulate them — so it would make our lives easier come election day, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not.”

You can find more information on voting by mail on our Voting by Mail FAQs page.

Towns assess re-opening moves

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While some town officials are eager to return to in-person meeting sessions of boards and commissions, others are advocating a more cautious approach.

In Whitman, Selectmen on Tuesday, July 14 voted to change the time of the annual town meeting to 6 p.m., Monday, July 27. It was originally set to begin at 7:30 p.m. on that date.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said there were two considerations behind the recommendation — it is being held outdoors and lighting is going to be an issue.

Selectman Dan Salvucci asked if the time change would make it difficult for people coming home from work to attend.

Lynam also reported that the transition process of re-opening Town Hall — by appointment only right now — is going well.

“We talked about that with the moderator,” Lynam said. “It may provide some people with a decision as to whether or not they want to leave [work] early to make Town Meeting, but the sense was people have generally been pretty available at that time of night.”

He said concerns of the health and safety of people attending the meeting. The field will be treated that morning by Plymouth County Mosquito Control and mosquito repellant will be made available at check-in tables for people to use.

There has been evidence in the general South Shore area — if not Whitman — for both Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus, which prompted the concern.

“It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to let it run late into the night when that is the prime time for mosquitos,” Lynam said.

Whitman is participating in Plymouth County’s COVID program and is waiting for confirmation that $235 per student in state funding would be provided to the schools to deal with coronavirus issues.

Hanson Town Administrator John Stanbrook reported to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, July 7 that he and Health Agent Gil Amado have discussed open meetings of town boards and committees in the Selectmen’s meeting room. Gov. Charlie Baker’s latest guidance is eight people per 1,000 square feet, but deferred the decision to the local boards of health. The Selectmen’s meeting room — at about 700 square feet — could accommodate about six people, Stanbrook said.

Amado, however, said 14 people could safely meet there. Seats would be spaced six feet apart and hand wipes and sanitizer would be made available. Meetings of more than 14 people, including public hearings would be held at Hanson Middle School.

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked how a meeting, that draws an unexpectedly large audience, would pivot. Stanbrook suggested it could possibly be taken outside but he thinks most boards and committees know what issues would likely draw large crowds and can plan accordingly.

Mitchell said he was in favor of getting back to meetings in Town Hall this week, but Dyer and FitzGerald-Kemmett urged holding it at the middle school, if possible, since the Cove opening issue could draw a crowd.

“I don’t feel comfortable being in the Selectmen’s room at this point,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Even if it was just us, I’m not comfortable. I’m not going into the office. … I love you guys and love talking to you — and would love to see you all again someday soon — but I don’t want to be sitting two feet from you in a room.”

She did favor a meeting at HMS.

Town Hall is now open — by appointment only — from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The public will be expected to answer COVID-19 related questions before entering the building and must wear masks while there as well as observing social distancing and hand-sanitizing guidelines.

“If you can’t or won’t wear a mask an employee will meet you outside to conduct business,” Stanbrook said. People are still urged to conduct as much business as possible without coming into Town Hall and no cash is being accepted during the appointment-only period.

One glitch that has been discovered is that Google searches for Town Hall do not always bring up thee correct phone number, however. Residents should call 781-293-5186 for fastest service.

Lynam recommended, meanwhile, that a previous board vote to hold a season-opening parade for Whitman Youth Soccer in August be rescinded.

“After discussing with [Fire Chief Timothy] Grenno and the Health Department, they do not feel that it would be prudent to have people gathering in a parade format,” Lynam said.

Selectmen also voted to authorize requests for reimbursement from Plymouth County for COVID-related expenditures. Lynam said Whitman Fire Department has been tracking the expenses and the town accountant is reviewing all requests for appropriateness and documentation.

“What I’m now being told is that money is coming from the COVID funds that each town in Plymouth County is eligible to receive from the $90 million that was granted to Plymouth County,” Lynam said. “I don’t believe it would negatively impact us because we were never in a position to spend the apportionment that would have been available to us based on need. We’re not cutting corners, but we’re not spending just because the money’s there.”

He said he would follow up on the situation and report back to the board.

On Tuesday, July 14, the Hanson board voted to open Cranberry Cove by a 3-2 vote depending on the quality of water and adequate staffing. Selectmen Jim Hickey and Wes Blauss voted no, based on concerns over the impact it could have on the coming school year. Selectmen voted unanimously to approve opening camping at Camp Kiwanee. The Cove could be opened within 48 hours. the board was told.

The Recreation Commission had been asked to restrict access to the cove to Hanson residents, use of a non-cash payment process, strict cleaning protocols, swimming schedules, and escorts to the exits. Water testing results and the availability of adult gatekeepers would also have an effect on opening.

Stanbrook said he continues to receive emails from people asking that Cranberry Cove be opened for swimming.

“Last week we were waiting for the [reopening] plan,” Mitchell said. “We did receive the plan, but it was after our meeting ended.” He reviewed the plan on Wednesday, July 1 and still had questions about it and met at the camp with Recreation Commission Chairman Diane Cohen and Amado on Friday, July 3.

“I’m satisfied with the plan, now that I went down there, [but] there’s one small component I’m waiting for, which I should have by [July 9],” Mitchell said. If he is satisfied with the way that concern is handled, he was willing to place it on the agenda for a vote this week. [See related story].

Blauss said he recently drove to Cranberry Cove.

“It struck me that this is what dire financial straits look like,” he said. “This is visible. There’s going to be a lot of less-visible cutting going on for the public when $1.35 million disappears from our budget. … It cannot be funded adequately, if it cannot be totally supported, the town is not going to be able to afford this no matter what the social distancing guidelines are.”

He also said there would be issued surrounding masks at the Cove.

“There are people in Hanson who will not wear a mask,” Blauss said. “There are people in Hanson who are not worried about their kids and the spread of COVID, and they’re going to show up on the beach.”

It will have ramifications beyond recreation, as well.

“The beach is going to be the place where school in the Whitman-Hanson district, does not open in September, except virtually, because there’s a surge. Because we are not being careful with our kids,” Blauss said.

The Cove has not closed for 80 years, but the impact on the school opening and the town’s need to support the Recreation Budget if it can not stay solvent, are reasons to keep it closed this year.

‘Back to school’ has new meaning

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HANOVER — South Shore Tech remains closed to staff over the summer due to coronavirus concerns, but plans are underway to determine how school will re-open in the fall — and exactly when.

Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said Monday the school is still awaiting more guidance from the state.

“There are so many scenarios that we need to try to prepare for to build confidence with both staff for their safety, and families for student safety, before we open in September,” Hickey said, acknowledging that nobody wants kids to be home longer than necessary. “Student and staff safety comes first and we’re going to listen to medical experts at the state level, because if families and staff don’t feel confident in the plan, then we’re not creating the best educational environment for kids.”

Districts have until the end of July to submit a plan, but the main goal is to fit as many students back in the building as can safely be permitted. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, according to Hickey. Plans would not likely be announced until early August. Right now, the SST school year is slated to begin Sept. 1.

He expressed support for how the state is handling the pandemic, through its emphasis on following the data, which he said is a key to any decisions made.

“The math is telling me right now that we cannot bring everybody back,” he said. “We are definitely going to prioritize vocational time.”

Hickey said methodical protocols are being followed to determine how to best make use of cooperative work placements.

“If we’ve got a returning senior who happened to be out on coop as a junior, and they’re in the same job, that might be a bit easier, but we’re going to have to do new safety visits and make sure the employer is adhering to [COVID safety] protocols,” Hickey stressed. “But we also know, for the rising senior who wasn’t out on coop, we may want to spend more time with those kids — given that they’ve lost three months of hands-on learning.”

In the long run, however, if a student is looking for a coop and there is a business ready to partner with them, the school would support that.

Incoming freshmen are another priority, with the goal to have that class in the building all the time, if possible. Students with disabilities are another priority.

“You cannot use remote learning to accommodate all students and their needs,” Hickey said. “We may [also] have students who, even though they are learning remotely, they might be better suited to be in the school building just to provide them some structure.”

Last week, SST began surveying families about transportation, opinions on remote learning and technology needs, Hickey said. W-H schools have also been conducting such surveys.

“We have a working group of administrators, teachers and staff and we’re meeting remotely and sharing information, and we’re looking at scheduling models,” Hickey said. “But, right now, we’re trying to test some capacity.”

For example, if only one student were permitted per seat on a bus, what would be the capacity for the buses, which are owned by the bus company. The group has also gone through classrooms, setting them up per the three-foot guidelines from the state.

“The goal is that, whatever we come out with, would be routine that people could easily understand and that, if we are going to do remote learning in any dosage, it’s not going to look exactly like it did when we were building the plane while it was in flight back in March through June.”

Teachers will be incorporated into the process so a more robust remote learning platform is also built at the same time. Hickey said he is hoping the state will be issuing more guidelines soon, including what will happen if students contract coronavirus. Controlled isolation rooms are being planned at schools in some states for students showing COVID-19 symptoms after they arrive at school, for example.

“A very important piece for us is transportation,” he said. “They have not given us clear guidance on bus capacity. And bringing kids from eight towns — that’s going to have a big impact.”

Some school districts across the country are using assigned seating on school buses, loading students from rear seats to front and requiring drivers to wear PPE and to drive with open windows when weather permits. Buses are also being disinfected before and after every route in those districts.

The number of families prepared to drive their children to school would also factor into bus ransportation plans.

“What I know for a fact is that I have classrooms with fewer seats and that is going to be a challenge,” he said. “I don’t see how we can go back 100-percent, mostly because of classroom size.”

Sports programs are another concern if participation is safe an dictated through the MIAA as to whether students can participate on game days if they are not physically attending class in the school building.

De-regionalization feasibility panel OK’d

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, July 7 voted to form a De-Regionalization Feasibility Committee.

“People have been talking about it and it’s something we at least have to explore,” Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said about his decision to place the issue on the meeting agenda. He argued the board should decide how many and what type of members they should name to any committee.

Mitchell advocated at least one selectman and a member of the Finance Committee and three residents at-large be named to the committee.

“Don’t make it big and cumbersome,” Selectman Wes Blauss said, favoring a five-member committee. “Keep it as streamlined as possible.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the committee title — it was originally referred to as the De-Regionalization Committee.

“I think, if you name it a de-regionalization committee, it seems as though it’s a foregone conclusion that we’re going to de-regionalize instead of that you’re going to look at the feasibility of de-regionalization,” she said. “We are not advocating for de-regionalization, we are looking into the feasibility. Just to be clear.”

Mitchell said naming the committee was one of the discussion topics he had in mind.

FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed with a five-member committee.

“Keep it lean and mean,” she said.

Selectman Jim Hickey volunteered to represent the board, and he Finance Committee will be asked to name a member. The vacancies for the at-large seats will be posted on the town website (hanson-ma.gov) for those interested to use in applying.

Indicating that she is aware of several people interested in serving, and acknowledging that other selectmen no doubt do as well, FitzGerald-Kemmett asked about the appointment process. Mitchell suggested a date be set next month for the board to review applications they receive in the intervening weeks — as is the normal practice for filling vacancies on appointed boards and commissions. Town Administrator John Stanbrook will meet with applicants first.

Hickey suggested it could take two-to-three months for any kind of report to come back to selectmen. He has already spoken to officials in Pembroke, which pulled out of the Silver Lake Regional School District, and is waiting to talk to the Finance Committee.

Mitchell suggested a cutoff date of Aug. 4 for applications with the aim that the board would make appointments on Aug. 11.

“I don’t want to make up figures,” he said. “We know what [the W-H region] is going to cost this year, but what’s it going to cost next year? What’s it going to cost in year three? By the time we get to year five is it so much money to Hanson that we don’t have a choice?”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said that, in addition to financial considerations, the committee will need help from Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff about the legal ramifications of disbanding.

“Two to three months is ambitious, but go for it,” she said of the work Hickey envisions ahead.

Selectman Matt Dyer suggested giving the committee until the spring 2021 Town Meeting to present a report and wondered if a School Committee member should also be appointed. FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested a resident active in the schools, but not a member of the School Committee should be appointed.

In other business, the town received a letter from a national lawsuit against Purdue Pharmaceutical’s bankruptcy case relating to the opioid epidemic. Hanson is included in the class-action suit and were required to opt out if Selectmen don’t want the town included by July 15. Hanson could receive more than $6 million, but only a small amount of claims in the $2 trillion would likely be received by the town. No action was required to stay in the lawsuit that would cost noting to stay in.

Cannabis firm gets manufacturing OK

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HANSON — The company opening a marijuana grow facility in town will be conducting another community outreach meeting on their new manufacturing component. The virtual meeting will be heavily promoted on local media beforehand, according to co-owner Ralph Greenberg.

During the Tuesday, July 7 Board of Selectmen meeting, members also addressed the Town Meeting warrant articles, including one to approve the amended W-H Regional School Agreement. They unanimously voted to include the article on the warrant as a placeholder, with the aim of including it as an open-ended discussion that could include a change in School Committee membership to five from each town.

Selectmen will discuss the article again at its Tuesday, July 21 meeting.

The Board of Selectmen on June 30, had voted to conduct a review of an amendment the host community agreement (HCA) with Impressed LLC to include a manufacturing license at 15 Commercial Way for its meeting this week. The board voted to make that approval July 7.

The Cannabis Control Commission has issued guidance about virtual meetings to allow applicants to discuss plans with the community, according to Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff. Accommodation must be made for hearing-impaired viewers and a process must be available for residents to ask questions during the meeting. Only one meeting is required and is planned in about a month.

“Their contention is it will make the business more profitable and, therefore, sustainable — the benefit to the town being that the community impact payment will increase based on their profitability,” Feodoroff said June 30 of the request by co-owners Ali and Ralph Greenberg. Profitability is based on gross sales.

Selectmen had asked the applicants to attend the meeting. While not the technical review that would take place in the permitting process, Feodoroff said Selectmen were seeking information on the general impact to the town. She prepared an amendment to the HCA in case the Selectmen wished to go that route.

Based on her work in other towns, Feodorff said cultivation and manufacturing, which are both passive uses, tend to go hand-in-hand.

Ralph Greenberg said that some of the waste would be used in the manufacturing process, reducing the amount to be disposed of.

“Candidly, the increased revenue — not only for the company, but for the town — is going to be really cool,” he said.

Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell asked how long it would take to get the manufacturing license, which Ralph Greenberg estimated would take as long as the cultivation license has taken. He hopes to have that process concluded by the end of the year.

Feodoroff said the company’s engineers have their plans ready for submission to the Conservation Commission as part of a plan to square off the building.

Ali Greenberg said no equipment could be installed until after local approval and CCC licensing.

Ralph Greenberg said that, with the new cultivation process, the company will be “increasing [the] economic structure by at least 20 percent.” What had been estimated at a $10 million company could see profits of $12 to $15 million business model with a manufacturing component adding an additional 10 percent.

He said a 3 percent impact payment could be $450,000 to the town, with the first payment to the town by the summer of 2021 if not before.

The amendment could take four to five months to move through the process for local approval. The CCC can’t give final approval until all the local approvals are received.

Additional public meetings will be held on the request for a license change.

“We’ll have to do the same process again,” said Ali Greenberg. “We’ll have to do the community outreach, we’ll have to send out the notices, and, usually, with the approval from the town, we can get that done within the month.”

That process would take a few months. Feoodoroff said the CCC has offered guidance for remote community outreach meetings, allowing them to be conducted remotely. That option requires approval from selectmen and the ADA accommodation of closed captioning. The board could not vote on an outreach meeting June 30, because that aspect of the discussion was not posted.

All zoning and conservation approvals would also require public hearings.

Ralph Greenberg also responded to a question from Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett about a new extraction process prevent waste water from manufacuring process from infringing on nearby wetlands.

He said it involves “heat and pressure and ice and water,” where a lot of manufacturers use ethanol or other chemicals.

“[Chemicals] was never our business model,” he said. “Everything is going to be as organic as possible, based on CCC requirements.”

They said other businesses don’t use the technique because it dilutes the profits.

“The concern for manufacturing is almost erased with our approach,” Ali Greenberg said.

Regional Agreement Amendment

In opening the July 7 discussion on the warrant article, Mitchell said he personally was not intending to tell other selectmen how to think or how to vote.

“Is this the best solution that we wanted? No,” he said. “There were several roadblocks getting here. We didn’t like how we got here, but … this is the best possible deal that we can get right now.”

Selectman Jim Hickey initially said he would not second any motion, but later argued for placing the article for further discussion.

“I’ve stated from the beginning that I was against this,” Hickey said. “I know it is what it is, but I can’t second this motion.”

Hickey said he disagreed with the whole idea that the board would go along with an issue on which the School Committee was split 6 to 4 in Whitman’s favor.

“This is probably one of the most difficult articles that I’ve seen, at least in the three-some odd years that I’ve been on this board,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I don’t like where we’re at.”

She said what could have begun as an “organic conversation” about how both towns discovered the assessment errors and each felt ripped off, and should have led to a more open dialog, became a different conversation.

“If it were a one-time agreement and we were able to go back to the table and talk about a long-term agreement, I probably would be more inclined … but there are some fundamental pieces missing to this that I think are critical to a partnership — which is an open dialog, a conversation of mutual respect and acknowledgement of what this means to each side,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

At the same time, FitzGerald-Kemmett reminded the board that three members of Whitman’s Board of Selectmen are also taking a risk in their efforts to find an amicable solution, too.

“There have been partners in Whitman that have stuck their neck out on this,” she said. “I want to acknowledge people on the School Committee as well, who have tried to be good partners. … Don’t we deserve to be able to have a conversation about that and see it all the way through?”

She acknowledged that her comments did not make it clear where she stands, because she feels incredibly conflicted on the issue.

Mitchell said if the warrant article, seeking $500,000 from Hanson, fails at either town meeting, Hanson could be facing a bill for the $10.9 million it would be responsible for with an immediate shift to the statutory agreement with no compromise period.

Selectman Matt Dyer also indicated he could not offer a second to the motion because, while it is financially the most responsible thing to do, he felt it was not responsible to move the article when the public has had no opportunity to give their opinion on the issue.

He said he was open to a 50/50 agreement for this year while the towns negotiated but has felt he has been unheard.

Mitchell countered that the kind of discussion Dyer spoke of is what Town Meeting is for.

“I have no faith that Whitman is going to approve this amendment, either,” said Selectman Wes Blauss.

Hickey said, while he is opposed, the board has an obligation to let the people decide.

“If we don’t vote to put this on the warrant, nobody gets to talk about it,” Hickey said. “I think we have the obligation to the people of Hanson to make sure that it gets placed so that they can talk about it.”