HANSON — The town has filed suit against the Commonwealth, arguing that the MBTA Community Act is an unfunded mandate.
Hanson Select Board issued a statement about lawsuit on March 6.
Contacted Monday, March 17. Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said the statement completely expressed the board’s objections to the MBTA Communities Act and that there was little to add.
“We know we’re in a minority,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “But we’re committed to doing the will of the people and that’s the message we got at Town Meeting.”
Hanson is the fifth community to file suit in a new legal fight against the transit hub housing law, joining Marshfield, Middleborough, Middleton and Wrentham in maintining that the MBTA Communities Act represents an unfunded mandate, following an opinion issued by Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office to that point in February.
According to published reports Gov. Healey’s office said DiZoglio’s opinion has no weight and that the state has provided close to $8 million in funding to help communities rewrite their zoning. Her office also created a fund to help compliant communities support new construction, offering money to help pay for things like infrastructure improvements and land acquisition, according to a spokesman.
In January, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state can in fact force communities to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, if the state rewrites the housing law’s regulations.
The following is the Hanson Select Board’s statement:
“Last Thursday, [March 6] the Town commenced legal action against the Commonwealth, seeking relief from enforcement of the so-called MBTA zoning law and also seeking release of vital grants that have been frozen by the State.
“The Town’s suit arises from a recent determination from the State Auditor that the MBTA zoning law constitutes an unfunded mandate. Under such determination, the Auditor, through its Division of Local Mandates, directed the Commonwealth’s housing agency, EOHLC, to provide the required information on the fiscal impact of the law.
“To date, the Commonwealth has refused to do so and has emphatically declared that it will enforce the law, including the requirement that Hanson pass a complying zoning bylaw by July 14.
“Hanson voters overwhelmingly defeated an article concerning an MBTA zoning bylaw amendment, in large part due to a concern over unfunded obligations. Under the Act, the Town would be required to zone for a minimum of 750 multi-family units at a gross density of 15 units per acre across a minimum of 50 acres. This increase in density would require substantial investment in municipal infrastructure, including educational services.
 “The Hanson Select Board determined that the most practical and fiscally responsible way to compel the Commonwealth to provide the necessary financial impact information was to file suit in Superior Court. The legal action also seeks to relieve the Town from the duty of complying with the statute until the Commonwealth provides funding to cover the financial costs of compliance. Hanson has been joined by four other communities in bringing suit against the Commonwealth.
“The Select Board remains committed to obtaining important fiscal impact information on MBTA zoning compliance and believes that the Commonwealth’s financial analysis is necessary for voters to make an informed decision at Town Meeting on whether to adopt an MBTA Zoning bylaw.”

HANOVER – The South Shore Tech School Committee certified the school’s $16.9 million fiscal 2026 budget on Feb. 12, and spent most of February visiting town select boards and finance committees to review the spending plan. Those visits concluded on March 6.
Superintendent/Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey noted that SST is obligated to certify a budget number at least 45 days before the earliest Town Meeting among its member towns, which is April 7 in Scituate.
The $16,944,649 budget figure was unanimously certified.
“By certifying the budget, the committee sets a ceiling,” he said. “The budget process is always moving forward and does not come to completion until we’ve secured at least six out of nine towns at spring annual town meetings.”
The certification allows no changes or amendments that would raise it.
SST is looking at the highest enrollment in school history with 685 students with more than 430 applications for the 180 freshmen seats next year.
Enrollment trends set the assessments to individual towns, with Whitman and Hanson, which have historically had among the largest enrollments, decreasing by six students in Hanson and 18 students in Whitman.
Based on the Chapter 70 formula, a three-year rolling average toward capital, transportation calculations, other costs and debt service as well as enrollment, down by 18 students next year, Whitman’s assessment will be $1,650,218 – a reduction of $143,109 from fiscal 2025 (1,793,327) –and with six fewer students next year, Hanson’s will be $1,042,487 – a reduction of $56,178 from fiscal 2025 ($1,098,635).
Chapter 70 aid increased by $51,648 and Regional Transportation Reimbursement is projected to increase by $185,281. The district will use $318,250 from the stabilization fund to cover the first year of debt for the building project.
Cost increases include $97,987 more in the Plymouth County Assessment and $173,819 more to fund health insurance. Additional bus routes and afternoon runs is expected to increase that expense by $72,000.
Reductions include a cut by $140,000 – to $90,000 for future vehicles.
More teaching positions will also be paid partially by grants:
An electrical teacher ($8,377 – 80 percent on the budget;
Horticulture teacher ($21,519, fully on the budget);
An English learner/special ed teacher ($34,383 – 76 percent on the budget) and a
Special education team chair ($33,654 – 51 percent on the budget).
A grant will also add $8,492 to increase time for a Culinary Arts aide.

BOSTON – State Rep. Kenneth P. Sweezey, R-Duxbury, has been appointed to several key House and Joint Committees for the 2025-2026 legislative session.
These assignments will allow him to continue to advocate for public safety, economic growth, and environmental responsibility—three issues critical to the communities of the 6th Plymouth District. Representative Sweezey, who has a background as a law enforcement forensic scientist, is particularly proud to serve on the Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee. His experience gives him firsthand insight into the challenges faced by law enforcement professionals, and he is committed to supporting policies that keep Massachusetts residents safe.
“My previous work in law enforcement was a lifelong dream of mine and a point of pride, and I am excited to continue that work on the Public Safety Committee,” said Sweezey. As the son of small business owners and a former member of the Hanson Economic Development Committee, Representative Sweezey looks forward to his role on the Economic Development & Emerging Technologies Committee.
“I look forward to fostering a more competitive business environment in Massachusetts—something that is lacking at times—by keeping our small businesses in the Commonwealth and in the 6th Plymouth District,” said Sweezey. As the Ranking Minority
Member on the Environment & Natural Resources Committee, Representative Sweezey will focus on protecting the coastal communities he represents, like Duxbury and Marshfield. Recognizing the importance of responsible environmental policy, he will work to balance conservation efforts with recreation, ensuring that both natural resources and local industries are preserved for future generations. Additionally, Sweezey has been appointed as the Ranking Minority Member on the Labor & Workforce Development Committee, where he will advocate for policies that support workers, promote fair labor practices, and encourage workforce competitiveness.
“I look forward to continuing the work that former Representative Cutler has done and hope that the Undersecretary will partner to serve the 6th Plymouth” Sweezey said. “I am honored to receive these committee assignments and grateful to House leadership for this opportunity. I look forward to building strong partnerships and advancing policies that benefit both my constituents in the 6th Plymouth District and the entire Commonwealth.”

Mandated services for special education students – and the future of federal funding and grants to pay for them as well as other programs offered by the school district – have become a source of concern for educators during the current budget season.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak on Wednesday, Feb. 12 outlined the budget pressures and concerns facing school districts during a period of uncertainty at the federal level.
“We’re presenting a budget here and I want people out there to know, we get money from the Department of Education in Washington, and it’s $1.4 million,” he said.
The school district receives $1.8 million in grants from both state and federal funding, not included in the budget. One of the revenue sources for the overall budget that concerns Szymaniak is federal grants. The IDEA 240 special education grant [a little over $1 million] and A 262 preschool grant carries $41,000.
“I’m just reading what I hear and what comes down from the state,” Szymaniak said. “We received something from our attorney that there’s no cause to be alarmed, but just be mindful.”
Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen also noted that the district is legally responsible for providing the services to students, and the state doesn’t give enough support.
“What we do here – we do a lot, and I can’t say enough about our teaching staff our support staff, our paraprofessionals – working really hard for our students during difficult times,” Szymaniak said. “People are uneasy about a lot of different things.”
A federal Title 1 Grant [$375,000], among the Title 1 through Title 4 non-competitive entitlement grants the district receives from the Department of Education, is passed to districts through Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
“One of the things that is concerning, a little bit, is the federal grants. … There has been some talk that they’re going to eliminate the funding source from the fed,” he said. “It concerns me. Right now, it’s in the budget – it’s $1.4 million in our budget (the Title 1 and IDEA 240 grant funding). If it goes away, I don’t know where we’re coming up with those funds for our students That’s something we’ve had for forever.”
Grant 147/644 is a high school internship grant. Other grants promote safe and healthy learning, vacation acceleration academies, 21st Century grants, an innovation-career pathways grant and a 710 grant which reinforces education and student health.
Szymniak said that, if the district relies on grants, “And I think it’s pretty clear here, that we do,” either they end up moving staff around, cutting staff or not providing those programs.
“We pay teachers out of that,” he said. “Some of the 21st Century grants are those special programs after school for some of our students at-risk, so it’s not only the course of the school day.”
Member Rosemary Connolly asked if all federal funding is iffy.
Last week, a televised video of a White-House governor’s conference with the president, showed him threatening Maine Gov. Janet Mills with elimination of federal funding for her state if she refuses to comply with his executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
“See you in court,” Mills replied.
Atop the W-H fiscal concerns are district-wide special education programs and services, he said.
“We start servicing our students at 3 years old,” Szymaniak said. “If a student qualifies in our preschool for special education or has qualified for special intervention services, prior to age 3, we have to support that student and those student need.”
That can mean everything from speech, some students are autistic, some are medically fragile, there’s a wide variety of special education needs begin at 3 years old, he noted.
There are autism support rooms, integrated classrooms where students receiving some special education services are in classrooms with students tuitioned in, like peers at the preschool level. A therapeutic learning center for emotional impairment is among elementary school services along with TLC program at both Conley and Duval, ASD programs, PACES (a program for developmental and intellectual disabilities) and a language-based program for students not necessarily fully integrated and in need of support.
At the middle school level, TLC (a program that helps students who have had prolonged absence due to illness or injury, return to the school routine), ASD, PACES and the language-based program.
“You can see, trickling up from age 3, if you need services, we are there to provide those services,” Szymaniak said.
PACES continues at the high school, allowing students to graduate out of the program and, if need be, attend the post-graduate program – servicing students from age 18 to 22.
There are also dual-certified teacher in special education-science as well as in history, English and math, in an academic learning center (ALC), for students who may need some support, but not necessarily a fully integrated program during their high school years.
The district also employs nine speech pathologists and two assistants. Three occupational therapists, one certified therapist assisting and four board-certified behavior analysts (down from five last year), who help students with behavioral issues in the classrooms. A contract service provider is available for students who need physical therapy.
An average of 19 students attending collaborative programs at area agencies such as North River Collaborative, costing $82,310 per student, which are not negotiable prices. The total cost of the collaboratives is $1.9 million.
There are 250 English learners are also enrolled this school year.
“The law says, and our district does, try to create an environment of least-restrictive classroom setting for our students,” Szymaniak said. What’s written in a student’s IEP (individual education plan) determines where a student will be placed. Being a member of the collaboratives saves the district about 15 percent on tuition.
The district also has a residential placement at a cost of nearly $430,000 per year. Circuit-breaker covers up to 75 percent of the coverage over that.
Another 18 students are enrolled in private, out-of-district placements.
“Private placement tuitions have gone up extensively post-COVID and we don’t really have control over that,” Szymaniak said. That total is about $2.8 million, about $160,000 per student, he said, noting the figure is lower than some other districts. An additional $2.3 million has been estimated to be the cost of transportation to those programs.
“That’s more expensive than Harvard,” member Glen DiGravio said. “That’s the greatest education in the world.”
“We actually have lower-than-average special ed costs,” Connolly said. “But it’s still expensive. One of the stressors that we want to look at, is what is the appropriate price tag to educate a child, and are the towns actually paying that appropriate price tag? … Sometimes we get into, ‘How do we get it cheaper?’ as opposed to what is the most effective education we could provide.”
The district plans to add an ASD program at the high school in either FY 2027 or 28, in an effort to provide services to middle schoolers aging out.
“We want to keep our kids home,” Szymaniak said. “We don’t want to send them somewhere – a residential placement or a residential or private school – one, because of cost; but, two, we want to keep them with like peers here in district,” he said.
The state is budgeting $1.3 million for those costs to W-H,” School Committee member Dawn Byers said.
Szymaniak said the district is not alone in the budgeting gap for special education, adding that schools are struggling to afford it.
“Our goal is to provide every student an opportunity to be successful in our district,” Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak. “The goal of this budget is to keep as-is – not to add more, because based on the data that we have … we’re doing a decent job.”
He said that, in his opinion, students get a pretty good education in a budget that, comparable to other districts, is lower.
Aside from illness, flu, RSV, noralvirus and COVID are all circulating again; changes in the media and other volatile components of society, Szymaniak assured the community that W-H students are “well taken care of both academically and socially.

HANSON – On the heels of being honored for his lifesaving work last summer, [See story opposite], Fire Chief Robert O’Brien Jr., outlined his fiscal 2026 budget and updated forecast of the department’s needs heading into the fiscal 2026 financial planning season on Tuesday, Feb. 11He spoke on the town’s impending override to help fund next year’s budget.
“Nobody likes the word override,” O’Brien said. “It’s never a good time to talk about staffing increases.”
But he talked about what’s gone on within the last 12 months – as well as the next 48 hours.
“[Police] Deputy Chief hit on it,” he said. “Both our ambulances were tied up in town, they [couldn’t] leave, once you’re committed on call, you’re there, legally,” he said.
The day he was speaking, the department had multiple calls deep about three times on Monday, Feb. 10 and five or six times calls deep between 1 an 4:30 pm., on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The department always runs four-person ambulance crew – consisting of a lieutenant and a crew of three firefighter-paramedics, per shift, which allows two advanced life support (ALS) ambulances while putting four people on the ground, providing four people on the fire ground so long on the fire ground for that.
To solve the staffing problems he sees in the department, O’Brien is seeking $344,000 – which would include all benefits.
“I don’t want anything hidden,” O’Brien said on the figures the department calculated about six months ago are built on three family plans and one single plan. “It’s built to show all the costs.”
The $344,000 price tag, spread over 4,378 on residential and commercial tax bills, calculates out to $82.54 a year or $20.64 per quarter on the average home to allow O’Brien to staff shifts at five people all the time. That fifth person would permit someone to be at headquarters can allow a second ambulance, when needed, to get out the door faster, he said. Overtime might have to be recalculated, but he is confident it can be worked out.
“We’re looking at average usage, and we are below where we need to be in order to keep the service where we need it,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That’s what this is about. We’re not trying to add bloat to a budget or over-staff or anything of that sort.”
“We see it – we know people are struggling,” O’Brien said. “The problem is, it’s never a good time to ask for staff.”
One third of the Fire Department’s budget – roughly $800,000 per year comes from ambulance billing.
“We do make every attempt to recall people from home,” he said, noting the recall system has been in place long before O’Brien joined the department in 1997.
When the first call comes in and the ambulance and squad are on an EMS call, unless another call comes in, the duty squad is not recalled. Once that second call comes in or if they’re going to transport with three or they end up with all four firefighter/EMTs are stuck on a call, they’ll put in for a duty squad.
“It’s hit or miss whether we get people back,” O’Brien said. “There is no rhyme or reason to it. Quite honestly, we have a vert young department, so a lot of them have just gotten married, are getting married, are starting to have families and things like that. Their significant others are professionals, so they also work. Getting people to come back on the recall system is not a guarantee.”
At the same time, the department has not undergone a shift staffing increase since 2004. But they have added a deputy chief and ensured all shifts have four firefighters and can staff up, if needed, according to O’Brien.
Call volume, meanwhile, is steadily increasing – not including the routine business of the fire prevention officer, inspections, training, people stopping in to ask directions or permits, etc.
“Right now, we’re tracking higher than average for 2025 – and we’re only about six weeks into it,” he said. There is also an increasing population of people over age 65, thanks to the increase in “over-55 residences in the last 20 years. There are also several group homes in town.
All the department’s statistics are real numbers, O’Brien noted, because they have to be reported to the state Department of Fire Services and the National Fire Agency.
To answer residents’ questions before Town Meeting, O’Brien is planning to set up coffee meetings or meet and greets at the Fire Station. They are also talking about doing an April open house.
“Everybody hears from me, being the fire chief, let people come and talk to the lieutenants, let them talk to the other firefighter/paramedics that are there,” he said. They are also planning a social media campaign to make their case to voters for the additional personnel.

By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
HANSON — When I was 8 years old, a new family moved to Hanson – a house at the very end of Elm Street, where it turns onto Hudson street. They were from Hingham and moved into a big two-story post and beam Colonial that had, at one time, been owned by a doctor.
I boarded the school bus one morning and noticed a new girl sitting with two of my friends. They were smiling at me when I sat in the seat behind them and I wondered why, when one of them turned to me, pointing to the new girl, and said, “Linda, meet Linda.”
I realized then why they were grinning. Linda and I exchanged grins and hellos. As time went on, we got to know each other and became not only fast friends but life-long ones. 
Linda was the youngest of six. Two sisters still lived at home, the other two and her brother were married with families. Her mother, Minnie, was a registered nurse. Her father was Lou Brouillard, one of the first professional fighters to win both the welterweight and middleweight world titles and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
A lot of the local boys tried to date or make friends with the sisters so they could meet their father. I felt honored to meet him myself; he was a quiet, modest man with a good sense of humor. 
The first time I was invited to Linda’s, I was impressed.
The circular driveway went from the red brick walk that led to the front door, to a two-story barn on the far right with a field beyond. There was a kennel for boarding dogs between the house and the barn with a gate that led to the backyard. Their dogs of choice were golden retrievers; I met and loved their’s right away, her name was Molly. 
When Linda and her sister Judy had friends over for the first time, they held an initiation. They brought me upstairs, blindfolded me and directed me to crawl around in what felt like storage space in the eaves. I was told to keep moving and to not touch the blindfold. Suddenly I felt fur underneath me. I kept going until I felt what I thought was a head and I screamed and ripped off the blind fold.
I was on a big black bear rug and beside it was a white one, also with a head. We were laughing as I looked around at a very nice room with knotty pine walls and a long-cushioned window seat.
Before I left that first day, I met Linda’s grandfather, Joe. He was her mother’s dad and they were from England. He had a workshop on the top floor of the barn where he made beautiful things out of wrought iron. He had also helped her father in his boxing career. I remember him as a good-natured man who almost always had a smile on his face and in his eyes. 
During the next few years Linda and I had many good times.
One winter during February vacation, we had gone ice skating. Joe met us as we came in the back door to hang up our coats and skates, telling us he had hotdogs, beans and cocoa warming in the Dutch oven in the living room fireplace and a fire going so we could warm ourselves. He sat in his chair entertaining us with stories about growing up in England while we sat on a warm braided rug on the floor beside him. Eventually he fell asleep. Linda’s parents weren’t home and neither were her sisters.
She looked at me and gestured for me to follow her.
She led me into one of the front rooms that was a spare bedroom and quietly shut the door. She asked me if I remembered asking her what a post and beam house was and that one day she’d show me. I nodded yes. She opened the closet door, reached for the four-foot ladder inside, climbed up and pushed a board at the top of the closet away. I realized I was looking up at the inner structure of the house.
“Be quieter than quiet”, she whispered, as up she went and I followed. 
I found it hard to keep quiet as we climbed. I likened it to a huge jungle gym with it’s vertical timbers and horizontal hand hewn beams. Linda was on one side of the structure, I on the other as we kept climbing and exploring, until we heard a voice. “You both come down here, slowly!”
“Okay Gramp!” Linda shouted down. 
He was waiting for us at the closet door. He didn’t raise his voice but was very stern when he looked at us, saying, “This won’t happen again and we’ll never speak of it, agreed?”In unison, we said yes. We did the climb one more time when no one else was there. 

In the wake of the commonwealth’s vote last year to remove the MCAS test as a graduation requirement, school districts have been grappling with whether to keep it as an educational tool and how it should be used if it is retained.
“We’ve always had high graduation requirements at W-H,” Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said during the Wednesday, Jan. 15 School Committee meeting.
Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen noted that the change is a shift to the Committee’s requirements, asked what graduation requirements have been set.
The Committee unanimously voted to accept changes to the district’s high school graduation requirements, after a lengthy discussion on the implication of the changes toward graduation requirements.
High School Principal Dr. Christopher Jones presented this year’s changes to the program of study to the School Committee.
The main changes concern a change of language due to graduation requirements following the ballot question removing it as a graduation requirement last November.
Jones said language changes are usually done merely for updating, accuracy and clarity; two new course additions – Teen Literature II and Physics: Electricity and Waves, or Magnetism – accessible via graphic. Course adjustments to keep courses fresh and provide students with different opportunities and options, are also included in the program of study.
The updated graduation policy changes from requiring the MCAS test to just mentioning “successfully passed all requirements set forth by the WHRSD School Committee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Department of Education.”
A schedule change to eight different blocks of class time, also means students are now required to take minimum of seven classes, instead of six – with a total of 98 credits instead of 90 to graduate, beginning with the Class of 2028 with certain number in certain classes – beginning with the Class of 2026.
“Students have to have a certain number of credits to graduate, and a certain number of those credits have to be in certain courses,” Jones said. “We haven’t adjusted the number courses that they need, or specific courses that they need, so we put those into electives. That doesn’t mean that they have to be a half-year course. It could be a full-year course – it really opens up options for students to explore more of what they would like to explore when they’re in high school.”
Jones said it is a requirement that is easily attainable by the time they’ve completed their four years of high school.
“Now that the MCAS is off the table, and – DESE – we’re still waiting for guidance, and maybe we’ll get it this year, probably not,” she said. “But, by the time we get it, it’ll be too late for this current class. Right? So, what is our role here?”
She said, if the language in the program of study refers to requirements set by the School Committee, “then that means we, as a School Committee, have to have a conversation about adopting MassCORE or looking at the MassCORE framework.” She noted that MassCORE is what most state universities look at, as well.
“Is that a future topic?” Kniffen asked.
Szymaniak said if the district aligns with MassCORE, which requires the increase to 98 credits, but it is a modified version, or a future topic to be discussed.
“It could be both,” Szymaniak said. “We use MassCORE, [which is why the credit total is being changed]. It’s modified MassCORE. A student in science could take biology, could take physics, and then, potentially, could take two other courses to fulfill that requirement.”
Glen DiGravio asked for confirmation that the local School Committee is subordinate to the other two, referring to DESE at the state level and the U.S, Department of Education.
“We couldn’t supersede them?” DiGravio asked.
“Yes, you could,” Szymaniak replied. “Right now, there is nothing from the Commonwealth of Mass. … Certain School Committees now, still require MCAS.”
“We could do that?” Digravio asked.
“You could,” Szymaniak said. “If you do, you’re opening up for a lawsuit from voters, saying you’re not supporting the vote of the Commonwealth.”
The vote in 2024 reset the law and abolishes the MCAS tests.
The MCAS vote is now law, “but the phrase “local requirements” have also to be factored in, Szymaniak explained.
There is no competency determination in the Commonwealth,” said Szymaniak. “The state only gave us MCAS, which is a competency, not a graduation requirement in the Commonwealth, however, a number of our students still have to take MCAS because it’s a federal assessment, for attendance – not necessarily schoolwork.
“This is where the state is doing the push-pull right now,” Szymaniak said. “The School Committee has always approved graduation requirements and the state said, ‘For a state diploma, because of the law, you need the competency determination for MCAS.’ That is now off the table, so the School Committee could do multiple things.”
W-H has always had high graduation requirements, according to the superintendent.
Kniffen noted that the district requires two units of foreign language, adding that it is important for the School Committee members to know how many courses and credits students are supposed to take at W-H.
“Currently, we don’t have foreign language at our middle schools,” she said. “If you take a foreign language in middle school, and you take it in seventh and eighth grade, that can set you up to go more than just your first two units [in high school]. I’m just saying that there are more budgetary implications to – now that we don’t have MCAS – making sure that the students have access to these things in that way.”
Member Dawn Byers argued that, when they approve the program of studies changes, they are, essentially, setting graduation policy. But, when the high school advocates for no mid-term and final exams in order to give more in-class time on learning, but when the committee supported Jones in that, MCAS was still a measure of competency and a tool.
“Now, our students are not experiencing the learning process to learn, [and prepare] for a midterm or final exam or an MCAS,” she said, adding that she has heard feedback from some students that the situation is problematic for them.
She also noted that AP Spanish is being removed because it doesn’t qualify for W-H students. Robotics is not offered until junior year.
Jones countered that AP Spanish has not been removed [but] the way it’s worded is a little tricky.
“It’s being taken out that we’re not offering it,” he said. “So, we’re taking that back, because it was put in the program of study last year that it was not going to be offered … it will be offered,” he said. “Now, whether it runs or not depends on how many students can qualify or apply for it or to enter into it.” He said the number is very low right now. “If I were a betting person, I don’t think it will run next year,” Jones said.

Voters in the nine towns sending students to South Shore Technical High School —Abington, Cohasset, Hanover, Hanson, Marshfield, Norwell, Rockland, Scituate and Whitman — go to the polls on Saturday, Jan. 25 to vote on a new building proposed for the school.
Polls for voters in the nine towns are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Whitman voters casting ballots at Whitman Town Hall Auditorium and at Hanson Middle School gymnasium in Hanson.
A simple majority of the votes cast in all nine communities will decide the issue.
The proposed building project is to construct a new, 900 student school with two new, high-demand vocational programs:  Plumbing and Veterinary Science. The building would be constructed on the current athletic fields in the back of the property.  Project construction would start in mid 2026 and the school would be opened for the 2028-2029 school year. SST is the second oldest vocational school in Massachusetts, opened in 1962.
Hanson absentee ballots are now available at the Hanson Town Clerk’s Office. Absentee voting is done at the Town Clerk’s office and can be done up until noon on Friday, Jan. 24. For more information, call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-293-2772.
To vote by absentee ballot in Whitman,an application has to be filed before an absentee ballot can be sent. The deadline for applications for absentee voting must be on file by noon on Friday, Jan. 24. You may vote absentee only if you are unable to vote at the polls on election day due to absence from town during the hours polls are open, physical disability or religious belief.
You may vote in person during regular office hours. Office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For more information call the Whitman Town Clerk’s office at 781-618-9710.

As South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School (SST) approaches its district wide election on the proposed building project, the Express asked Superintendent-Director Tom Hickey to provide some information on a range of topics, including the background on the project, details about the new building and the associated costs of the project.
Q: What is the rationale for the project?
A: Opened in 1962, we are the second oldest regional vocational school in Massachusetts. The district has been applying to MSBA for several years, citing the age of the building and its systems, the lack of space, and a growing waiting list of students interested in attending. District wide we currently have 428 applications for 180 seats in next year’s grade 9 class. Both Whitman and Hanson have consistently had more applicants than allotted seats (almost 4 applicants for every seat), which is part of a strong trend with the growing interest in vocational education.
Q: What is the project being proposed? What is its timeline?
A: The construction would be for a new 900 student school built behind the current school on Webster Street in Hanover. Construction would run from mid-2026 until mid-2028 and the building would be open for the 2028-2029 school year. The current building would remain fully operational during the construction phase.
Q: Are any new vocational programs being added?
A: Yes. We would add Plumbing and Veterinary Science programs, two programs with a high level of interest. More project design information can be found at www.southshoretechproject.com.
Q: What should readers need to know about the special district election?
A: Date/Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday Jan. 25, 2025
Poll locations: Hanson votes at Hanson Middle School; Whitman votes at Whitman Town Hall
Our town clerks have information on the respective town websites about absentee ballots and other details. The ballot question will determine if the project moves forward based on a combined vote tally within the district’s nine towns.
Q: Why does the ballot question language reference the total project budget, if each town will share in the costs?
A: It is required by statute and MSBA to have the same ballot question language in all 9 towns and that the language includes the total project budget cost (the $276m). In the ballot question’s second paragraph, it states that the MSBA is committed to paying a maximum state grant up to 61.86 percent of the eligible costs of the project, which is the maximum grant of $111 million.
Q: What is the projected local share after the MSBA grant?
A: After subtracting already paid for feasibility costs and using some stabilization funds we can put back into the project, we are projecting approximately $162m between the 9 towns, financed over 30 years. The household tax impact information we are providing on our project website includes principal and interest. Please see www.southshoretechproject.com/tax-impacts.
Q: How will the local share of $162m be divided?
A: Per our regional agreement, it is based on student enrollment trends over time at the school. We anticipate Hanson’s share to be 10.28 percent and Whitman’s share to be 17.17 percent by the time the bonds roll on in FY30. Our towns recently adjusted our regional agreement to have debt share adjusted based on a rolling four-year average, so this is a projection based on enrollment trends.
Q: What is the projected tax impact at the household level? When will it roll on?
A: When: The highest amount of borrowing will take place in FY29 or delayed to FY30.
Impact: It depends on how the money is borrowed. Paying back debt can be done with (a) level debt payments which are lower initially but include more interest over the term of borrowing or (b) level principal payments cost more up front but that leads to lower total cost over the life of the borrowing.
The bottom line: At our highest borrowing in FY30:
The average assessed home in Whitman would see a $296 per year ($74 per quarter) increase using a level debt payment model. In Hanson the level debt payment amount would be $235 per year ($74 per quarter)
As an alternative, a level principal borrowing model in FY30 would be higher ($367 yr/$92 qtr for Whitman and $290 yr/$72 qtr for Hanson) but level principal borrowing declines over time.
All of these projected amounts have interest costs baked in.
Q: When will you decide the borrowing model?
A: The district won’t make borrowing decisions without first consulting with towns, and that decision won’t happen until closer to FY29. We show both borrowing models on the tax impact documents on our project website to give readers a comparison.
Q: What should people do if they need more information?
A: If readers have questions or want to double check information, the project website, www.southshoretechproject.com is a good resource. Readers are also encouraged to contact Superintendent Tom Hickey at [email protected] or 781-766-4002 with any questions or suggestions for content for the project website.

— Dr. Thomas J. Hickey