With the Mass. Comprehensive Assessment System of exams (MCAS) defeated as a graduation requirement at the ballot box on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has updated the district “a little bit,” according to Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak at the School Committee’s Wednesday, Nov. 13 meeting, he provided as much information as is available to the committee and public.
There doesn’t seem to be much at the moment.
“They’re kind of [up in the air],” he indicated abut DESE with a gesture. “There’s no real plan. However, it’s a local requirement, now. I’ll brief you more in December.”
In the meantime, he assured the committee, “We have standards.”
He said if MCAS wasn’t there, the district’s standards would be – and people can depend on their quality.
“The core requirements are there, and our teachers are teaching to the standards that are set by the state,” he said. “I don’t know if the state’s going to move those standards, now that they don’t have the general assessment or not. I’m a little concerned about that, without a benchmark.”
But he sought to reassure parents.
“People in this community should feel, whether or not their child took the MCAS, got the old score of 220 or 280, or whatever, the diploma they receive from Whitman-Hanson is a valid high school diploma based on high standards, a grading rubric and high-quality educational instruction,” he said. “We’ve added highly qualified educational materials, K-10, we never used to have them.”
He said that, even now, students have a better, or a more consistent education than five or six years ago.
But the MCAS requirement does end as a graduation reqirement on Dec. 4.
“So this affects the class of 2025, moving forward,” Szymaniak said. “It doesn’t seem that DESE had a plan in place in July to say, ‘What if this doesn’t happen? What do we do?’”
He said his personal knock on the MCAS was that, giving it as a graduation requirement in grade 10 was a signal to some kids that the needn’t stay in school to graduate.
Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen, who teaches in another school district, said parents may also be overlooking the fact that students in grades three, five and six still have to take the MCAS.
“It’s not going away,” she said. “This is a thing that people were not accurately informed of – we are still losing those instructional days, because the retakes are [still] happening.” She said the March test will also have students missing classroom time.
“When you hear people in the community saying, ‘Oh, it’s gone!’ Please tell them that it’s not,” she said, adding she has read news reports to the effect that there is some push back planned throught state legislation.
Contract
negotiations
The W-H Regional School District has entered contract negotiations with all four units of the WHEA teacher’s union and per the regional agreement, either the town administrator from Whitman or Hanson must be appointed as a voting member for votes to approve the contract, according to Szymaniak.
The requirement is, in fact, a state regulation – 603 CMR 41.04 under DESE’s Education Laws and Regulations.
Szymaniak opened the floor to nominations, noting that Whitman Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter, who had been at the meeting had to leave earlier.
“I see one back there,” he said sighting Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. “I think we have one nomination.”
Member Rosemary Connolly said the appointment is not required by the Regional Agreement.
“This is a request from the towns to be part of a negotiating practice within the schools … so the teachers don’t have school autonomy, essentially,” she said. “The towns are involved in how we pay our teachers.”
Szymaniak said he believed it is in the Regional Agreement.
“I don’t have it in front of me,” he said. “But I believe it’s in the Regional Agreement.
The reference is included in the “Regional Agreement” Section of DESE’s laws and regulations.
“I don’t want to vote on something on the day it’s presented,” Connolly then said. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be voting on the day it’s presented.”
Chair Beth Stafford also pointed out that Green would not attend negotiation sessions, she would just come in at the time the full committee is voting to approve them. Szymaniak said she is also able to attend executive sessions to hear updates.
Green was appointed by an 8-1-1 vote – one opposing and one abstaining.
Student survey
Whitman Hanson Will provided a summary of the results of their annual student surveys to the School Committee.
Hillary DuBois-Farquharson, chief communication and prevention for High Point, who has worked with W-H since 2013 and Gabby Sullivan, High Point’s grant manager, asked for permission to survey students again this school year, and to add questions related to three indicators at the middle school and four indicators at the high school survey, Sullivan said.
DuBois- Farquharson because they were able to secure a grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The indicators are a key component of the SAMSA grant that would replace a previous iteration of the survey to build program capacity, put it in place and to later evaluate their efforts, Sullivan added.
This would be the first of a five-year series of $375,000 to cover all 11 communities aimed at reducing the onset and progression of substance misuse and its related problems as well as increasing the development and delivery of mental health promotion among youths somewhere between grades five to 12.
The committee approved the survey with the changes described by a 9-1 vote.
W-H WILL is required to tailor initiatives to the needs of different school districts with at least 50 percent of under-served populations most significantly impacted by substance use disorder. W-H WILL chose the LGBTQ+ community, students in vocational-technical schools and students deemed high-needs.
“Surveying is really helpful, because we’re asking the young people what their own personal experience is, what they see, and we bring that data back to you and are able to personalize and target our efforts to best-benefit children at this local level,” DuBois- Farquharson said.
An additional indicator for the LGBTQ+ issues at the high school level, which mimics the state’s risk behavioral survey, she said. It would not be put forward to surveys in grades five through eight.
Middle school students would see questions stemming from another indicator of mental health.
Middle schools would be seeing only two mental health indicators and one on nicotine’s effect on students concerning nicotine patches. Those three indicator questions will also be included in surveys at the high school.
Surveys will be available to all students in their first language.
“Even if you just need one survey translated, we will do that,” DuBois- Farquharson said.
There were 1,000 responses to the optional survey, or 80 percent, of students. The district didn’t do the survey in grades 9 and 10 last year.

WHITMAN – Fire Chief Timothy Clancy has banned all outside burning in Whitman through 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15.
“The current fire danger in the entire New England region is at an all-time high,” he stated in a message read by Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski during the Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting. “Depending on the weather conditions this may be extended.”
Clancy has cautioned residents if outside fires do occur, “they have the potential to develop rapidly and spread over large areas of ground cover.”
The red-flag conditions will continue until the area receives measurable precipitation, the chief stated.
Kowalski also read a letter from the state’s Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Terence Reidy, received by the Fire Department on Oct. 2.
The Ready commended firefighter-paramedics Russell Lucas, Jerry Thompson, Zachary Baldwin, Justin Everson and Joseph Lasko will be honored for outstanding acts of heroism and bravery at the 35th annual Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremonies at 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 18 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.
Drass honored
The board had opened the meeting by honoring officer Stephen Drass on his retirement from the Whitman Police Department.
Police Chief Timothy Hanlon said Drass had been an auxiliary officer for a long time, making his way through the ranks, including reserve officer, full-time officer, detective for a number of years and he also did other assignments. Drass had been the department firearms instructor, the RAD and RAD kids self defense instructor and was an evidence officer, as well.
“He’s done a lot of work here on the department,” Hanlon said. “He came on before me full-time – he came on in 1999 and I was 2000, with my academy mates, but by 2005, we were both assigned to the detective unit and we worked together closely on many cases.”
Drass has always been looking to attend training, using his knowledge and experience to keep the town safe, Hanlon said.
“He exemplifies what it means to be a police officer and, through his dedication to the profession, he has brought many suspects to justice and helped many victims along the way,” the chief said, congratulating Drass and presenting him with his retirement badge “to add to his collection.”
Union President Kevin Shanteler also honored Drass with congratulations and wished him a long and happy life with his family, as well as a plaque in recognition of his “25 years of service and dedication to the Whitman Police Department and the citizens of Whitman.”
Kowalski then read a proclamation from the board in recognition of his 39 years of service to the community.
Celebrating Whitman
Richard Rosen then updated the Board on plans for the town’s 150th anniversary celebrations next year.
“As you know, 25 years ago, the town had asked me to organize and conduct the events for the 125th anniversary,” Rosen said. “We did a number of events – I think there were a lot of very good events that went on – and as you know, some months ago, I was asked to organize and conduct the events for the 150th anniversary. I agreed and contacted a lot of the people who were on the 125th and, frankly, I don’t know why they answer the phone when I call.
“But I can guarantee you that I will not be standing here doing the 175th,” he said.
In a very short time, Rosen said, the committee as met, discussed and organized what they wanted to do.
“We want to make it a fun event,” he said. “A fun series of events with some historical value moved in.”
The kick-off dinner had been held at Ridder’s Country Club 25 years ago. This time, the kick-off dinner will be held the evening of Saturday, April 5 at the Spellman Center.
“There’s a lot of people in this town that don’t realize that Cardinal Spellman, who they referred to as the American pope, was actually born and raised in Whitman,” Rosen said. “There is some historical value in conducting [the kick-off dinner] there.”
A time capsule will be buried, as was done 25 years ago, with both remaining in the ground until another 75 years has passed for each.
North Easton Savings Bank is helping procure the time capsule itself, and run the project, including serving as the drop-off point for artifacts to be included.
Other activities planned include a talent show, cornhole tournament, chicken bake, a road race and a concert and fireworks display on Whitman Day, June 14. All the events are planned for the period between April 5 and the end of June.
The final event the committee has planned is what Rosen hopes will be the “largest parade Whitman has ever seen.”
“We said that 25 years ago and I think we did have the largest parade Whitman had ever seen,” he said. Scavenger hunts for both kids and adults, with an historical theme as well as an historical quiz tournament are also planned.
Among the projects the Historical Commission is planning is refurbishing and a rededication of the WWI Memorial Arch next to the Fire Station. A students’ essay contest is also among the events planned so far.
“We have a lot more things coming,” Rosen said. “There will be merchandise, like for the 125th anniversary – in terms of sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and those metal mug things, whatever they are.” Anniversary flags are also being made – not with the town seal, but with an updated, color version of the 125th anniversary logo.

The campaign trail for 2024 has had more twists and turns than the Appalachian Trail, but it’s nearly over, now.
In much of the country, including Massachusetts, as early voting has been going on for nearly three weeks – Bay Staters were able to cast early votes by mail, in-person or via absentee ballot since Oct. 19. After early voting concludes on Friday, Nov. 1.
Those who prefer the traditional route, in-person voting on Election day is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Tuesday, Nov. 5. Whitman voters from all precincts vote in Whitman’s Town Hall Auditorium at 54 South Ave., and Hanson voters from all precincts cast their ballots for all precincts at Hanson Middle School, 111 Liberty St.
Because Hanson voting is done at a school, the School Committee voted to permit the closure of schools for the day.

Voter parking
Parking is plentiful at Hanson Middle School, but the smaller parking lot at Whitman Town Hall has nesessitated moving employee parking off-site.
The Select Board approved the arrangement at its Tuesday, Oct. 22 meeting.
Whitman had a policy in place, adopted in May 2019, for the following parking plan: requiring that parking for Town Hall staff to be limited to beyond a 180-foot perimeter of Town Hall so that voters could use the spaces for 30-minute parking for voting. In addition, during federal elections, election workers were required to park at the Senior Center, 16 Hayden Ave., and at Memorial Field, 20 Essex St., with the Senior Center providing bus transportation and employees would be restricted from parking at those sites as well as at Town Hall.
Any exceptions to that policy would have required a prior vote in advance of the election by the Select Board.
“The Town Clerk [Dawn Varley] had spoken with the Mary Holland, the Council on Aging director,” Carter said. “Dawn had said that she didn’t have election workers that needed the bus this year, so we would like to do away with this [2019] policy and instead do what we’ve done before.”
She suggested going back to sending a memo to Town Hall staff outling the parking rules.
“In order to improve voter access to the Town Hall during the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election, Parking in the Town Hall parking lot, for the duration of the election is restricted to those coming to the Town Hall to vote,” Carter read. “All employees, elected and appointed [are required] to park off site for the entire day.”
She said the municipal parking lot across the street, the municipal lot behind Duval’s and on-street parking outside the 180-foot buffer would be allowed.
The Select Board approved the suggestion.
Varley reported Monday that, as of Saturday, Oct. 26 Whitman residents had cast 2,389 in-person early votes and there were more than 900 absentee ballots not yet returned. There are 11,000 registered voters in Whitmn.
Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said 677 of the town’s 8,477 eligible voters had already voted in-person in Town Hall and there were 1,000 absentee ballots sent out.
On the ballot
Electors of the President and Vice President of the United States;

• Ayyadurai and Ellis (Independent);
  •De la Cruz and Garcia (Socialism and Liberation);
• Harris and Walz (Democratic);
• Oliver and Ter Maat (Libertarian);
• Stein and Caballero-Roca (Green) and
• Trump and Vance (Republican) appear on all ballots as does Senator in Congress. Refer to your town’s ballot for the order in which they appear.:
  Senator in Congress.
• Elizabeth Warren (Democratic) and
• John Deaton (Republican.
  Whitman and Hanson also vote between the same candidates for county-wide offices
  Register of Deeds for the Plymouth District;
• John R. Buckly (Democratic) running unopposed.
  Clerk of Courts for Plymouth County;
• Robert S. Creedon Jr., (Democratic) running unopposed.
  County Commissioner for Plymouth County; Voting for TWO
• Gregory M. Hanley (Democratic);
  • Jared L. Valanzola (Republican);
• Rhonda L. Nyman (Democratic);
  Anthony T. O’Brien Sr. (Republican).
  In Hanson there are two ballots as the town’s state representative districts differ, but all other offices and ballot questions are the same.
  Governor’s Councilor, 2nd Distirict;
• Tamisha Civil (Democratic)
• Francis T. Crimmins Jr. (Republican)
  Senator in General Court — 2nd Plymouth and Norfolk also appears on both town’s ballots;
• Michael D. Brady (Democratic) running unopposed.
  The town’s Congressional race also differs from Whitman — Representative in Congress — 8th District;
• Stephen F. Lynch (Democratic);
• Robert G. Burke (Republican)
  Representative in Congress — 9th District;
• Bill Keating (Democratic)
• Dan Sullivan (Republicsn)
  Representative in General Court — 5th Plymouth District:
• David F. LaCoste (Republican) running unopposed,
  Representative in General Court — 6th Plymouth District:
• Rebecca W. Coletta (Democratic)
• Kenneth P. Sweezey (Republican)
  Whitman’s state representative, like Hansons’s 5th Plymouth is also an uncontested race.
  Representative in General Court — 7th Plymouth District:
  Alyson M. Sullian-Almeida (Republican) running unopposed.
  Ballot questions include;
• Question 1 – Initiative petition to specify that the state Auditor has the authority to audit the Legislature.
  A YES vote would specify that authority.
  A NO vote would make no change relative to the state Auditor’s authority.
• Question 2 – Initiative petition to eliminate the requirement that students pass the MCAS exam to graduate high school.
  A YES vote would eliminate the requirement, but would still require students to complete course work to meet state education standards.
  A NO vote would make no change in the graduation requirements.
• Question 3 – Initiative petition on unionization for transportation network drivers.
  A YES vote would provide transportation network drivers the option to form unions to collectively with transportation network companies regarding wages, benefits and terms and conditions of work.
  A NO vote would make no changes in the law relative to the drivers’ ability to unionize.

Question 4 – Initiative petition relative to the limited legalization and regulation of certain natural psychedelic substances.
A YES vote would allow persons over age 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision, grow limited quantities in their home and create a commission to regulate the substances.
A NO vote would make no changes in the law.

Question 5 – Initiative petition establishing a minimum wage for tipped workers.
A YES vote would gradually increase the minimum wage an employer must play a tipped worker over the course of five years at which point employers could pool all tips and distribute them among non-management workers.
A NO vote would make no changes in the law.
The full text of the questions as well as detailed arguments on either side of each issue can be found in the “Massachusetts Information for Voters – 2024 Ballot Questions – State Election,” published by Secretary of State William F. Galvin and mailed to registered voters or online at VoteInMA.com.

WHITMAN – A spate of recent events has reminded Select Board Chair Dr, Carl Kowalski of a line from a movie that he says speaks to a need for talking to each other, rather than at each other.
“As I was getting ready for the meeting tonight, something kept going through my head. … I’ve had [that line] in my head for a long time,” Kowalski said. The 1990 film “The Sound of Silence,” featuring Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern, included the line, “The whole world’s wild at heart and weird on the top,” he recalled, going on to explain his meaning.
The line reminded him of some things.
“We’re living that right now,” he said. “We have reports of swastikas in the neighborhoods. We have rumored reports – false rumored reports – of illegal immigrants living in the armory. We had a stand-out of 300 people in Hanson over the weekend in support of a man who’s breaking the law in Hanson by projecting something on the town [water] tower – which is town property.
“We have the police having to pay attention to the house of the town manager in Hanson – one of our former colleagues – who merely did the right thing by telling that person that it was against the law and he should take it down,” he said, noting that official’s life has been threatened and they have received “nasty emails.”
Contacted that evening, Hanson Select Board Chair Laura Fitz-Gerald-Kemmett had no comment. [See story opposite]
All of that’s been going on over the last couple of days, Kowalski informed his board about the examples he cited.
“The whole world is wild at heart and weird on the top,” he repeated.
He said he was relating that information as an introduction to a program, planned by the Whitman Freedom Team, at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24 at W-H Regional High School.
Kowaksi was extending an invitation to all residents to attend, or to watch at home. Speakers at the event will include Democratic state Sen. Mike Brady of Brockton and Republican state Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida of Abington.
“It’s for a night of unity, hoping to inspire and share the Whitman team’s message of civility and mutual respect,” he said. “Certainly, it’s timely. Unfortunately, it’s really needed.”
Campbell retires
The Board then recognized the retirement of Det. Eric Campbell, who attended the meeting with his wife Diane, daughter Morgan and sons Dylan and Justin.
“They’ve always been supporting him, as families do in the police profession,” Police Chief Timothy Hanlon said.
Campbell began his career in the auxiliary unit, moving on into patrol in 2001 and beginning a 24-year career as a full-time officer. He has served as a DARE officer, a school resource officer, has been a detective since 2012, and has been an honor guard volunteer as well as the auxiliary liaison officer. He has also served as a union president for many years and still serves as the department’s evidence officer until his official retirement date.
“He’s worn many hats here and all those are appreciated,” Hanlon said. “What I can say about Eric Campbell is, he’s always been available to do those jobs to the best of his ability. He is as dedicated as they come.”
Hanlon said that Cambell won’t be completely retiring as he will return to being an auxiliary/special police officer.
“He’ll be down to one hat,” Hanlon said, presenting Campbell with his retirement badge. The police union presented him with a plaque in appreciation of his service and the Select Board presented him with a citation from the town.
The board then voted to appoint Campbell as an auxiliary/special police officer, effective Oct. 24 through June 30, 2025.
“That was a long retirement,” Kowalski joked. “OK, you’re back on the job, Eric.”
“Heck of a retirement,” Vice Chair Dan Salvucci jested.
Green report card
In other business, Old Colony Regional Planning Council (OCPC) Senior Development Specialist Paul Umano presented Green Communities program’s annual report.
The town’s 10-year report card was encouraging.
“You guys have done an amazing job with reducing your energy use and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with [Assistant Town Administrator Kathleen Keefe] and her team with the upcoming spring round grants,” he said, noting the typical grant is around $225,000 per grant year There is also a grant program for $500,000 for de-carbonization programs.
“The possibilities are endless,” he said.
Umano’s presentation was aimed to show the town’s overall standing as a green community. There are five criteria required by the program: as-of-right siting; expedited permitting; maintaining energy use; fuel-efficient vehicle policy and the “stretch code,” which is the more stringent building code governing new construction.
Under the as-of-right siting criteria, there are requirements for renewable or alternative energy generating facilities; renewable or alternative energy research and development and renewable or alternative energy manufacturing facilities in designated locations.
“The town currently has a range – I know the town as a little bit of aggregation and a little bit of solar as well – you’ve maintained that status throughout [and] you’ve been designated as a Green Community,” he said.
“The third criteria, I think is the most important – maintaining your energy use baseline data,” Umano said. “The idea is [that] your baseline is FY 2014.” That calls for a 20-percent reduction of energy use.
“You guys are doing an amazing job in terms of reducing your energy use throughout,” he said again, The 20-percent benchmark is maintained in municipal buildings, while open space is well over 20 percent, while traffic and streetlights are almost at 60 percent; town-owned vehicles are at a 16-percent reduction level and the Water and Sewer Department is at just 6 percent.
“That’s just amazing work across the board,” he said.
Board member Justin Evans offered kudos for the long-term energy reductions.
“The streetlights was all Lisa Green, our now twice mentioned in this meeting former assistant town administrator – a project that she spear-headed and really converted them all to LED using Green Communities grant,” Evans said. “I think credit where it’s due. It saved us 60 percent off our carbon emissions chart there.”
Projects the town has done which stand out include the Council on Aging, where a high-efficiency water heater has been put in place; some insulation work at the Fire Department, some rooftop control units have been put in at the police station; some EV charging stations have been placed at the DPW and a boiler has also been replaced there as well as at Town Hall.
“By no means is that an exhaustive list, but some of the key highlights over the years,” Umano said.
For future planning, he called attention to the town buildings with the greatest current energy use: Town Hall, the police and fire stations, the library and the DPW’s “town barn.” They are also the highest carbon emission buildings.
Energy-use intensity, comparable to miles per gallon on one’s car, is also tracked for the review – and the list is basically the same as for energy use, with the armory building replacing the library and DPW on the list. Umano also gave the town high marks for its fuel-efficient vehicle policy, with no reported violations.
“It looks as though there are no new significant changes [under the codes for new buildings] in the community,” he said.
Select Board member Laura Howe noted that, with the new DPW building under construction, that department’s numbers will be greatly improved.
Member Shawn Kain asked if there was anything in the program pertaining to an organic waste, or composting, program. Umano said he was not aware of one, but the topic came up again as the board was voting on the new trash rate of $360 per year based on costs, ($335 for seniors). The rate last fiscal year was $335.
Kain suggested such a composting program could help reduce the weight – and therefore the cost – of trash hauling in Whitman.
“I know other communities do it, and do it pretty well,” he said. “It would be good to get some feedback from the DPW about it.”
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter said she could send Superintendent Bruce Martin an email about the question.
“It’s worth looking into,” Howe said.

The School Committee, on Wednesday, Oct. 8 approved, by a vote of 9-0-1 – with member Rosemary Connolly abstaining – to modify the memorandum of understanding with the Hanson Police Department to allow School Resource Officers to use body cameras while on duty in the schools.
“Every year, at the beginning of the school year, we gather as a team to talk about school safety and introduce new staff to our public safety officials – the four chiefs, their deputies and whoever else wants to attend that meeting,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, introducing Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch and Deputy Chief Michael Casey to discuss body cams with the committee.
He announced to the School Committee that Hanson police have been wearing body cameras as part of their regular duties for about a month, and will be as part of School Resource Officer duties.
“Since this is a change to our MOU, to our school resource officers in the building, I asked both Mikes to come in and speak on this, because I think there can be a lot of misinformation, if it doesn’t come right from the folks that are having their officers wear these devices for the safety of themselves and for the safety of the public.”
Miksch said Friday that cameras would only be turned on when an officer Derek Harrington, as per the department’s policy. He said he chose not to purchase the variety of body camera that is always on or automatically activated when an officer draws a weapon.
Miksch and Casey provided a copy of the department’s body camera use policy as well as the school resource officer’s job description before the meeting.
“We work really well collaboratively,” Szymaniak said of the Hanson police. The department has jurisdiction over the high school because it is wholly located in Hanson.
Miksch noted that, following the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis in 2020, Massachusetts passed a police reform act.
“Many of the things in that act were actually things that – I’ve been a police chief since 2010 – police chiefs in Massachusetts were pushing for,” he said, reassuring the committee that interaction with police officials from across the country have shown him that officers in Massachusetts are probably the most well-educated well-behaved officers. “What we wanted to come out of that was to help improve policing in Massachusetts and give officers more tools, better equipment and better training to do the job.”
While no police career is perfect, Miksch said, the Northeast – the New England states and New York, are unique in how they handle policing versus other parts of the country.
“That being said, there’s always room for improvement, and it’s always good to have self-reflection,” he said, saying a notable thing that came out of the reform law was a push for body cams. Miksch said he was among police officials who were initially skeptical of the cameras.
“Why can’t you just believe me, you’re supposed to,” he said the thinking was. “But a funny thing’s happened since I’ve started talking to the other departments and even, I think, my own officers will agree with me at this point – they’re actually a great tool.”
Miksch aid officers he’s spoken to from around the state have said that, when unruly people are told they are being recorded, they begin to behave and cooperate better,
“It’s actually a de-escalation technique, now,” he said. “It’s great. It’s where the state’s going, too. … We’re going to have them for at least the next five years, because that’s what Town Meeting approved and that’s the contract we signed with Motorolla. ”
More departments are adopting them as their towns receive funding or grants, as well, according to Miksch. Hanson’s contract with Motorolla was a two-year process, researching cameras, working through the state bid system, negotiating with the company and implementing the cameras. The sergeants have tried them in an effort to get used to working with the devices.
Miksch and Casey showed a video of Hanson officer working to communicate with a Brazilian motorist, who only spoke Portuguese, to communicate that the man had been driving too fast. The first month of the cameras’ use has allowed the department to determine what can be edited on the videos and what the department can and cannot release from video.
Szymaniak also had a chance to express his concerns, but the cameras have not been used at WHRHS until, at the superintendent’s request, Miksch and Casey could come in and discuss it with the School Committee.
While the SRO has not worn one yet, other officers called to the school for any reason – officers assigned to football games – use them and wear them.
“The camera isn’t actually always on,” Casey said. “But the camera is always on when there is a police action taken. Never are we going to deminish or replace [an] officer’s discretion. Never are we going to have this camera interfere with the common interaction we’ll have with the public, staff [or] students. …It allows us to capture the audio and video when it is activated.”
School Committee members had questions about use of cameras by Hanson, but not Whitman, police, how it would work and whether is was an example of inequity as well as student privacy especially for students on individual education plans, who might have more challenging interactions based on behavior.
Casey said that only when the camera is activated will one be able to hear and see the audio/visual recording.
“We’re not going to have the camera on during medical responses, during interaction with students that may have difficulty understanding the circumstances,” he said. “There’s a broad band of discretion that our officers are going to continue to use.”
Miksch said Friday his department also trains regularly on communicating people on the autism spectrum.
Szymaniak also pointed out that most schools – as well as other public buildings already have video surveillance. Miksch said sound recording is permitted, but the public must be made aware sound recording is being done.
Interaction with juveniles are always confidential as well.
“If Whitman doesn’t have it and Hanson does, how does that effect equity … are we providing the same service to the two towns?” asked Rosemary Connolly.
“It’s a department preference,” Casey said.
Szymaniak said area departments now using body cameras include Bridgewater, Carver, Hanson, Halifax, Hanover, Hingham, Holbrook, Lakeville, Middleborough, Wareham, Weymouth and the Massachusetts State Police. Several others are either researching or searching for funding.
“These cameras are showing you exactly what has transpired,” Casey said. “Not only for the protection of the victims, the suspects, the idividual parties involved – staff, students, public and police officers – we want that accountability. We want that transparency.”
Szymaniak also said state law limits what SROs can do, as well,
“SROs and police can only be involved in schools for violent offences,” he said. “They can take a report of vandalism, but they really can’t do much in schools and the law prohibits that. … When Derek is walking around the building, he’s not actively policing. … He really can’t even break up fights [or] search lockers.”

HANSON – The state of free cash and its impact on next year’s budget, a property review on Phillips Street and a second pass at a nips ban were the focus of most discussion by voters at special Town Meeting on Monday, Oct. 7
The session, which got underway with 215 voters present, began with $214,713.44 in School Stabilization; $2,717,390 in certified free cash; $76,000 in overlay surplus – the fund controlled by the assessors; and $1,491,814.70 in stabilization.
“If everything proposed in the warrant tonight, we will spend $164,416, leaving $50,297.44,” Moderator Sean Kealy said of the School Stabilization account. “The plan, at this moment, is to spend $279,658.17 [in free cash], leaving us with a balance of $2,437,731.83.” The plan for the evening was to spend all $76,000 in overlay surplus, Kealy reported.
A Steven Street resident noted that several town positions unfunded at the May Town Meeting were back on the warrant for funding, but that the Finance Committee had voted against recommending such action. He asked for an explanation and about what might have changed since May.
Finance Committee Chair Kevin Sullivan made clear that the town is still not out of the financial woods, taking a “roundabout way” to illustrate where the town is financially.
“I think a lot of people saw that free cash number and assumed that we had the money to make adjustments based on what we did in May,” he said.
At the annual Town Meeting in May, the Committee made a “calculated decision” to reduce hours in order to set the town up for fiscal success during the fiscal year that began July 1.
“Free cash is higher than it had been expected, due to several different things that are one-time occurrences,” he said.
Among those occurrences were:

• $1.1 million in budget turnbacks and closed-out articles from previous years;
• $871,000 in local receipts, which Sullivan said was well above original estimates; and
• About $140,000 in state aid that was above original estimates.
  “These are one-time, finance boosts giving us that $2.7 million,” he said. “I know people saw that $2.7 million and said, ‘why are we sitting on it?’ but here’s the second part of the answer: right now, the town accountant is already anticipating a deficit of over $2 million right now – that’s level-funding. That’s no pay raises. That’s no cost of living increases.”
  The fact that some of those raises have been negotiated in contracts and increases are automatic, complicates the finances even more.
  Sullivan counseled voters that to spend that free cash now would be unwise because the town will need every cent of it to support next year’s budget unless the town passes an override. The wiser course, Sullivan advised was to disapprove every request for reinstatement of hours.
  “If we reinstate these people, we may have to cut full positions in the spring,” he said. “This is a temporary measure to ensure that people remain employed.”
  While the hours-restorations listed under Article 2 were not approved, the restoration of hours for both the Conservation and Health agents were later approved under Articles 20 and 21, based on the enforcement orders, site visits and inspections both positions are charged with making – particularly the public health responsibilities of the health agent – and the change in funding source for the Conservation Agent to notice of intent funds.
  The $2.7 million may make the town appear to be cash-heavy, but it is not, Sullivan said.
  “The Finance Committee decided that, in good conscience, we could not recommend reinstating [hours to] any positions,” he said.
  Sullivan also reminded voters that a vote on the South Shore Tech Regional Agreement will be soon coming up for a vote in Hanson, with about $1million for a new school building riding on the outcome.
  “I would urge all of you to think where we’re going to be in May,” he said. “There are a lot of things at play.”
  Frank Milisi of Brook Street then asked what the Finance Committee is expecting from the schools where the next budget is concerned.
  Sullivan said he could not speak to what the School Committee is going to do and reminded voters that the schools have until December to submit a budget.
  “We’re going with some historical numbers … but I can’t say with certainty what level,” he said, adding that his committee is looking at a ballpark number.
  “Any money that we spend right now in free cash, we’re going to have to pay back in May,” Melisi agreed. “It’s especially important if the school budget comes in higher than what they’re predicting.”
  Sullivan said Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf is calculating the school budget at 7 percent, which is close to the process used to calculate the current school budget.
  Transfer station Supervisor Chris Callaghan, permitted to speak on the issue despite not being a resident because the issue affects him, asked when the cost of the new SST building would be assssed.
  SST Superintendent-director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said the project, if approved at January’s special election, would include short-term borrowing, so the $1 million would probably roll on for fiscal 2029 or fiscal 2030.
  “We’re in front of the MSBA at the end of this month, and we intend to put out more specific numbers, hopefully in the first week of November,” he said. “But I would expect that there would be some short-term borrowing.” He also said his school committee would be looking at, with the 55-percent reimbursement rate for feasibility, the district “would be sitting on some stabilization money” once the feasibility process wraps up. Hickey said he hopes to be able to use any leftover cash to hopefully cover the interest for fiscal 2026 and ’27.

Rumor vs. intent
While real financial concerns were behind discussions about the use of free cash and control of nip bottles, a perceived threat to the community – not intended by the article before Town Meeting – took up the lion’s share of debate about a $955 appropriation to fund a review of town-owned property on Phillips Street. Both the Select Board and Finance Committee had voted unanimously to recommend the article be passed.
Voters approved the article by a vote of 127-96.
Because of the street’s proximity to the MBTA station on Main Street, social media chatter has been equating the article with an attempt to equate it to the MBTA Communities plan rejected by the May Town Meeting. The Community Preservation Committee, meanwhile stressed it only wants to study if the land can be used for anything.
Discussion became so heated, with suggestions of impropriety and/or hidden agendas voiced, that Kealy halted debate after long-time builder and High Street resident Thomas Peters, who has been involved in construction of “many 40B projects,” alleged the motive behind a study was an attempt by the town to obtain state funding for such a project.
Housing Authority member Mike Jones said the land had been deeded to the authority a long time ago, but never donated to Conservation. Jones added a firm had been hired to determine whether or not the land is wetlands.
Peters said 40B building projects have been placed on unbuildable land at state direction, and asked if the article falls under state funding.
“We had a similar property on West Washington Street, Jones said. “[We did] a similar scenario, and deemed we can’t build anything on it, it’s unusable, and we donated it to Conservation. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen to this, but we’re just looking at this … to see if we could do anything with it. It’s all we’re doing.”
Planning Board Chair Joe Campbell said there have been no 40B discussions about the property, nor on the table in front of the board.
“Before we get too far down this road, I think we’re venturing into kind of speculative territory,” Kealy said. “I get to make that decision.”
Select Board Vice Chair Ann Rein said that “somewhere, out on the internet,” a rumor is circulating that the board is trying to bring the town into compliance with the MBTA Communities program.
“I think this is part of what he is talking about,” she said of Peters’ allegations. “We have heard zero about this land being used for anything MBTA-related.” She also reiterated her own opposition to the MBTA Communities program.
Peters also spoke of mosquito breeding grounds and impact on water mains in his objections before debate was curtailed.
Nip ban upheld
Another issue that resurfaced Monday was the ban on miniature single-use booze bottles, or “nips ban” approved at the May Town Meeting, as an effort to repeal the measure was brought before the session as a citizens’ petition by Ketan Patel and 226 others.
The repeal eventually failed by a vote of 97 in favor of repeal and 107 against repeal.
Another of the non-resident petitioners permitted to address the Town Meeting, Patel said the ban would impact consumers’ freedom of choice; harm local retailers; has been a state-wide failure 10 of 13 times; consumers will only purchase alcohol in containers the next size up – which, they argue, has repercussions for road safety as well as litter – and nips make up 30 percent of liquor sales, especially since surrounding towns do not have nip bans in place.
“The Hanson community is not Chelsea or Brookline or Boston,” he said. “We don’t have those downtown areas. Originally, when this ban was passed, it was comparing Hanson to those communities.”
While litter is a problem, he said Hanson retailers performed a roadside cleanup over the weekend and found litter from Dunkin Donuts, NesQuik bottles and all sorts of plastics.
“We are not banning that,” he said. “We are talking about adults. We have laws for drunk driving, and everything else. Just banning something is not a solution.”
Scott Semchenko of 135 Spring St., who works at Luke’s Liquors, also called 14-58 by a lot of Hanson residents, said the only thing a ban accomplishes is hurting small businesses in Hanson and will be lost revenue to the town.
“This ban has real impacts on families like mine, who are trying to get by,” he said. “We need real solutions that focus on all kinds of litter, not scape-goating small businesses.”
Steve Smith, of North Street, who proposed the original nip ban in May countered that Hanson does not receive tax funds from nip sales. He also rebutted the other points Patel made, including drops in sales, and corrected that 30 percent of all purchases include nips – not are made up of nips; the bottles do make up a large percentage of litter, he said; the bottles are not recycling because the nip bottles do not fit in recycling machines – and people toss them out car windows anyway. He argued larger bottles are less likely to be thrown on roadsides, and are less likely to be consumed while driving.
Diane Thomas of Monponsett Street also spoke in favor of maintaining a ban.
“Living on Route 58, since the ban, there have been a lot fewer nips in my front lawn,” she said.
Patel countered the ban does not go into effect until Jan. 1.
Other proponents of Patel’s petition acknowledged the town certainly has a litter problem, but argued it does not involve only nips.

WHITMAN – In the end, it was their equal commitment to working toward a school budget that best serves all Whitman students that made the decision so difficult.
“It;s awful,” School Committee Chair Beth Stafford said after nine of 13 applicants for the two vacant Whitman seats on the W-H School Committee that made the choice so hard. Heather Clough, Kevin Mayer and Charles Slavin III did not attend the meeting. “We have quite a difficult decision, I think. We had some great people.”
Those who did brought strong backgrounds in education, law, small business, real estate, special needs parenting and education and technical fields.
“This is difficult,” Stafford said of the applicants’ experience. “I had to sit in that chair before and it’s very difficult, what they had to do, but I think we learned so much more about them than you do in a regular election.”
The election metaphor was mentioned more than once.
“It’s like going into a ballot box,” said Select Board Chair Carl Kowalski.
“Pretend you’re going to a ballot box, who are you going to vote for,” Stafford said. “When you say a name, you have confidence in that person you are selecting.”
The five Whitman Select Board members and four Whitman members of the School Committee were then asked to put themselves in the shoes of a voter for the two ballots, as each gave the name of the applicant they supported. Ballots were cast until a candidate received a majority of five votes for each vacancy.
“We’re not going to ask questions,” Stafford said in response to a question from School Committee member Rosemary Connolly.
Kowalski placed all names in nomination toward the two rounds of votes.
The nine interviewing candidates: Stephanie Blackman, P. Christopher DiOrio, Nicholas Femia, Anna Hourihan, Chris Marks, Annemarie Odle, Ginger Sullivan, Ryan Tressel and Danielle Winn, each had 10 minutes, with Stafford timing them, to speak about how they would support the district’s towns and students.
“Thank you very much, guys,” Stafford joked, as the candidates filed back into the Select Board’s meeting room. “You have made it awful.” In May, of any of the candidates wish to go on, can try again by campaigning for the seats when they come up again in May.
The first ballot was to fill the seat vacated by the death of Fred Small in late July. At the end of the first ballot, Stephanie Blackman and Chris Marks were both short of the needed five-vote majority on Ballot 1, but Select Board members Justin Evans and Shawn Kain added their support for Blackman, along with School Committee members Dawn Byers, Steve Bois, Rosemary Connolly and Stafford,
“Stephanie, you won a seat,” Stafford announced.
Ballot 2 followed the same route, ultimately giving a seat to Marks in a second run at the seat vacated by David Forth’s resignation. DiOrio with two votes and Marks with three votes were the top vote-getters in the first round, with Marks ending up with Byers and Kain shifting their votes to Marks to put him over the top. DiOrio ended up with four votes.
“I hope everybody thinks about it, watches, comes to our meetings, we appreciate an audience when we have school committee meetings,” Stafford said to the candidates who came up short. “We appreciate input, we always like input. Stay with it and don;t get discouraged and try again.”

HANSON – Potential overrides and the ramifications of reduced hours in town departments may soon be volleyed back into Town Meeting’s court for a decision.
Town Administrator Lisa Green reported to the Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 17 that Capital Strategic Solutions’ proposal for helping town officials communicate the need for an override “came in at a high figure” so her office has looked at other companies – with equally disappointing results.
While they’ve received another proposal from one of those firms, there were concerns with them, too.
“One of the members didn’t even know what Prop 2 ½ was and another member was out in Colorado most of the time,” Green said. “The majority of their work is virtual.”
They would conduct meetings virtually, put together materials and present them to Hanson officials to farm out.
“A lot of proposals that weren’t really going to work for us,” she said.
“We did have a meeting with the [Umass, Boston] Collins Center and, unfortunately, they declined the project [and] did not put forth a proposal.”
Green also said there has been some new information available concerning free cash, which Town Accountant Eric Kinscherf was prepared to discuss it at the Sept. 24 meeting.
“We feel that we can actually do the work, instead of hiring a consultant to do the work for us,” she said.
Meanwhile. Board Chair Laura said she has heard “scuttlebutt” about the town seeking a $5 million override.
“I have no I idea where people got this from.” she said. “I know our consultants had hypothetically said that potentially, “if we really were getting aggressive we could ask for a $5 million override. No one on this board is entertained it as a dollar amount.”
She also stressed that no consultant was being asked to recommend a dollar amount, but were only being considered to help the town communicate the impact, where the town is financially and the potential impact in the event it didn’t pass.
Board member Ann Rein said everything is going up and people have to understand that the only way to avoid a tax increase without an override is drastic cuts.
“That’s not a threat,” she said. “The other side of the budget is the school budget. … We can’t fight that battle.”
Member Joe Weeks said that is one area where a consultant could help – managing and countering misinformation about the way the budget is being managed.
“The only type of consulting that I would feel comfortable with going into trying to figure out an override situation would be one that communicates the reality of how the budget is actually managed,” he said.
FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested reaching out to the Plymouth County Commissioners to see if they had any suggestions for helping the town communicate its budget issues to residents.
The board also reviewed special Town Meeting warrant articles, voting on which they would recommend, after all articles on the warrant had already been placed.
Much of the discussion centered on Article 20, centering on restoring the Conservation Agent to a full-time position.
Select Board member Joe Weeks said he viewed it and Article 21 as salary issues they couldn’t go back on.
“I’d rather defer,” he said.
Select Board member David George asked if Weeks didn’t think the hours should be restored.
“I think he should have his hours back,” Weeks replied. “We spent three years fighting to get salaries increased and hours increased just to cut them the minute we got them, and I do not want to put a person in the position in which we give them their hours back, just to cut them again. It’s not fair”
The rest of the board agreed it would not be fair.
“And it’s irresponsible,” Weeks added. “So, I think we should defer to Town Meeting and let the taxpayers decide where the money goes again because I do not want to put people and their families in a position to constantly have to bounce back and forth with benefits and employment.”
“People have to live,” George agreed. “People have to eat. People have payments that they have to make.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed with deferring, arguing that the Conservation Department has to get up and make their case for a full-time agent.
“Conservation has to get up and make their case about why they need their guy, and the Board of Health has to get up and make their case about why they need their guy,” she said. “Honestly, I didn’t hear either of those groups getting up at [the May] Town Meeting and making a case.”
“[Restoring hours] is one of the things you even hear about the Transfer Station, and that’s falling in our laps and it’s not even our decision,” Weeks said. “We didn’t make those decisions.”