WHITMAN – When Whitman convenes its special Town Meeting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 11, voters will see a warrant with only three articles – a revised Article 2 budget, and two articles dealing with union contracts for the police and fire departments, if they have been finalized by then.
The Select Board in a meeting lasting just over nine minutes, discussed an update on the budget and Town Meeting.
“It’s a very short warrant,” said Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter, who described the union contract articles as placeholders as of the May 27 meeting, before the board voted to approve the warrant and voted in support of Town Clerk Dawn Varley’s request to appoint checkers for the June 11 Town Meeting.
Select Board member Shawn Kain said that the budget working group has been fine-tuning “the numbers that we’ve been sharing all along,” since the override failed at the ballot box during the May 17 Town Election.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary, there’s no big change, just the final numbers after they’ve been fine-tuned,” Kain said.
Finance Committee Chair Kathleen Ottina had been “kept in the loop” and Carter recently reached out to Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak to advise him of an “assessment cut” – a decrease in what had been proposed – of $1,064,765.
“In order to make up the deficit, the district is asked to cut a little over $1 million,” Kain said. “On the town side, we’re asked to cut a little bit under $1 million. What that looks like for a percentage of the budget moving forward is a 4.01 percent increase to the school and a 1.62 percent increase [if all things were bundled together on the town side]. Just to give some comparison and a bit more comparison on that … if you took the new revenue that we have this year, for fiscal ’26, compared to fiscal ’25, it’s about $830,000 … of that $781,000 is going to the schools.”
Kain said the budget group wrestled with it several ways, and they feel they have come up with a fair compromise.
“The schools need to look at their budget real good,” Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci said. “I don’t want to put this town in danger by eliminating staff – especially fire and police. … The whole town is important, we serve, what? 17,000 people?”
DPW office
building
Carter also provided a brief progress report on the DPW building.
During an appearance by Whitman Food Pantry officers at the May 27 meeting, a question was asked about the square footage of the building, she explained. The pantry, operated in partnership with the St. Vincent dePaul Society, has expressed interest in using the building now serving as the DPW’s administrative offices.
“I sent a letter off to town counsel, after last week’s meeting, just to see what the steps would be if we want to move forward with either selling or leasing the property,” Carter said, noting that she had received a list of things to do, had already begun and would provide more information at the next meeting.
On the main floor, that area is 1,980 square feet.
“There is [also] the full basement, “ she said, which puts the total building space at 3,960 square feet.
Salvucci offered some advice for the Food Pantry staff: they should go checkout “all aspects of the pantry building to make sure it fits their needs.
“I hate to have them get out of one place and get into that place [and encounter problems] or it’s still not big enough, or it’s not handicapped accessible or something like that” Salvucci said. ”I think they have to take a real good look at it.”
Any improvements needed to bring it up to any code requirements involved “would be on them,” he argued.
“The town hasn’t made any decisions yet on any direction,” Carter said.
In other business, the Select Board voted to appoint Sharon LoPiccolo as the town’s temporary treasurer/collector.
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Grads hear words of wisdom for trying times
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.
An ode to the joy of a journey’s end
“Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains.”
— Albert Einstein
By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com
Even Albert Einstein was not a good fit for a traditional education as a young scholar. While he excelled and loved math, he didn’t care much for other subjects and, as a result, a myth was born that he was a poor student who somehow became a genius.
But there’s always the backstory few delve into to learn more about him.
Perhaps the dozen students who graduated from Whitman-Hanson’s Community Evening School on Thursday, May 29 would understand Einstein better than anyone else – they, too, took a non-traditional route to their high school diploma, and their families were overjoyed with pride, just as much, if not a little bit more than parents attending the graduation for the main group of seniors on Friday, May 30.
And all of them are equally members of the Class of 2025.
“This evening’s ceremony not only celebrates the countless hours of hard work on the part of our graduates, but the dedication of those who have supported the students throughout their journey,” said CES co-director Joseph Chismar in welcoming the graduates and their families to the ceremony, “Everyone sitting in this auditorium has contributed to each students’ success.”
Chismar then encouraged the graduates’ loved ones to give themselves a round of applause.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak also celebrated the class’s educational journey, speaking on theme, “The Power of You,” and noting that when thinking about power, we often envision something big – something outside ourselves.
“Today, I want to talk about the power that is within you,” he said. “The power to choose your path, to rise again after setbacks, to defy expectations and to define success on your own terms.”
Szymaniak, who began his career in education teaching in alternative high school programs, spoke from experience.
“Each of you sitting here today, took a different route than most,” he said. “That doesn’t mean your path is less valuable – it makes it more remarkable, because it took courage to keep going when things got hard.”
He said their achievement took strength and vision to show up when giving up would seem easier and to believe in a future that wasn’t aways clearly marked. Success is not one-size-fits-all.
But, as with nearly every CES graduation, the speaker the Class of 2025 no doubt looked most forward to was co-director William Glynn, opening as per usual with several “if-you-know-you-know” references for the benefit of the graduates he had guided since their freshman English class and concluding with a short list of things to remember in life.
“RZA, the abbott of the Wu-Tang Clan, and author of the magnificent little book, “The Tao of Wu,” reminds us to be open to the echoes of Wisdom – it will reveal itself in time,” Glynn said, before offering his own thoughts which he hoped contained a little bit of wisdom, ans concluding with poet Carl Sandbur’s musings on hope [see opposite].
“I have been, or worked with, teenagers for more than two generations, so I won’t waste your time,” he said, listing three points to ponder as they walk off into their future – fear, courage and hope.
“I did steal some of this, also from the RZA, but don’t worry, I properly quoted and cited these words from the text,” he said. “I was afraid as a child – I’m afraid right now. Honestly, I’m afraid of ghosts, but at some point, I realized [that] a ghost is something you create yourself. … So much of what we fear is inside ourselves.”
He said his aim is to remind them that anytime they find their fears stopping them from persuing their goals remembering that one creates fear from their mind, can help them overcome it.
“Don’t let fear be your master,” Glynn said.
Leaning on his English teacher experience, he quoted Beowulf, “fortune may favor a person if their courage holds.”
“To put it, simply, if you try, you might succeed,” he said. “So, try. You might succeed. … Have the courage to take the chance. Life is often hard – it’s banal, it’s awkward, yes, it’s even tragic – but do the hard things, do the scary things. Do those different things. Do. Don’t let life pass you by.”
Leaning on Sandburg’s poem, “Hope is a Tattered Fag,” Glynn.
“Hope is always ephemeral,” he said. “It’s hard to quantify. It’s often delicate and small, needing constant attention, but hope is … also essential to living a meaningful and present life. … You can be grim, you can be serious, you can be pragmatic and hopeful at the same time.”
WWI Memorial Arch rededication
The Whitman Historical Commission, in partnership with Whitman Fire/Rescue and Whitman Veterans Services, will host a rededication ceremony for the historic Arch on Temple Street at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, June 8, marking the completion of preservation efforts and celebrating the town’s 150th anniversary.
The Arch, a longstanding symbol of community service and remembrance, recently underwent a comprehensive restoration that included the replacement of compromised granite stones, repointing of mortar joints, shoring of keystones, and resetting of capstones. This project was made possible through collaborative funding and support from local and state partners.
The June 8 ceremony will include remarks from town officials, a blessing of the Arch, and participation by local veterans. Community members are warmly invited to attend and take part in this historic moment.
The Arch restoration is one of several projects commemorating Whitman’s 150th Anniversary and reflects the town’s ongoing dedication to preserving its historical landmarks for future generations.
Right after the rededication, The Whitman Historical Commission is also sponsoring a scavenger hunt for all in conjunction with the 150th Anniversary celebrations.
The Whitman Historical Commission works to identify, preserve, and promote the town’s historic resources through advocacy, education, and restoration efforts. The Commission supports initiatives that honor Whitman’s unique heritage and foster public engagement with local history.
School choice renewed at W-H
Despite some concerns voiced about doing so before a budget has been approved, the School Committee approved continuing school choice for the 2025-26 school year because of a state deadline requirement.
In the end, continued participation in school choice was approved on Wednesday, May 21 by a vote of 8-2.
“From a purely financial standpoint – well, maybe not purely financial – what I’m wondering is if, as we in the coming weeks are discussing potential cuts to our district services, whether that would be a disincentive for students to be coming in to us and an incentive for more of our students to leave,” said School Committee member Kara Moser.
“Right now, my main concern iss we do not have a budget,” said Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen, who said she generally opposes school choice.
Massachusetts mandates that each school district is open to school choice unless they vote to opt out. Whitman’s program isn’t grade-specific, but is based on where space is available.
“Unless we close to school choice, any student from any neighboring community can come to our school,” Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said, later clarifying that students from any town in the state could attend W-H, so long as they provide their own transportation.
“If we decide to close to all students or close to certain amount of students (grade level-wise, we can do that at School Committee meeting, but that doesn’t mean that a student in W-H can’t go to any other school that’s open to school choice,” he said.
Currently, there are 76 students attending W-H through school choice and there are 50 students from Whitman and Hanson attending school in other public school districts.
Between 2012 and 2015 years, however, W-H’s school choice numbers had increased, and then became stagnant, and now are in decline,
“We’re not getting the kids we were getting in 2012,” Szymaniak said, “We’re just not. … When we publicly come out and say we’re in a budget crisis, people are choosing not to come.”
The number of students accepted at WH, is based on recommendations from the building principals of how many spaces they have available, with sending districts paying a larger portion of costs for students on individualized education plans (IEPs) and picks up the cost for severe IEP situations requiring out-of-district placement.
Per-pupil school choice students cost $5,000 and W-H per-pupil cost is $17,500. Despite the apparent cost differential, Szymaniak said there are expenses, including administrative costs at work there. School choice students bring in funds to help the budget particularly in covering W-H’s own cost of students leaving the district under school choice.
If W-H were to close to school choice students, those already attending W-H are permitted to stay until they graduate and, Szymaniak said, W-H is always open to students who wish to graduate with their class should their families move to neighboring towns.
“When they come here, they are our students,” Chair Beth Stafford said, underscoring Szymaniak’s statement that the district cannot deny the right of a school choice student due to behavior or absences when they come to W-H.
The father of an autistic child said his son would benefit from attending W-H, which he said offers “one of the best special education programs on the entire South Shore.”
Whitman mulls uses for Park Street land
WHITMAN – What to do with the Park Avenue School building?
The Select Board on Tuesday, May 20 discussed whether the town wants to keep the property or is interested in selling it.
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter said a discussion had been held several months ago, but was unsure whether or not to keep it, but needed to determine that in order for the attorney’s office to move forward.
“I think the consensus was … that the town wanted to keep that [property]” Carter said. “It’s a beautiful piece of land – there are rare trees there, and it’s just a beautiful park area, so I think we just want to talk about it again. What could we do with that land, and how could we fund it?”
She mentioned Community Preservation funds as a possible source.
“I asked for this to be added back to the agenda for tonight,” Select Board member Justin Evans said, noting that the consensus was to keep it for some time municipal use so that the lawyers could get the town released from the deed restriction that the land only be used for a school.
“I believe if we could come to a consensus as to what that municipal purpose was, they could move forward and attempt to release it so we could attempt to do something with the land,” he said. “My suggestion would be anything that we could fund with Community Preservation funds because that’s a separate pot of money from the budget, because money is tight.”
Looking into what other towns have done with CPC funds, Evans found that they had been able to fund demolition projects that helped further a recreation or open space project.
“If we had something that met those criteria, we could even borrow against those future CPC funds and start something sooner and get that old school out of the way,” Evans said.
“I love the idea,” said Select Board member Shawn Kain, suggesting that something along the lines of an amphitheater could be used for town recreation entertainment programs. Evans also mentioned potential uses as a dog park, which has been mentioned in town, or park land.
“From what I understand, the building does need to be razed because of the condition that it’s in,” Carter said.
Where ideas for use of the land is concerned, Evans said, “the more specific we can get for counsel, probably the better,” Evans said about potential uses. The historic trees on the site are a plus.
Noting that the property is a beautiful place where she and a lot of residents had gone to school, Select Board member Laura Howe put forward her support for a dog park, but in conjunction with a shelter, “Only because we need one,” she said.
She also noted that police departments and the public are losing touch with each other, so a K-9 or comfort dog unit headquartered on the site, but separate from a shelter wouldbring the police and community together.
Adding the dog park as an extra in that case, would provide some oversight against damage to the property, she said.
Previously conducted survey results will be available at the board’s next meeting to permit more detailed discussion.
Miksch to retire
HANSON – After 12 years on the job, Police Chief Michael Miksch will retire on June 30, Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett announced at the board’s Tuesday, May 13 meeting.
“Anybody who has the good fortune to work with him knows that he is a prince among men,” she said in discussing his retirement notice letter sent to the Select Board. “He is very balanced, [has] very good judgment, which is kind of key in that role, and he’s really worked on developing folks amongst the ranks and I, personally, am going to miss [him].”
FitzGerald-Kemmett said she didn’t want to get emotional about it, but did say she had counted on Miksch on a “variety – a plethora – of things one could never imagine you’d have to talk to somebody about.”
“He’s always been there and given very good, sage advice for the town and the town employees,” she said. “You know if we could kidnap you and keep you longer, we would, but that’s not the right thing to do, so we’re not going to do that.”
For his part, Miksch said the town has been great to him and he appreciates that.
“If you asked me 12 years ago if I’d be here, and still be here, I probably would have said I highly doubt it,” he said. “I’m going to be retiring just short of 30 years, and I didn’t think, at times, I’d ever make it, but the finish line’s here and it’s the time of my life that it’s time to say I need to do something else.”
He said that he has met some wonderful people and incredible officers, one of which he said he hoped the board would make his replacement.
“You’ll have a number after that, I think, in years to come, you’ll be able to take care of, from within, the leadership of that department,” Miksch said. “For that, I’m very grateful. They’ve made my life easier, this job easier and, hopefully, I’ve left the place a little better than I found it.”
The board voted unanimously to accept Miksch’s resignation with regret.
“For what it’s worth, you’re just a good person,” added Select Board member Joe Weeks. “We’re going to miss you. You really are all-around. It’s really hard to take a vote on this one.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett added that, aside from all the plaudits heaped upon him, Miksch could also be a standup comedian.
“When you read his Facebook posts …” she said. Now we can whip back the curtain on who’s the Wizard of Oz. … The Hanson Police posts, which are hysterical, are Chief Miksch.”
The Board’s attention then swiveled to naming a successor to Chief Miksch.
Deputy Chief Michael Casey was nominated for the promotion, to which Miksch had alluded a few moments before. The board voted unanimously to appoint Casey.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said that, after discussions with Miksch and discussions among the board members on succession planning and that the board was generally in agreement on Casey’s being promoted.
Board Vice Chair Ann Rein said it was admirable that Miksch “pulled someone up” to replace him.
“He’s made my job easier, the officers respect him,” Miksch said. “He has done a great job over the past eight years … I am 100-percent confident that if I walked out tomorrow and handed him the keys everything would be fine.”
He said residents won’t notice any lack of service or major issues, he said. Casey, who has been with the department for 30 years can boast excellent institutional knowledge and connections in town. He’s also been in charge of recruitment for the last eight years.
“He’s good to go, he’s ready – and once he’s ready, it’s time for me to go, so, I’d say,
‘Fly baby bird, but there’s nothing baby about you,’” Misch said, patting Casey on the shoulder.
Casey, meanwhile, said Miksch is leaving the place better in terms of equipment, culture and leadership.
Postseason play set to begin
The postseason is almost upon us. Here are the results from the last batch of spring sports at Whitman-Hanson Regional High:
Baseball (12-8) was defeated by Plymouth North 7-2 on Memorial Day. The Panthers were able to rally in the seventh thanks to RBI hits from Matt Flanagan and Tyler Pruitt, but ultimately came up short. Caine Allen threw 2.2 shutout innings in relief.
Boys’ lacrosse was blanked by Duxbury, 16-0, to cap its season on Thursday, May 22. The Panthers had a strong defensive effort in the first quarter as they held the Dragons to 3-0 at the end of the first frame. Duxbury proceeded to pull away after that, but it wasn’t due to the Panthers lack of effort and determination. W-H was led by seniors, Domenic Visocchi and Ronan Cafferty as they kept the energy and enthusiasm up all game. Starting goalie, Brady Johnson, was impressive, making 13 saves on the day. Junior Victor Marques came in the fourth quarter and was also great between the pipes, making two saves on the doorstep.
Girls’ lacrosse lost to Duxbury, 8-7, on Thursday. Meave Gavin and Shannon Balfe each had two goals in the defeat.
Girls’ outdoor track placed seventh at the Patriot League Championship Meet Tuesday, May 20, finishing with a total of 43 points. Sophomore Maliah Pierre led the Panthers with a first-place finish in the high jump, matching her personal record with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches.
Boys’ outdoor track finished ninth overall at the Patriot League Championship Meet. Kevin Brzuszek led the way with a second-place finish in the triple jump and sixth-place finish in the long jump.
The Whitman Hanson boys tennis team punched their ticket to the state tournament Tuesday, May 27, with a win against Bridgewater-Raynham., 3-2. It was a great match on all 5 courts. Winning for the Panthers at second singles today, was sophomore, Cian Nott (6-4, 6-1) Secured the teams first point. First doubles pair, senior captain, Connor Thomas and sophomore Logan Peterson also won their match (6-2, 6-3). Second doubles sophomores Eoin Flynn and James Denton captured the win for the team (6-4, 6-0).
The team Travels to face ,Hopkinton In the first round on Thursday. Match time is 4 PM. Go Panthers!
Towns soundly reject override
By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com
When Hanson Moderator Sean Kealy paused before the Town Meeting cast their votes on the Proposition 2.5 override to conduct an informal poll as to how many people had not decided how they would vote on the issue before walking in, the answer seemed to surprise him. Only three people had raised their hands,
A lop-sided vote of 230-118 placed a $3 million override to fund all town departments, as well as the school budget, on the town’s annual Town Election ballot on Saturday, May 17. But the May 17 vote was just as emphatic – in the opposite direction – as by a 1,172 to 741 margin the voters’ “no” to an override was unmistakable.
Perhaps an even more interesting – if puzzling – statistic is the 1,935 blanks received in the override vote on Hanson ballots while there were only six ballots with no answer to that question in Whitman.
Voters in Whitman approved placing the question on the ballot by a 148-66 margin, but defeated the one-year, $2 million override to fund town departments as well as the schools, in a consolidated budget by a vote of 1,678 to 677.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, hosting a groundbreaking for the town’s new middle school on Monday [See related story, page 1], was philosophical about the election result.
“I appreciate the hard work that was exhibited in the dual Finance Committee/Select Board meetings and I appreciated the invite to be part of the process,” he said. “It’s disappointing, but the taxpayers chose what they chose.”
He said he was not certain if the issue would be discussed at the School Committee’s reorganization meeting Wednesday, May 21.
“We have to find out where the towns are at,” he said, but he said he didn’t know whether the School Committee will move off its assessment figure at this point.
Still, Szymaniak said he expects there will be fruitful discussions about what the towns can afford and how they can move forward.
On the better news of the new school, Szymaniak said the project is “substantially under budget,” and they intend to stay that way. School officials hope to take possession of the building in December 2026 with an opening for current grade six to eight students in February 2027 and a full opening for the 2027-28 school year.
Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski, also attending the WMS groundbreaking, said the Select Board will also be discussing what they’ll do next at upcoming meetings. The Select Board voted on Tuesday, May 20 to schedule a special Town Meeting for 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 11 to take up Article 2 – the fiscal 2026 budget – once more.
“I was hopeful [on passage] for a while,” Kowalski said, “But, then, when I voted at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, they had a lot of people go through and so I figured it was probably going to be voted down. I’m disappointed. It’s hard to say that you love the schools, and you love your police and you love your fire … but you don’t want to pay for it.”
“It’s our job, as a Select Board to have a budget for the town,” Hanson Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said Monday. “When it became clear that, given the school assessment and other rising costs, we were going to have to severely cut services – essential services, including the library, transfer station, police and fire, we felt that it was our responsibility to give voters a choice about whether the cuts should be made or the taxes should be increased. The voters have spoken, so we will do the best we can with the budget that we can, like we always do, and we will continue to look for additional sources of revenue.”
The results, in Hanson anyway, seemed to signal a preference for separating out the town departments from the school district budget. It was a potential solution several Town Meeting voters preferred, voicing that preference during discussion of the article.
At the Hanson Middle School polling place, outside the “no electioneering” perimeter that debate was silently going on, TJ Roffey – who ultimately out-polled incumbent Stephen Cloutman by 55 (905-850) votes to replace him on that panel – stood with his campaign sign next to “Yes” on the override sign-holders. Cloutman stood on the opposite side of the school’s driveway, chatting with a lone anti-override sign-holder. Incumbent Glen J. DiGravio won re-election and bragging rights as Hanson’s top vote-getter in the race with 907 votes.
“I think a lot of people have override first and foremost in their mind,” said Cloutman, who felt that the override might pass. “It’ll be interesting to see. … You know, I wish there was a way it was divided – police and fire separated from the school system that they could handle those separately, instead of just in one pot.”
“I think there is some sentiment in town to see changes in the School Committee and the school budget process, so I think people are open to voting for someone who’s not an incumbent,” Roffey said. “There’s definitely an anti-override sentiment. …Unfortunately, the town’s in a situation where the revenue and expenses don’t match and the choices are either find more money or offer less.”
Neither Roffey nor Cloutman wanted to see services cut, but expressed sympathy toward people on fixed budgets as the cost of living goes up.
Whitman’s stretch of South Avenue sidewalk in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts opposite Town Hall was likewise crowded with “Yes” sign-holders putting in a final plug for the $2 million over one year contingency override.
Dirt flies for new WMS
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.”
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