HANOVER — The South Shore Tech School Committee, in a special meeting, on Monday, April 26 lowered the amount it is recommending for its debt authorization article to $10,516,372.

The funds are aimed at making renovations and “extraordinary repairs” to the school.

Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey recommended revising the article going before the eight member towns’ annual town meetings over the next few months.

“The needs remain the same,” he said of the school with the main building constructed in 1962. “A lot of what we want to do here is to preserve fixed assets. We want this school to go very deep into the 21st Century.”

He argued that borrowing is part of doing that in the most affordable way as opposed to larger annual capital budgets.

The Committee had approved $18,960,537 on April 5, the recommendation approved this week reduced it to $10,516,372 — the equivalent of the first three years of the five-year plan. Financial advisers were able to more confidently forecast lower interest rates over three years, according to Hickey.

“I see this as a more affordable way of us meeting the needs of the school building and students,” Hickey said. “We’re looking for the tools to manage future projects to make them more affordable for our communities.”

The vote has no effect on fiscal ’22 or the assessments sought in that budget, he said, but would start them off with two years of interest-only borrowing. The $10 million would be rolled over into a 20-year bond in fiscal ’25 and more flexibility in interest rates and financing structures at that point. Hickey said he will make the financial analysis available to the towns.

“Since [the April 5] vote, we have learned that the Hanson Finance Committee has taken a vote to not recommend the article,” Hickey explained. “As you all know, our ability to borrow money depends on us being a good partner with our sending communities and, also, our ability to secure all eight towns’ support.”

The debt authorization article and assessment figure was passed by Scituate Town Meeting on Monday, April 12. Cohasset Selectmen have voted to recommend the debt authorization article to voters at their Town Meeting. Hanson, Rockland and Hanover have town meetings on Monday, May 3. Whitman’s will be in early June.

Hickey said that a reduction in the overall authorization shows that SST is working to be responsive to the financial condition of the communities without necessarily watering down the district’s plans.

“The towns have been very willing to communicate, give us time in front of their respective boards of selectmen and finance or advisory committees, so that certainly has been very helpful,” Hickey said at the Wednesday, April 21 meeting.

Hanson’s Finance Committee voted against recommending the debt authorization, setting up Monday’s meeting.

“We all now that this debt authorization article, in order for anything to move forward, is going to require, essentially, the support of all eight towns,” he said, noting the school is going to recommend consideration to using the phase-in plan to reduce the amount to the first three years.

COVID update

As the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) prepares for high schools to fully reopen next, Hickey said SST will be among the schools seeking a waiver from the three-foot social distancing rule because of the size of classrooms at the school.

“I think we’ve done admirable work all year long being in school as much as we have,” Hickey said, saying he asked for a visit from a DESE team to front-load the process of complying with the reopening. He said he will be seeking suggestions on how to maximize the use of space, and described it as a “good visit, short of us making a 750 square-foot classroom into 1,000 square-foot classroom.”

“There’s only so much extra furniture you can take out of those classrooms,” he said.

Hickey said measurements were taken and a “good dialog” took place, but he will have updates on the issue at a later meeting.

In the meantime, the MSBA did not invite SST into the eligibility period for renovation funds, which was expected, and the school will try again.

The Committee approved the application, through a statement of interest, for the next round of applications. That permits the district to make updates to its need.

WHITMAN — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, April 20, voted to approve Town Administrator Lincoln Heineman’s draft article 2, and approved in-person early voting, subject to Board of Health review, for the annual Town Election.

The balance of the articles will be reviewed during the first meeting in May.

“It was a good team effort by everyone,” said Selectman Randy LaMattina, noting the budget preparation process was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the deficit the town faced.

He did note that the “bump in pay for a potential hire” should be fully explained to Town Meeting, stressing that no one has been hired yet.

“What we’re doing is putting a salary out there to see [if we can get] the best possible candidate,” he said.

LaMattina said the budget has also reflected the least amount of one-time funds the town has used over the last five years.

Selectman Justin Evans said he would like to see long-time employees paid equitably with surrounding towns first.

“I don’t want to become the town that just pays market rate for the new hires, I’d like to take care of our long-time employees as well,” Evans said. “I love the presentation of the budget and we’ll see how Town Meeting reacts,”

Selectmen also voted to postpone Town Meeting from Saturday, May 3 to Tuesday, June 2, with a rain date of June 3 on the grounds of WHRHS.

“The best option at this point … would be using the high school field for Town Meeting,” said Heineman, noting that the Town Meeting was originally slated for Monday, June 7. The field would still be set up for the Friday, June 4 graduation.

With Town Moderator Michael Seele asking for a switch to June 2, which would be “95 percent a good option” with Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, Heineman reported.

The board also approved the election warrant for May 15 with an eye toward approving the entire Town Meeting warrant at a later date, voting on article 2 only.

The board also voted the Town Meeting warrant in order for the Finance Committee to be able to make their recommendations.

Heineman made some “non-substantive” changes to the warrant, breaking out the salary lines for town clerk and treasurer as elected officials in compliance with state law.

“There is no change to the bottom line,” Heineman said.

The also received feedback from ZBA Chairman John Goldrosen regarding a $202 reduction from the final request for the board’s budget.

Heineman said they were not singled out, but that the ZBA was one of several boards that have not fully spent their appropriations over the years. He did not rule out transferring funds later if they are needed, suggesting a reserve fund transfer could be made during the year.

Early voting

Town Clerk Dawn Varley said state law extended changes to voting rules, due to the pandemic, until June.

“It is required,” she said, of early voting by mail, estimating that it should cost about $800, but some people don’t trust the mail. She recommended conducting in-person early voting during Town Hall hours only from May 10 to May 13 for the Saturday, May 15 town election.

Early voting differs from absentee in that only disability, religious objection or absence from town are acceptable excuses for the latter.

Kowalski said his two concerns were cost and COVID. While he said Varley had cleared up the cost concern, the town’s status in the red zone at the moment presents a concern.

LaMattina also reminded the board they had just decided not to permit people in Town Hall because of COVID.

“We want to encourage voter participation,” Kowalski said. “On the other hand, a knotty problem is the pandemic.”

Evans noted that, because Town Hall has to be open anyway, it made some sense to spread them out a bit over a few extra days.

She said there were 300 early voting by mail voters in 2020 and expects about the same, if not more because of some contested races.

“The voter themselves are doing all the process,” she said.

“We are still in a pandemic and the state is offering it for a reason.”

Heineman said the board received a redlined copy of the current COVID-19 protocols, adopting an advisory that employees on personal travel are no longer required to quarantine. Employees are still urged to avoid unnecessary travel.

Heineman had suggested amending the COVID-19 protocols, specifying that town services are available by appointment only, in designated areas outside town buildings, to advise in-person services be available by appointment only.

The town is still in the red zone.

“I want Town Hall to be open, but I want people to be safe,” Salvucci said, asking how the Board of Health felt about it. Heineman had not discussed it with them. “It’s a real tough decision.”

LaMattina asked if the town would be better off simply suspending the travel policy for now, especially if the pandemic flares up again. Heineman said the policy would automatically require quarantine.

“We’ve been following the Board of Health’s recommendations all along,” said Kowalski who requested that Heineman discuss the issue with them.

The board passed the revisions excluding travel guidelines.

“Clearly we have more work to do,” Heineman said.

He also said a Civil Service list has been requested for Fire Chief Timothy Grenno’s replacement.

He has received what he believes is the official list, but is waiting for confirmation.

Kowalski said he would like to meet with the top candidate,  but took care not to describe such a meeting as an interview.

Salvucci said it would be a good opportunity for that person to introduce themselves to the community.

WMS update

Heineman also updated the board on the MSBA’s elevation of the Whitman Middle School to the feasibility stage. [See page 7].

The Building Committee must still decide if it will be a grade five to eight or grade six to eight school.

“It’s about getting the project done in the most fiscally responsible way to benefit our students,” LaMattina said.

Memorial Day plans are also being dicussed, Heineman said, noting that right now, parades are still not permitted.

The VFW is still planning to visit cemeteries in town on the morning of Memorial Day, beginning at 9 a.m., asking for suggestions from residents for other ways of honoring those who gave their life for their country.

HANSON —  The Board of Selectmen, on Tuesday, April 6, voted to place a $1.85 million Proposition 2 ½ override on the May 3 Town Meeting warrant and scheduled an interview with former Whitman Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green for the position of interim Town Administrator.

Town Administrator John Stanbrook has been selected to serve as business and finance director for the W-H School District [see story this page]. Green has served as interim town administrator in Whitman following the retirement of Frank Lynam and had applied for the Hanson post two years ago after the departure of Michael McCue.

The override decision came at the conclusion of s fiscal 2022 budget discussion with Town Accountant Todd Hassett and the Finance Committee.

Hanson faces a $2,181,208 million budget shortfall.

Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell said he asked the financial team for recommendations of cuts in services required to make up the shortfall.

“What you’re about to hear tonight would result in significant number of layoffs if the shortfall is not made up,” Mitchell said.

Town departments had been asked to level fund their budgets and limit expenses.

“Unfortunately, that’s just not enough to overcome a deficit this large,” Sullivan said. “Last year I think a lot of people looked at this as being a school problem [centering on the shift in assessment formula]… but this year, this is a town-wide fiscal crisis.”

Among the recommendations from Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Sullivan and Hassett include immediate steps such as using free cash to fund the transfer station budget, using all the retained earnings in the transfer station budget, requiring recreation to run a self-funded operation.

That brought the deficit down to a $1.85 million deficit.

“Unfortunately, it’s not something that can just be spread across all the town departments because — some town departments — that would wipe out their entire budget and they would cease to exist as we know it,” Sullivan said. “The largest way to cut that deficit, unfortunately, is personnel cuts.”

General government costs must be cut by $211,000; Public safety would see $1.115 million cut; a reduction of about $300,000 would come from the operating assessment for schools; public works would be cut by $157,000; another $36,000 would be cut from human services and another $30,000 from culture and recreation [library, parks and fields and patriotic observance].

Translated into human terms, the reductions could cut 12 full-time and several individual part-time positions:

• six full-time police officers and one non-replacement of a retirement;

• four full-time firefighters;

• one or two full-time positions in the Highway Department;

• one full-time employee at the Council on Aging;

• several part-time employees either let go or given significant reduction in hours at the Public Library, bringing the town “dangerously low” in the minimum amount of funding as required by the state;

• a part-time employee from Treasurer/Collector;

• a full-time town buildings custodian; and

• a part-time assistant to the Planning Board.

“Departments are preparing impact statements that go into greater detail about what [cuts] mean for their individual departments,” Sullivan said. “In my time here, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a deficit this large. … This will affect town services across the board.”

Sullivan noted that Police Chief Michael Miksch told him that the budget cuts under consideration would mean there will be hours “that the station will go dark, now.”

The Finance Committee has not yet voted on a specific budget number, according to Sullivan.

“It’s going to hurt everyone,” Hassett agreed. “This is where we believe we need to be to sustain current level of service — at $1.85 million — otherwise this structural revenue problem is just going to recur next year.”

Mitchell suggested there are other areas in town hall that could be cut to reduce cuts to public safety. He also questioned the use of free cash to subsidize the transfer station, especially since Camp Kiwanee — the other enterprise fund facility — would not be subsidized.

“We shouldn’t sacrifice public safety if at all possible,” he said.

Hassett agreed that closures at the transfer station could be part of the budget-trimming efforts.

“This is the [Select] board’s budget,” Hassett said, noting that residents have expressed that they value the transfer station, but that retained earnings will not cover costs. “We’re setting a framework for you.”

Since the transfer station is funded outside the budget, under a separate article, efforts to cut costs have been thwarted at Town Meeting in the past, Sullivan noted.

“If I have a choice of whether to have a police officer show up to my home if my house gets broken into, or having an ambulance come to my home and transport me if I’m sick, I think the police and fire would take precedence over the transfer station,” Mitchell said, as he acknowledged that the transfer station is a beneficial service.

“Or even the [police] station going dark vs the transfer station,” said Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “I mean, come on, let’s get real.”

Sullivan said other town departments are not the source of funds sufficient to solve the problem. The town accountant budget is $224,000 and town clerk is $136,000 of expenses, he said by way of example.

“They just don’t have the budget to cut,” he said.

“It’s chewing gum and baling wire right now for a lot of these departments,” FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed.

OVERRIDE

“It’s up to the people of Hanson to decide what kind of public safety do they want,” Selectman Jim Hickey said during the budget update discussion. “It’s that simple.”

He noted the override question on the agenda and said he already was ready to vote yes to place it on the warrant.

A forum about the override will be held at the W-H Performing Arts Center at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 20. Up to 100 people may attend. Department heads will be available to answer questions and outline how cuts will affect their departments.

Facebook livestream of the event will be offered to residents unable to attend in person,

“For me, it’s pretty clear what I need to do is support this override so the town can maintain the services it provides for residents,” Mitchell agreed.

The override is just to maintain current services, however, he cautioned.

“We’ve got a few areas where we need to increase services,” Mitchell said. “This is going to take everyone in town to understand and realize. … Are you willing to risk losing any town services, because I’m not.”

Selectman Matt Dyer said he understands that some are still hurting financially due to the pandemic economy, but that the average homeowner would see less than $10 a week more on their tax bills “to make sure that we have the firefighters, the police officers, the teachers in the schools and all the support in our town.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett supported the override question as “the right thing to do.”

“I don’t want to live in a town where the employees and all the departments are on a continual starvation diet,” she said. “This board has not been bullish about overrides [in the past]. We don’t do this willy-nilly.”

She said there was no doubt in her mind that the town’s financial team left no stone unturned in seeking an alternative.

“I support the override 100 percent,” Selectman Wes Blass said. “I’m not going to pontificate. That’s where I stand.”

“I made my statement earlier,” Hickey said. “I support it whole-heartedly.”

TM SEARCH

Selectmen were told that MRI, the firm that conducted the last Town Administrator search, has indicated their current fee to conduct a search is $9,800, reduced by $1,000 because the town had used their services to hire Stanbrook less than two years ago.

“They seem to think there’s some real good talent out there for a replacement for the town administrator,” Mitchell said.

MRI said their process would take about 12 weeks.

He and Hickey sat down with Green recently to discuss her interest and ability to take on an interim position in Hanson.

“Her answers to both those questions was yes,” Mitchell said. “Either way, we’re going to need an interim.”

He said Green could interim either for the 12 weeks of a search or the board could interview her toward possibly offering her a position of interim town administrator with a one-year contract, which could be reviewed at its conclusion.

“I actually thought about bringing Lisa Green in,” Hickey said. “I’d like to put that $8,800 on hold with MRI.”

He said he would never speak behind Stanbrook’s back, “But, for me, honestly, I didn’t get my money’s worth,” he said. “You were excellent while you were here, but if you’re leaving, the $10,000 for 14 or 16 months — however long — for me, it doesn’t break down to be even.”

Having Green work with Stanbrook to bring her up to speed until he left, would be a win-win situation for Hanson, Hickey argued.

Dyer agreed with Hickey.

“We know Lisa,” he said. “Lisa knows us, which is kind of a nice feeling.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she had spoken with Green three weeks ago about whether she would entertain coming to Hanson.

“If we had interviewed four people last time, Lisa would have been the fourth person we would have interviewed.”

She said she was comfortable offering Green a one-year contract right away.

Blauss agreed with FitzGerald-Kemmett, but Hickey preferred to at least go through a formal interview with the full board.

HANOVER — The COVID-19 pandemic has not interfered with South Shore Tech students attaining industry-recognized credentials during the 2020-21 school year, according to Superintendent-director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey during the School Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, March 17.

The information was part of Hickey’s review of his goals for the year — most of which were pandemic-related.

“We know that the school has done very well under the circumstances,” he said, noting he would update the committee on the efforts of students to obtain credentials later in the year. “But the pandemic has not prevented our students from getting access to those credentials, which is absolutely essential.”

Principal Mark Aubrey said preparing students with the criteria they will need for careers in the trades, military or college continues to be a primary concern.

Efforts are also underway to get students ready for September. Late buses have been added to the schedule as fully one-third of students stay after school — for athletics or clubs that meet in person.

Parents are also being helpful in picking students up after athletic events.

As in-person instruction schedules begin again, there will be a return of normal practices to the school day, Aubrey said. No more hats is one of the rules coming back.

Students had been allowed to wear hats during in-person days over the winter when windows had to be opened to keep air circulating.

“We’re going to start tightening up on all of that,” Aubrey said. “We’re going to start easing up into the environment. We’re looking for more ways to start bringing students back in.”

Aubrey also commended Hickey for his leadership during the pandemic, making sure the school’s faculty and staff do the best they can for students.

A graduation committee is already at work planning an outdoor event, probably taking place at the school the weekend of June 5 and 6, most likely on the stands at the football field.

“We’re going to work it like we did at last year’s events,” Aubrey said of the drive-in graduation at the Marshfield Fairgrounds, with one car per spot for families to sit and a limited number of tickets available.

Aubrey said the school is waiting for guidance from the Mass. Department of Public Health before making any decisions on prom.

“We’re looking more at a kind of semi-formal kind of dance because I don’t want kids going out and renting tuxedos or buying gowns for something that might not happen,” he said.

In any case, the event would be held outdoors and would be for seniors only after graduation. Seniors and parents are involved in the discussion to make sure whatever is decided on is something that can be delivered.

“I don’t believe we have the capacity to do much more than what we’re about to do,” Hickey said, noting the school doesn’t have enough classrooms for academic days. Most of the 28 classrooms the school does have, do not have the space to permit spacing all students three feet apart.

Waivers for full returns can be followed by a site visit by DESE, which Hickey has done, but elementary and middle schools are getting priority.

“We may be very close to the end of our maximum safe capacity,” he said. The schedule being planned at this point is three days of in-person instruction on an academic week and two days of fully engaged remote instruction. During shop weeks, instruction would be full-day in-person weeks.

“I do think the three-feet distancing rule is going to be the next hurdle for us,” he said. “If that, by September, is not relaxed, then we’re going to have to take a hard look this summer about … the capacity to come back.”

Transportation guidelines being relaxed would also be a big deal, according to Hickey. He does see the mask requirement continuing.

HANSON — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Feb. 23 heard a review of priority projects aimed at easing the effects of potential weather-related hazards.

A representative from the Old Colony Regional Planning Commission reviewed a vulnerability preparedness grant application process and is seeking feedback from residents. Top hazards already identified by community members are: floods and drought; extreme winds and storms, fire and extreme temperatures, which led to the creation of a risk matrix of facilities in town that could be impacted by the hazards and how they could be made more resilient.

Workshops on the process have been ongoing since October 2021.

The public is asked to call Laurie Muncy at 508-583-1883 Ext. 210 or email lmuncy@ocpcpa.org to offer comments on the presentation, which may be viewed on Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV’s YouTube site.

Priority projects identified were continued efforts to identify and address flood-prone areas; improve a warming/cooling center for seniors lacking a backup generator for power; pursuing alternative or supplemental water supplies; increasing the town’s water storage capacity; development of a culvert maintenance and repair plan and a new highway facility.

40B developments

The board also heard a review of ongoing 40B developments in town.

Hanson currently has 4.5 percent of its 10-percent affordable housing goal, to be consistent with local needs. The town needs 357 total units to meet that goal, and now has 160 affordable units.

“At our last meeting we talked about a 40B project extensively,” Town Administrator John Stanbrook said. “I just wanted to give an update on some of the other 40B projects that are in town.”

One of those facilities is Dunham Farm condominiums for people age 55 and over. Built in the 1990s as affordable units in perpetuity, the original plan called for 52 units, with 28 built aimed at a market rate of $321,000, 12 of which were affordable. There are now 24 more units being added (market rate $429,000), with only one intended as an affordable unit because enough were built in the original portion to cover the required ratio.

Another project, Depot Village on Phillips Street, will have 45 total units when completed — 12 affordable. The three-story building will have no age restriction.

“Hanson will be credited with all 45 units as affordable, because they are rental units,” Stanbrook said. It is expected to be move-in ready in January 2022.

Ridders’ development at 280 Liberty St., with 57 townhouse units planned to be built starting in about four weeks, includes 13 affordable units with a 55-and-older age restriction.

The three developments will bring Hanson to within half-way to it’s goal — 186 units of the 357 needed.

“We’re not close to the 10 percent yet,” Stanbrook said. “If we only put aside 25 percent of every 100, it will take another 1,000 units in order to get to the 10-percent goal.”

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said it seems there is a misconception that the board can stop 40B housing from coming to Hanson.

“I think it’s important that people recognize … that the town needs to basically demonstrate that it’s on track to have 10 percent affordable housing,” she said. “We’re far from that.”

What selectmen can do, FitzGerald-Kemmett said, is articulate their concerns and work with the land use boards, so the developments are in keeping with the character and nature of the town.

“What we can’t do is stop 40B,” she said. “There is no way to stop 40B.”

Selectmen also discussed the ongoing issue of under-billing for water services to the W-H Regional School District by the Whitman Water Department.

“This is kind of a long-standing matter that got on our radar screen close to a year ago,” said town general counsel Jay Talerman. “We’re kind of odd man out, so we don’t really have that much of a stake in it, although there is some money at stake.”

Talerman said Whitman, which forgot to bill the school district for water supplied to the high school, for whatever reason, now wants to collect. He became involved in the issue because Hanson would be obliged to pay some portion of that bill, and the school district’s counsel thought he could be helpful with bargaining.

He said that among the things he pointed out to Whitman officials is that the law only allows going back six years for payment — not the 15 that is owed.

“Second, we’re not going to pay it,” Talerman said, unless any payments are spread out over time in the operating budget. About a year ago the bill was negotiated down to the six years, or about $185,000.

“It appears that’s been accepted by Whitman … and they’ve also agreed to spread it out over three years,” Talerman said. “The remaining question is, how is it paid?”

He said the school district has the authority to pay it through the assessment and does not recommend taking it out of other funds. The town generally pays water bills from the assessment, which he recommended Hanson’s position should be as it is not a principal part of the discussion, but only a party to paying a portion of the bill.

Selectmen agreed with the approach — with FitzGerald Kemmett reminding the board Hanson would only be paying 40 percent of whatever the final bill is.

The W-H Regional School District is committed to safeguarding the safety and health of students and staff, officials say — and that means a return to in-person learning will not likely happen before the end of March.

“Our numbers in the communities have gone down, but we’re still quarantining students and staff due to positivity rates,” Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said.

He told the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10 that the district will have to work out strategies for social-emotional support for students and when they return to school.

Szymaniak said he is still looking toward the end of March, but parents have been starting to demand a March 1 return. That, he said is unlikely because the district would need the month of March to prepare for students’ return. He is planning a March 3 presentation to the committee on what the return plan might look like.

“We’ve always had a plan, but we want to make sure it’s structured and good for all,” he said. “It will not look like March 12, 2020.”

Committee members agreed with Szymaniak’s approach, especially since teachers are still waiting for vaccinations, which are still difficult to obtain.

The CDC issued changes to its COVID guidelines Friday, Feb. 12 for the first time since August, stopping short of green-lighting an immediate return to classes.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the CDC is “not mandating that schools reopen,” instead opting for a color-coded zone approach based on numbers of new cases in a given area.

“Schools in areas with substantial transmission (orange, 50 to 99 new cases per 100,000) may still consider a limited reopening, as long as they can layer multiple safety strategies in the classroom,” according to an NPR report. “In hard-hit communities (red, more than 100 new cases per 100,000), elementary schools may consider limited reopening, with physical distancing required, but the CDC recommends middle and high schools be virtual-only unless mitigation strategies can be met.”

School distircts in many states have been demanding more practical information on reopening, according to the CDC. Still, the six-foot social distancing rules “should be considered nonnegotiable” for K-12 schools in high-transmission areas. Teachers would not be required to be vaccinated, but there is a recognition that teachers would prefer vaccinations before returning to work.

“It seemed like the wheels of the bus came off in the South Shore [region] a little bit last week, with some announcement that some districts with a full return to school,” he said, noting he sent another parent survey about return to school issues last week.

Resident Susan Wolford of Birchbark Drive in Hanson asked about the survey parents received from Szymaniak about returning to school during the Public Forum.

“I was looking for when and if there was a plan in place for when the kids are going to return full time,” she asked.

Szymaniak reminded committee members of the administration’s presentation of return options at the beginning of the school year, when the committee made it clear the most important thing was the safety and health of students and staff.

“So far that’s been true and I have no doubt that’s the first thing we have in our hearts and in our minds,” he said.

The committee chose the hybrid plan, while accommodating families that asked for a fully remote plan, with additional teachers hired to fill that role. Teachers who have tested positive have also been able to teach remotely from home, Szymaniak said.

“We have some long-term subs across the district that are in classrooms,” he also said. “That cost us.”

That is an expense for which the district is seeking reimbursement funds through the CARES Act. There are, however, regulations about how the district could use such funds and it is not clear at the moment if it can be used to balance the fiscal 2022 budget.

“There’s been some huge community push to get students in school — that’s our goal,” Szymaniak said. “Bottom line: If I can get students in here, that’s what I want to do.”

But, keeping to the tenets of health concerns, the district has not yet moved off the recommendation for six-foot social distancing and the limitations that it brings to classroom sizes. He apologized if the survey was interpreted as an attempt to be negative.

Even if teachers are vaccinated, which has not happened yet, the six-foot distance could be revised to three-feet or less. Movement between classrooms or around lockers would make contact tracing more difficult.

“With every challenge, we can modify and overcome the challenge, but parents need to know this — that this is going to be a change,” Szymaniak said.

The survey results indicate 67 percent of parents want full in-person learning or 2,204 responses. Students now learning remotely whose families want to send them back to school, would have an effect of class size.

Social distancing at lunches might also change. In some communities, when there is a limit to space, students have brought a blanket to eat sitting on the floor, which can affect other uses of school space.

There are also academic challenges when most students come back and a few others remain on remote learning. Space limitations on buses could also present challenges.

“I’m concerned about next year’s budget,” said resident Shawn Kain of Forest Street in Whitman during the Public Forum via Zoom. “Obviously with COVID, for anyone involved with the schools — teachers, students and parents — it has placed an incredible mental health burden on all of us and the thought of potentially losing funds next year is terrible.”

He said budget cuts to education at this moment would do “a good amount of harm,” noting the insight Hanson has already provided into their financial situation. Arguing that, since Hanson’s need to seek an override even for a level-service budget is less than ideal, Kain said it would be a good idea to extend the assessment formula compromise for another year.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent George Ferro provided an assessment testing update for the committee. A midyear assessment was given to students in kindergarten to grade five on math and ELA (reading), following similar assessments at the start of the year.

“Overall, for math, from the beginning of the year to now … we went from 21 percent on grade-level to 40 percent on grade-level,” Ferro said. The number of students in need of educational support is down 63 percent to 51 percent of students, while closing the gap in the high-needs areas down to 9 percent, he said.

“In math, we are moving more students to grade level and we have seen significant progress from our initial beginning of year term to our midyear report,” he said.

There was also progress in reading scores, Ferro said, explaining that at-risk students will receive extra help in improving before an end-of-year assessment and reviewing a regression plan for the summer as well as entering the next school year.

HANSON — A budget shortfall of nearly $2 million is expected to have a “system-wide impact” on most services and departments in town without an override, according to Town Accountant Todd Hassett.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 26 heard a second-quarter budget update and previewed the fiscal 2022 budget with Hassett.

“We do have assumptions. Even if the assumptions come out better than where we are, it’s still a substantial amount that will be required in an override without a serious cut in services. That’s just where we are,” Town Administrator John Stanbrook agreed.

Stanbrook reported on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that the governor’s budget has increased Hanson’s anticipated state aid by $36,086, while state assessment savings came to $818 from what the town expected to be charged. The two amounts mean a $31,000 increase in state aid, and — coupled with assessment figures from South Shore Tech [see related story, this page] — the net effect is a $1,000 decrease to the town’s deficit, now at $1.985 million.

W-H Regional budget figures have not been officially released yet.

“At this time we’re anticipating, when all is said and done, we have a shortfall of just under $2 million, and a number of things are not formalized or finalized yet,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges and a lot of work ahead for us, but clearly, absent some level of tax relief via an override, we’re looking at some significant reductions that will likely involve staff and may involve less programming at the camp, it might involve having to close the transfer station a bit more.”

The largest question mark, at this point, are school budget requests.

“Many things are still in play,” he said in his budget forecast, which town bylaw requires by the end of January. The governor’s budget had not been released at the time Hassett presented the fiscal 2022 plan to Selectmen.

“We are faced with about a 7-percent increase in public safety expenses due to some of the demands for shift coverage and contractual obligations,” Hassett said. “The education budget is up, in our worksheets, over 12.5 percent.”

Formal budget requests have not been received as yet from either WHRSD or SST. Remaining budgets are up about 4 percent. The cost of state program costs is up about 2.5 percent.

Revenues are forecast at about $28 million.

Nearly 83 percent of Hanson’s budget is supported through property taxes, 5.5 percent by state revenues Hassett expects will be level-funded, and 7.5 percent through local revenues, also projected to be level-funded.

He said the maximum allowable levy limit short of an override had been calculated — $544,000 at the 2 ½ percent increase allowed under Proposition 2 ½. New growth revenues are expected to be about $100,000 higher than in fiscal ’21.

Debt exclusions on the police station and regional high school — about $600,000 in additional taxes — are also on the books, with the police station costs maturing in 2026 an the high school in 2028.

Ambulance receipts and septic funds will also be looked at to help balance the budget, Hassett said, as well as $231,000 from free cash.

With only 13 percent of the fiscal 2021 budget collected, Hassett said most revenues are tracking well, while on paper the excise tax receipts appear low by about $35,000 less than the same billing period last year.

“This was one of the indicators we were concerned about going into next year’s budget,” he said. “Data we get from the state shows a very aggressive depreciation schedule.”

Permits and departmental fees are holding steady. While this has been a financially difficult year for recreation programs across the state as programs and events had to be canceled because of COVID-19, Camp Kiwanee has a “strong spring” of wedding bookings at this point.

We’ll see how that plays out,” Hassett said. “The bookings are not what they enjoyed just a couple of years ago.”

The Kiwanee programs and capital improvements had to be subsidized from the general fund in the current fiscal year.