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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Library trustee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Selectmen also heard an update on the former Maquan School.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That accountability can ultimately rebuild the partnership, he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Special ed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Facilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Health

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transportation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comments from the floor objected to it as being improper.

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

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

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

WHITMAN — Before the business got under way at Whitman’s annual Town Meeting Monday, July 27, Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski likened the task at hand to the lesson of the classic film “The Wizard of Oz.”

The meeting, held outdoors at the JV ball fields at WHRHS due to coronavirus concerns, required the 165 attendees to wear masks and maintain proper social distance.

“It’s a difficult time in this country and in this town and in this state, and it feels like I ought to be introducing a band and this would be a summer concert,” Kowalski said of the unusual setting for the meeting.

He acknowledged that it took courage and commitment for residents to even attend the Town Meeting this year, given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the heat emergency conditions of the evening.

Kowalski also said the far-reaching choices to make regarding the regional school district also took the commitment of those attending.

“I have every faith that we’ll weather those storms, as we usually do, and follow the values that were so clearly described in our citizens’ survey last year,” Kowalski said.

He alluded to a statement Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly made at last week’s meeting regarding following her head and her heart in making budgetary decisions.

“It brought to mind something that has meant a lot to me for over 20 years,” Kowalski said, recalling a reading he came across about managing change, while he was on a sabbatical in Austin, Texas.

“All life has to do with how we manage change, and the key to doing so can be found in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Kowalski recalled his aunt taking him to see the movie when he was 10 years old. He noted how the film’s black and white opening underwent change with a terrible storm into a Technicolor world where she met strange people, including the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.

“They all had qualities they were missing that they needed to find,” Kowalski said. “They didn’t think they had it inside themselves [to find those qualities]. They thought that a Wizard could give it to them.”

The film famously exposed the Wizard as a fraud hiding behind a curtain.

“They found out that they had these qualities in themselves,” Kowalski said. “We do, too. Whatever we accomplish tonight, will undoubtedly mean changes in the lives of Whitman citizens, particularly its younger ones.”

He said the meeting would talk it over, but he was convinced the Town Meeting would support the school budget request.

“We have the brains, we have the heart and we have the courage within each of us to do so,” he said. “So let’s tonight, use our heads, follow our hearts and act with courage.”

Kowalski also led the meeting in a round of applause for Town Administrator Frank Lynam, who is planning his retirement, on what may be his final Town Meeting in that office.

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.

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.