HANSON – If you arrived a few minutes late, you missed it.
The Wednesday, June 25 special Town Meeting to decide whether the town would approve the assessment proposal put forth by Whitman, which had accepted it at their special Town Meeting two weeks before, must have set some sort of speed record for town meeting government.
The whole thing, from pledge of allegiance to Town Moderator Sean Kealy’s final gavel for adjournment clocked in at 3:18.
The session was held in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at W-H Regional High School, as the Hanson Middle School auditorium had already been booked for the evening for a dance recital.
Therefore, we present to those unable to attend a transcript ot the entire proceeding:
KEALY: “Welcome, everybody, to a special Town Meeting. My name is Sean Kealy, I’m the town moderator. To my left is the Finance Committee. To my right is the Select Board, and we have town officers behind me. Before we get going, as we always do, would you please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance.”
Following the salute to the flag, Kealy returned to the podium for his traditional opening greetings.
KEALY: “So, one – I think we only have, really, one piece of housekeeping.
“The rules of tonight’s Town Meeting will be governed by “Town Meeting Time,” which is the official handbook of parliamentary law by the Massachusetts Moderators’ Association, and, as I said, we onl have one article.
“I’m hoping that we can all get back to the air conditioning as quickly as possible, and so, what we’ll do is, I’ll read the article, it’ll be seconded and then we’ll have an explanation.
“So, Artcle 1 – to see if the town will vote to transfer $262,669 from free cash to supplement Article 5, line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to meet the Whitman Hanson Regional School District assessment, or take any other action in relation thereto.
“Seconded by Mr. [Robert] Hayes.
“Explanation. …”
Town Clerk Jessics Franceschini corrects Kealy out of range of a microphone.
KEALY: “Oh, thank you very much.
“I’ve been corrected for the very first time by our new town clerk,”
[Applause for Franceschini]
KEALY: “I won’t tell her it was just a test,” he said in a mock stage whisper as a joke.
“But, I hereby declare that we have a quorum. More than 100 voters have checked in, and are in attendance. And I see the youngest voter right over there. She’s doing magnificently,” he said, gesturing to the small child a resident was holding in the audience.
He then returned to the explanation of the article.
KEALY: “So, we have a motion and it has been seconded. Explanation – This article is to supplement Article 5, Line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to mee the Whitman Hanson Regional School District operating assessment to the town of Hanson.
“Do I see any questions or concerns?” he asked, scanning the audience.
He did not
KEALY: “Seeing none [his emphasis], all those in favor of Article 1, signify by saying, ‘Aye.’”
AUDIENCE VOICES: “Aye.”
KEALY: “All those opposed, ‘nay.’
FEWER AUDIENCE VOICES: “Nay.”
KEALY: The ayes have it, Article 1 is adopted.
Scattered applause was heard.
KEALY: “And, with that, I will adjourn this special Town Meeting, sine die.”
[“Sine die” adjournment means a legislative session is adjourned without setting a date to reconvene – a Latin phrase meaning “without day,” effectively ending the session.]

By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
My Uncle Sandy was my mother’s step-brother and served in the Air Force during WWII as a U.S. Army pilot first lieutenant.
His full name was Sandy Royal Austin. In 1944 on July 22 while flying a B-17G over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania, his plane had engine trouble and dropped out of formation before being shot down by enemy fighters. All on board bailed out right before the plane exploded; it was a parachute landing and the men were taken prisoners. The POWs were held in a schoolhouse in Bucharest, Romania until Rumanians surrendered to Russians Aug. 23, 1944. Sandy was among the 1,150 POWs flown out on B-17s early in September 1944 to return home.
Sandy somehow rescued his parachute for his bride-to-be so she could make her wedding dress out of it, as fabric at that time was scarce. After the War, Sandy and his wife Jean moved to Alaska and then they moved to Dover Foxcroft Maine with their three children. Their son Dale was my age and their two daughters, Diane and Janet were about the same ages as my younger siblings. 
In the Summer of 1961 when I was 14, Sandy and Jean invited our family to spend Fourth of July with them in Maine. My mom’s father and stepmother, who was Uncle Sandy’s mother, lived twenty minutes away from Sandy and Jean. Since we had not seen any of them for several years and Dad had the week off, he and Mom decided to go.
The Fourth of July was on a Tuesday that year; we left for Maine on Monday and pulled into their driveway four hours later. Every building and house we passed was decorated with flags and patriotic bunting, including theirs. 
 Their spacious yellow and white Victorian house was set back from the street with a flagpole beside it flying the American flag, the POW flag and an Air Force flag. There was a big olive drab colored tent on one side of the expansive lawn. We found out that it was for us kids if we wanted to sleep outside instead of upstairs in the house.
We were warmly greeted with hugs that were returned and all the usual comments of how big or tall some of us had grown in both families. My sister Penny and I remembered Aunt Jean, Uncle Sandy and Grandma and Grandpa Austin and although our brother Dave and sister Barb were too young to remember them, it didn’t take long for them to warm up to Grandpa Austin, who was a kind, loving man.
The first night’s supper was lobster for the adults and burgers or hot dogs for us kids. The younger kids were a little shy with one another but by the end of the meal they were running around laughing and playing. My cousin Dale was now taller than me with a reddish cast to his light hair and a few freckles across his face that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was a bit less standoffish than he used to be.  
After supper all of us kids played outdoor games that even the little ones could play; from Hide and Seek, Simon Says, Blind Man’s Bluff and more. Our parents and grandparents watched from across the yard as they reminisced, caught up on family news and had many laughs under a beautiful full moon until bedtime. I slept in the tent that night with the other kids, except for Barb and Janet, the two youngest, who wanted to be with their mothers.
 Fourth of July dawned bright and beautiful. Mom and Aunt Jean told all of us to get dressed and to be at the breakfast table if we wanted to eat before the parade started. Dover Foxcroft was a small town that reminded me of Hanson.
People were friendly and you couldn’t get away with much as everyone knew who you were. All along the sidewalk that went through the main part of town, people were sitting or standing as Clowns entertained and interacted with the crowd. My cousin and I watched our younger siblings having a good time, and our Dads and Grandpa as the Antique cars passed by sounding their horns.
Grandma Austin was on a float that went by with other ladies and all their delicious looking homemade pies. Our moms liked the Float from J.J.Newberry’s and the one from the Textile Plant. I loved everything about the parade, especially the patriotism, the tradition and the meaning of it. 
Off to the lake
When the parade was over, we spent the rest of the day at beautiful, scenic, Sebec Lake. Uncle Sandy had a roof rack on his truck to secure his canoe. He also hitched his boat and trailer onto the back of the truck. He had his fishing gear, plenty of beach toys, chairs, food and Grandpa Austin and Dad in the front seat with him. Grandma Austin and the rest of us rode with Aunt Jean in her station wagon.  
 When the vehicles were parked and the boat was tied to the dock, we found a beautiful shade tree and put our chairs under it. Uncle Sandy asked who wanted to go for a boat ride and all the younger kids were jumping up and down yelling in unison. We all got in the boat except our grandparents, who wanted to sit in the shade. My brother Dave sat up front with Sandy and Dad; my cousin Dale and I sat way in the back and everyone else was in the middle. 
After the boat ride Dale and I challenged our mothers to a race to see who could swim the furthest. My cousin Diane blew her whistle to start the race. We swam out to a boulder and back again, both our mothers keeping up with us. Both Dale and I reduced our pace as we wanted them to win, and they did. Even though they knew what we did, we were proud of them and impressed with what excellent swimmers they still were. There were big hugs all around. The rest of the day the younger kids were jumping off our Dads’ shoulders and being caught by our Moms. Dale and I took turns pulling the kids around on the rubber rafts.
We loved climbing on the rocks and helping the kids to dig holes while Grandpa and our Moms took pictures. Before we knew it, we were packing up to beat the sunset home, as Uncle Sandy put it. 
Fireworks were not allowed in Dover Fox-croft, Maine at that time so Uncle Sandy drove home by way of Bangor, Maine, which was closest to his house, so we could see them. Quite a few of their neighbors were there; it was the perfect end to a perfect Fourth of July day.
When we got back to the house, everyone got ready for bed. When Gram and Grandpa Austin left to go home, they invited us all to their house the next day to teach us how to make homemade ice cream the old fashioned way and to see Grandpa’s clock collection from when he was a clock maker, which made us excited and Mom happy. When I was getting ready to go into the tent where Diane, Penny and Dave were, Dale tapped me on the shoulder and wanted me to follow him.  
He asked me if I knew what a cherry bomb was and I told him yes, we have them in Hanson, too. He blushed a little and grinned, telling me he has one and wants to set it off on the pond in the center of town as the grand finale of today’s celebration. I looked at him and grinned and said okay and off we went.
The moon lit our way as we walked to a sizable pond surrounded by a metal split rail fence. Swimming wasn’t allowed and there were benches to sit on and shade trees all around. We walked towards a hollow tree and he pulled a box out of it that contained a board with the cherry bomb wired to it. He flattened the box and threw it in the water. I could see the street and the town beyond the benches and was glad there were no lights on. He picked up a long stick, put it down on the ground beside him, took out his matches, set the board on the edge of the water, lit the cherry bomb, pushed it gently with the stick until a breeze sent it out onto the pond, grabbed my hand and we started running until it was safe to stop. We stood in the silence until the explosion shook the night and sent us running again.
Lights began to come on as we ran through the woods and we heard a siren. We kept running until we reached his yard. We practically leaped into the tent, relieved the kids were asleep and that all the lights in the house were off. It was so hard to keep from laughing, we kept putting our hands over our mouths. He finally raised his hand to mine, shook it and whispered, thanks. We finally settled down and went to sleep.  
During the remainder of the time I was there, to our relief, nothing came of it. In 1966 The Child Safety Act came into being and they were banned. The more I grew up and the more I learned about these particular explosives and how many people had been harmed, the more I realized how foolish we had been and how very fortunate we were that nothing happened.  
 

By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com
WHITMAN – It was, to say the least, a busy Sunday on Temple Street.
The members of Whitman Fire Department observed Firefighters’ Memorial Day, with ceremony at the fire station and parade to Colebrook Cemetery to place memorial wreaths in honor of firefighters lost in the line of duty.
Once back at the fire station, color guards were included in a solemn rededication of the WWI Memorial Arch, after it’s face lift courtesy of restoration stone cutters. At the same time, entrants in the 5K road race were arriving and registering for the event that sounded the starting gun after the rededication ceremony ended.
This was the kind of life-affirming energy that moved the planners of the Arch to place it here – next to the fire station, and under which the town’s young baseball players would have to pass to arrive at the ball parks where the Armory and the American Legion are now located.
Historical Commission Chair Mary Joyce introduced the speakers and thanked those who made the ceremony possible.
“No project is done alone,” Joyce said.
The event was attended by all five Select Board members, with Shawn Kain giving the main address as the liaison to the Historical Commission. Past Veterans Agent Shannon Burke and current Veteran’s Agent Declan Ware, Al Howe who helped with the research that went into the biographies of the men whose names appear on the arch.
Joyce also thanked the voters of Town Meeting who approved the funds for the restoration work.
“It may be difficult to remember the history that you learn in the classroom,” Kain said. “Facts that you memorized about WWI sometimes feel distant and not too relevant, but our ancestors that stood on this ground 100 years ago went to great lengths to make sure we remember.”
They wanted to remember the names of 21 men who sacrificed their lives abroad for their community back home. So, when the war ended, the Legion dedicated the arch to bear their names as a lasting memorial.
“But stop and consider why they chose this location,” he said, noting there were other prime locations in town, including Whitman Park. “They chose to place the arch here – and it was a deliberate choice. At the time, the Fire Station was built, but the armory and the Spellman Center weren’t there yet. Those were baseball fields.”
The fire department has been a pillar of the community and a symbol of public service throughout its history.
“They wanted the children and families of our community to walk beneath the arch on the way to a Little League game,” he said. “That is a powerful image and a beautiful gesture. Today we remember. We remember the names of the sons of Whitman who made the supreme sacrifice, so that our children can listen to the national anthem and have a safe place to play.”
Asking for an observation of silent respect, Kain slowly recited the names of the soldiers honored in bronze plaques on the arch.*
On the east side

• Peter Paul Brown, KIA – Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, France;
• Leo Joseph Buckley, accidental drowning – buried at sea;
• Vernon Kendal Churchill, MD, influenza – Melrose Cemetery, Brockton;
• • Albert Henry Cook, influenza – Colebrook Cemetery, Whitman;
• Robert Lester Hain, influenza – Aulenbach Cemetery, Reading, Pa.;
• Charles Timothy Haynes, influenza — St. James Cemetery, Whitman;
• Warren Haven Joyce, KIA three weeks before armistice – Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Lorraine, France;
• Hezekiah Rufus Lombard, KIA – Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, France;
• John Duncan Matheson – influenza, Colebrook Cemetery, Whitman and
• Raynor Bassett Nye,, MD, influenza – Colebrook Cemetery, Whitman.
  On the west side
• Martin Richard O’Brien, KIA -Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, France;
• Walter Pease, influenza; Robert J. Pillsbury, influenza;
• George H. Simmons, influenza – Colebrook Cemetery – Whitman;
• James McNeil Smith – Dominion Cemetery, Hendecourt-les-Cagnicourt, Departement du Pas-de Calais;
• Julian Mozart Southworth, KIA near Cunel, France – Union Cemetery, Carver;
• Elwin Sweney, KIA – Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Lorraine, France;
• Shirley Sampson Thayer, influenza – Colebrook Cemetery, Whitman;
• William MacIntosh Warwick, KIA with 1st Canadian Cavalry – body left behind, no burial site – Belgian Croix de Guerre;
• Leeson Albion Whiting, influenza – Mount Vernon Cemetery, Abington and
• Dwight Clifford Wood, influenza – Colebrook Cemetery, Whitman.
  Fire Chief Timothy Clancy spoke of Whitman’s pride.
  “We’re proud of who we are and what we do and where we came from,” he said, thanking the CPC for funding the restoration. “To sit here and watch, while we were coming and going, the restoration of the arch, was truly a feat, They meticulously worked on the arch to secure it, they made it safe, it was quite a feat and I’m proud of it.”
  Ware put the dangers facing U.S. Servicemen heading for France in 1917-18 in context.
  “I’m going to bore everybody with a history lesson, but it’s important that we know our history,” he said.
  In what was to be the final year of WWI, the Russian Revolution of 1917 ensured things would become more dangerous for the powers of the Entente – who, except for Italy, would be known as the Allies in the next war – as Germany could focus its full attention to the Western Front. The armies of the Entente were already badly bloodied.
  In 1916, the French Army suffered 400,000 casualties defending Verdun, that same year the British and Commonwealth forces suffered 57,000 casualties in the first day alone of the Battle of the Somme. They needed an infusion of fresh troops by 1917 and, when the United States entered the war in April 1917, they got them, and by 1918, the American troops were at full strength with 2 million men in France. Ware spoke of one of them, Pvt Peter Brown of Whitman
  Just two months after enlisting, Brown was already on the front lines in France, where his 77th Division fought in the 100-Days Offensive. He was killed on Aug.26, 1918.
  “Today, we rededicate this Memorial Arch to the brave servicemen like Pvt. Peter Brown,” Ware said. “Their sacrifices must never be forgotten. Not only must we honor the fallen, but we have a duty to remember the heroes of the American Expeditionary Force. They were regular people, just like you or I – they held jobs, they had families. They were members of the community.”

*Editor’s note – Select Board member Shawn Kain did not read out the cause of death or final resting place [as was printed in the Historical Commission’s program]. All these men were heroes who, after three years of viscous trench warfare and the German use of mustard gas, were well aware of what they were heading into – one of which was influenza, known then as the Spanish flu. Many of them had survived the shooting war, only to succumb to influenza at American bases when they were sent home, many military doctors and nurses also died after prolonged exposure while treating ill servicemen.

From the start, commencement exercises at WHRHS on Friday, May 30 were a bit different – and not because of the brisk wind that threatened to send mortarboards airborne before the graduating class sat down.
Easily noticeable on the crimson graduation stoles worn by the seniors were bright green mental health awareness ribbons, and the first speaker on the program – Class President Francesca Ruffini helped explain why in her speech, a welcome on behalf of the graduating class.
“This class has been through so much together, and I hope we all learned something from each other,” Ruffini said.
As she concluded her speech, Ruffini addressed the presence of and “empty chair.”
“Scanning our crowd today, we are missing one of the brightest lights of people, and that is Ava Patete,” she said. “She was a light that lit up our graduating class – we all knew her, we all loved her and we will all miss her forever. Let us remember her today, especially on her anniversary and for many years to come.”
Ruffini personally asked the class to live like Ava: spontaneously, kindly and compassionately, She then asked the graduates and families to observe a moment of silence for her late friend.
“Let’s carry her light forward in everything we do,” she said.
It was a message of hope in community, echoed by a school official who spoke with humor about his anxiety, a valedictorian who had worked to overcome insecurity and a principal whose words had to be spoken by someone else, as he recovered at home from hip surgery.
Kindness, resiliency and hope were themes repeated by the speakers as they sent the Class of 2025 out into the world to forge their futures.
Focusing on the adversity the class has seen, and will no doubt encounter in their future lives, Ruffini also spoke of a book her mother gave her that helped her work through some of the toughest times she has so far faced in life.
“The book involves the theory called, the ‘let them’ theory,” she said. “’the let them’ theory reveals who people really are, and when you see them, show their true colors is when you choose what to do next.”
The upshot is to learn how to stop trying to get other people to meet your expectations – how someone treats you is how important you are to them.
“Instead of trying to change yourself, or even that other person, let them be who they are and let yourself be who you are,” she said. “Life is about finding people who value you for your true self.”
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak kept to the message on the importance of mental health as he opened his remarks by repeating an anecdote from a previous graduation speech concerning the anxiety he feels, which is more intense before giving speeches and his wife’s reassurance.
He spoke about “The Power of You,” which means “showing up, even when it’s hard.”
“It means trying again, even when you didn’t get it right the first time, – or the fifth time,” he said. “It means being a Panther, not just wearing the red and back, but representing the strength, the pride and the heart of this school. … You’ve been building something powerful – not just knowledge, but character, not just skills, but purpose and not just memories, but mementoes – the power of you is not just in what you’ve learned, but how you’ve learned, how you faced adversity and kept going, how you’ve lifted others when they needed a hand and how you’ve asked bold questions or dared to be different.”
Valedictorian Patrick Hurley spoke on “Who We Are” and how one of the most important gifts the class had received from W-H has been a sense of community, which provide a foundation for who we want to be and how to get there.
“While that may seem like a given, for someone like me it took a bit longer than usual to really come to engage with that part of life,” he said. “I entered high school a far more reserved and insecure person than I am standing here, someone who perceived themselves as more awkward than anything else, and who felt stunted in their social life. While I doubt that that aspect of myself is completely gone, I’m overjoyed to be in a place where, looking out at you all, I see friends—people I’m fond of, whose aspirations to become teachers, doctors, engineers, artists, businesspeople, tradespeople, and so much more — I’ve come to know and understand.”
The health of a community, he noted, requires individual responsibility to make it the best that it can be, Hurley noted.
“As we set out into the world, there are going to be challenges far greater than anything high school had to offer. As you rise to face the difficulties of an increasingly complex and hostile world, I encourage my classmates to ask themselves who their community is,” he said. “Who do you trust and support, and how can you show that? What can you do to make your world a kinder place?”
Salutatorian Nolan Keyes, meanwhile, reflected on the meaning of success.
“Deep down, I truly do believe that each individual here has what it takes to succeed,” he said. “Success is not determined by others, but by yourself, and the different goals, aspirations, and plans for the future that you create. While I do believe it is important to dream big, I believe it is far more important to dream for yourself. Chase your own goals, find your own personalized passions, and make your own impact on the world.”
Selected from among her fellow seniors for the opportunity to speak for the Class of 2025, Karyn Stone spoke about “Your Moment” by enumerating the ways in which graduation is not one’s “moment,” the defining moment of one’s life.
“Because those things, as amazing as they were, don’t define you,” she said, explaining that high school and the accomplishments made there are just a chapter of a bigger story. “They are a part of your story, sure, but not your whole story. … Graduation is an incredible accomplishment, and we should all be proud. We made it through the early mornings, long nights, big tests, and even bigger doubts. We supported each other. We laughed, we learned, and sometimes we crashed and burned. But we kept going. So yes, celebrate this moment. Hold it close. But don’t let it be the finish line.”
School Committee Chair Beth Stafford injected some humor into the program as she spoke about memories, by putting on a fabric Pharoh’s crown as she addressed members of the graduating class she taught as sixth-graders at Whitman Middle School in 2019 – her last students before retiring.
“To bring back some happy, funny memories, I thought I would add this to my outfit today,” she said. “I would start each unit in costume and this, of course is Egypt. I hope that when you look back at your years at school … that you have a lot of memories. … I would ask you to use these memories to help shape your future dreams. Even unhappy memories can affect how you go on about achieving your dreams.”
Reading Principal Dr. Christopher Jones’ speech – as he was home recovering from surgery — Assistant Principal David Floeck related Jones’ comments on dealing with anxiety and fear.
“Let’s be honest, success isn’t about living without anxiety, it’s about walking through it,” Jones wrote. “It’s about learning to pause. Breathe in. Breathe out, and take the next step anyway.”
Discomfort, Jones says, is not the enemy, it may be one’s greatest teacher.
“Growth doesn’t live inside your comfort zone,” he stated. “Dreams don’t chase you down, they wait in places that stretch you, scare you and require you to show up differently.”
Floeck, offered thanks to Class Advisors Daniel Moriarty and John Rosen for the hours they have dedicated to the senior class, Administrative Assistan Siobhan Horton and Megan McDonald for the herculean task of planning and overseeing the setup of the graduation ceremony and Chris Googins for his assistance in that work, Courtney Selig and the school’s counseling department for their unrelenting support for W-H students and Marcus Casey and Jason Cook for the audio and visual equipment setup.
He also recognized retiring teachers: Michelle Gentile, who taught history at the high school for 18 years and Rosen, who retires as a science teacher after 31 years.
The ceremony was broadcast live on Whitman-Hanson Community access TV, where it will be rebroadcast and on their YouTube channel at Whitman-Hanson Educational Channel – YouTube.

WHITMAN – Under a bright sunny sky, Monday, May 19, with a wind blowing silt from where the actual construction of the new Whitman Middle School had already begun, W-H district officials, School Committee members, and elected and appointed town leaders gathered in one of the parking lots in front of the building to officially break ground for the new school building.
“Whitman Middle School will be more that just a building,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak. “It will be a place where young minds in grades five through eight will grow, explore and prepare for their future. This school will be the hub of learning, creativity and community engagement – especially [by] using the new auditorium. It will be a place where students are encouraged to dream big, challenge themselves and discover their apassions.”
This was a day a a long time coming – somewhere in the neighborhood of seven year, since then-WMS principal George Ferro wrote up the statement of interest to the Massachusetts Building Committee. Ferro is now assistant superintendent.
Seven years later, Szymaniak, wearing sunglasses against the glare of the morning’s bright sunlight, strolled to a podium situated between two excavators – which suspended an American flag between the bucket loaders – to welcomed the small crowd of dignitaries.
“This event isn’t just the beginning of a building project, it’s the start of a new chapter in the educational journey of our students and a symbol of our collective commitment to shaping a bright future,” Szymaniak said.
He thanked state legislators, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Whitman Select Board, the W-H Regional School Committee the WMS Building Committee, many parents, students and especially Whitman taxpayers, who supported the project both at Town Meeting and at the voting booth in 2023.
“I’d also like to give a shout-out to our former Facilities Director Ernie Sandland, Science Teacher Crystal Regan and … Ferro, for starting this project in 2018, writing a statement of interest (SOI) and submitting it to the MSBA for a new middle school for the students of Whitman,” Szymaniak said. “Together our vision, hard work and support has turned a dream in reality,”
Symaniak also recognized architect AI3, owner’s project manager Colliers, MSBA representative James McConnell and building contractor Fontaine Bros., who have worked on school construction across the state, according to McConnell.
He also said the new school is a testament to the strength of the Whitman community, representing the shared values of a commitment to education, equity and ensuring that every child has the resources they need to succeed.
“In the years to come, this school will grow to be more than a place of education,” Szymaniak said. “It will be a space that fosters collaboration, creativity and connection. … We envision a school that is not only academic, but rich in extracurricular activities, sports and the arts, offering out students a well-rounded experience.”
State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida, R-Abington, and a representative from state Sen. Mike Brady’s office brought certificates from both wings of the Great and General Court to present to citations of congratulations on the occasion from the state House and Senate, presenting them to Szymaniak and Whitman Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter.
Noting that, having been elected in 2018, Sullivan-Ameida said the WMS project has been at the forefront of legislative work for her for much of that time. She also honored the late School Committee member Fred Small.
“He was a strong advocate [for] the school district when it came to reaching out to my office and advocating for the town of Whitman and W-H Regional School District,” she said.
Building Committee Vice Chair Kathleen Ottina thanked the taxpayers who approved the school project as well as the members of the school building committee.
Ferro the offered brief remarks before guiding participants of the groundbreaking to their places.
“We’ve thanked all the adults,” Ferro said. “But we also remember that, because of the actions of the adults, students will get a brand-new education. … When we talk about a building, we talk about the life blood of that building, and that is the students and the staff that are in it.”

HANSON – Hanson Town meeting voters are giving the town’s voters another chance to be heard on the proposed operational override to fund town departments and the schools.
Meeting at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School to accommodate a larger crowd, the Town Meeting voters agreed, by a vote of 230-118 to place the override on the town’s annual Town Election ballot for a Saturday, May 17 vote.
A brief informational slide presentation on the basics of overrides and town revenue sources, preceded Article 5 and Article 6, which encompass the fiscal 2026 town budget.
“Usually, we just vote on one budget, but because we have a Proposition 2.5 override on the ballot coming up May 17 … whatever we do tonight, that question will be on the ballot that day, and whatever the vote comes out will be what is done – whether we have an override or we reject it, Moderator Sean Kealy said.
The meeting then addressed Article 5 – without the override – and if the override passes, as it did, the Article 6 budget will be used. If the override is defeated at the ballot box, Article 6 will have no legal effect.
“[The budget] is entirely contingent on how the town votes,” he said.
Hanson Finance Chair Kevin Sullivan spoke frankly about the “serious budget challenges” Hanson faces, and why after an extensive review, the $3 million operational override has been recommended by his committee to maintain the services Hanson residents rely on every day.
Hanson receives 85 percent of its revenue from property taxes
“Under the limits of Proposition 2.5 our allowable revenue growth simply isn’t keeping pace with the rising costs of operating the town, especially in the face of inflation, contractual obligations and the increasing demands on our services,” Sullivan said. “This isn’t about funding new programs, this is about preserving the level of service that we have come to expect:”

• Police and fire departments, already operating with lean staffing and increasing call volumes;
• Town Hall, library, recreation and outdoor spaces, which provide vital functions for residents and businesses alike;
• School, essential not only for the education of children, but also for the town’s strength and stability.
  “Without an override, we will be forced to make extremely difficult decisions, including depleting free cash reserves, which are largely meant for capital expenditures, or making deep cuts across every department,” Sullivan said. “The Finance Committee has scrutinized this budget. We worked with every department head. We’ve reviewed every line item. We have prioritized needs, not wants, but the numbers don’t lie, the gap is real and we can no longer stretch our limited resources without damaging the core of what makes Hanson work.”
  He emphasized that the picture he painted was not intended to be a scare tactic, but is a fiscal reality.
  The lower school budget number in Article 5 than was approved by the School Committee would have been a rejection of the school budget if approved, which only the School Committee has the authority to reduce and send back to the town.
  Richard Road resident and former School Committee member Jim Armstrong said the state supplied 74 percent of the school budget until it convinced Hanson and Whitman to regionalize.
  “Every so often we have to go back and remember we used to get spoiled,” he said. “We’re not anymore and we have to start paying our way, and that’s really what it comes down to, because the state’s not supporting us like they used to so over the years we’ve had to figure out how to get there and once in a while we have to do an override to get there.”
  Another resident asked why the departments were linked together in the budget.
  Sullivan replied that they were not, but to fairly budget, all departments were asked to cut their budgets by 5 percent.
  “But if you say yes to the override, you’re saying yes to everyone equally,” she countered.
  “The override is just a method for overcoming a monetary threshold,” Sullivan said. “It has nothing to do with the town departments.”
  “I think what you’re asking is, ‘Why not separate [them]?’” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “Because we have gotten some feedback on that and we did look at that as a board in terms of how to present it.”
  She noted that the town conducted an override just for the schools last year.
  “That did not go well because … at Town Meeting, people got up and ended up eviscerating the Town Hall budget in order to fund the educational budget,” she said. As a result, small cuts had to be made affecting individual services like transfer station hours.
  “This year, we had more than one department that really made a compelling argument, so it made sense to bundle it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
  “This is sort of resetting the baseline,” Sullivan, noting that $3 million is the largest override they’ve recommended. “For too many years we were too far behind.” The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education switched the funding formula and that left Hanson in a pretty significant hole, as well, which served to set the town even farther behind, he explained.
  “This is resetting the number to get all the town departments the correct personnel that they want for the needs that we have and continue us on a path where, hopefully, we won’t need another override three to five years from now,” Sullivan said.
  School Committee member Kara Moser, while stressing that the school budget is level-serviced, sought to explain why that department’s expenses keep increasing. For example, regional school districts are responsible for paying employee benefits, just as a municipality would and W-H employs 600 people who are eligible for benefits. Then there are the state and federal mandates for services the school district is legally required to provide – such as special education – and not all are funded – such as out of district transportation for homeless students. Students going to charter or some vocational schools are also not always funded.
  Two residents asked about the procedure if the override were to fail Town Meeting, but pass at the ballot box.
  “We would go again,” Sullivan said. “We have another option to hold another Town Meeting and revote the override again.”
  “It seems like it’s pointless to vote no on the override thing tonight,” one resident said. “Even if you are very, very against the override, you still should vote yes on six because the actual vote that kills the override is at the ballot – not tonight.”
  FitzGerald-Kemmett said that may be, but it wouldn’t alter the town’s dilemma of having a school budget left unfunded.
  “Ultimately that sends it back to the School Committee about whether they’re going to lower the budget or seek the same assessment,” she said.
  Resident Mike DiCarlo of Indian Head Street made a motion to separate the school and public safety budgets into to override questions instead of one.
  Kealy said the motion would be more properly made during discussion of Article 6, and that the ballots are already printed and cannot be changed.