According to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Common Core is simply an upgrade of the standards that were already being taught in public schools. According to a group of concerned citizens in Halifax and across the country, the Common Core, and a new assessment, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), is everything from being grade and age inappropriate to a symbol of a loss of local autonomy in what is being taught in the public school system.

A non-binding referendum question will appear on the Halifax town election ballot asking Halifax to vote on whether to return to pre-2010 standards, when the legislature adopted the Common Core. Two informational meetings were held in the last few weeks addressing the issue, on April 29th and May 7th.

Both forums were well attended, with at least 50 people in the audience.

While the tenor of the first meeting was tense, with the audience effectively shutting down the panelists with a torrent of questions, the next week’s meeting had a different tone; while equally intense in terms of questions, more citizens appeared to agree with the panel.

The panel was made up of Dr. Sandra Stotsky, a former professor at the University of Arkansas who has served in several positions on the state board of education and was involved heavily in developing the MCAS standards and assessments between 1999-2003; Jamie Gass, from the Boston-based think tank the Pioneer Institute where he is Director of the Center for School Reform. Finally presenting was Dr. Peg Luksik, a politician, activist and supporter of limited government from Pennsylvania. All of the panelists came at the topic from very different angles.

Dr. Stotsky spoke first, presenting herself as one of the leading experts on the Common Core test nationally. She stated that she was her “own boss” so she was free of any kind of influence. She said that there was very little independent research being done on this subject, and it was mostly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a company that she did not explain: Achieve, Inc. Dr. Stotsky’s assertion essentially was that the MCAS standards were better than the Common Core standards. She passed out many handouts filled with information, but they often contained very speculative statements  (“In the absence of any official information…is seems likely that…”) and not many hard numbers.

Mr. Gass, on the other hand had specific numbers and figures. He stated that the Common Core and the PARCC were too easy, and Massachusetts was better off continuing to use the MCAS standards that had already brought the state to the top of the country in education benchmarks. He made several other claims as well, including the one that the Common Core is illegal on Constitutional grounds and that adopting common standards meant coming to a common mediocre denominator.

Dr. Luksik took an opposing point of view, stating that the PARCC was too hard, and pointed out the troubles of standardized tests. During her slideshow, she showed various questions from the PARCC with difficult words that were unlikely for anyone to know. She also pointed out that the PARCC is often administered on a computer, where students will have to type answers during a timed test. She noted  it would be difficult for an English Language Learner to take the PARCC. She even cited several incidents of the test making children cry.

The common point among all the panelists was the Common Core is not good for students, anywhere.

The audience was concerned with how to opt-out of the Common Core and PARCC, or take other tangible action to retain MCAS. Many questions were asked about the specific nuts and bolts of how that would work. For those opposed to the changes, it takes an act of the Legislature for a state to opt out of the Common Core as it has already been adopted. Students can, however, individually opt-out. Dr. Stotsky called for civil disobedience, but didn’t explain further.  All panelists agreed that voting and contacting your representatives is helpful, either way you feel about the subject.

Of the few in attendance who spoke up for the Common Core, two school board members eventually ended up debating late into the night with the panel (40 minutes later than the first panel), insisting that the curriculum had stayed locally in Massachusetts despite assertions to the contrary (within the Common Core Standards. One member stated that it was irresponsible to suggest schools write their own curriculums and encourage students to opt-out of standardized testing. The conversation was eventually shut down by Superintendent John Tuffy as it became less civil.

The town election will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 16th at Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St. The polls will be open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Residents will be asked to vote YES or NO on one non-binding ballot question reading: Do you request that the State Legislature nullify the 2010 decision of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks which incorporate the Common Core State Standards, and returning the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks to the pre-2010 Massachusetts State Standards?

Town Meeting in Halifax spanned three evenings this week, beginning Monday. Voters were asked to approve a variety of issues, including pay increases for town employees, creating an agricultural commission and a “right to farm” community, public safety expenditures.

Other items included a senior volunteer tax abatement program, and a ban on e-cigarrettes among other items. For the first time this year, most warrant articles were chosen from a lottery, except the first four budget items, so articles were called out of sequence, encouraging voters to stay throughout the meeting, not just for their favorite warrant article.

The Multipurpose Room at the Halifax Elementary School was full on Monday as Town Moderator John Bruno, Town Counsel Lawrence Mayo, Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor, and the Selectmen presided over the meeting. The Finance Committee, chaired by Gordon Andrews, was there to make their recommendations. Charlie Seelig, Town Administrator was present to answer questions, as were many department heads. The first night, there was a steady stream of voters with questions and issues to discuss, but by the next two nights this slowed down, until on the final night, Wednesday, it took an hour to reach quorum (100 voters) and there were only brief clarifications asked via the moderator.

Nearly all articles in both the Annual Town Meeting warrant and Special Town Meeting Warrant passed as written or slightly amended, and all of the roughly 25 articles considered on the final night passed unanimously.

Although the voters approved a 1% increase for all of their non-union (wage)  and union employees, one major surprise was a $100,000 reduction to the Silver Lake Regional School District operating budget proposed by Gordon Andrews as a private citizen, not as chairman of the Finance Committee.  Voters showed concern both for and against the reduction, and Superintendent John Tuffy said that the current budget proposed was already bare-bones. Teacher’s salaries and positions would be likely hit first, and he warned that the rule of thumb is that for every two teachers fired, a third needs to be fired as well to cover the first two’s severance benefits. The citizens present and voting voted for the reduction, literally in the eleventh hour.

The last motion made Monday evening was from Cassandra Hanson, of the Halifax Elementary and the Silver Lake Regional School Committees, who put the Town on notice that she would bring up the article for reconsideration the next day of Town Meeting. She did, and after some commentary from the audience about what a “disgusting” parliamentary move it was to reconsider and a slight chiding from the moderator to keep the rhetoric down, the reconsideration did not pass.

This reduction will likely not prevail, however, because Plympton, at its town meeting on Wednesday, approved the Silver Lake budget as written. In order for the reduction to go forward, Kingston would need to vote to reduce the budget as two of the three Silver Lake towns would have to approve the reduction.  The $100,000 cut from Halifax, would represent an actual reduction of $300,000, as Halifax represents approximately one third of the district. Therefore both Plympton and Kingston would have to have their assessments reduced by proportional amounts totaling $30,000 and $170,000 respectively.

Town Meeting members also voted down a Silver Lake Regional School District stabilization fund (Article 51), which was voted down last year and was vocally opposed by the Town Administrator, Charlie Seelig. It essentially would have set up a transfer from the town to a fund controlled by the school district, rather than allowing the town to approve funding for projects at Town Meeting.

Halifax voters, represented by Theresa Carman, overwhelmingly approved the formation of an Agricultural Commission, an advisory committee to assist, educate, and mediate the needs of the farming commuity with its neighbors. It will not enforce laws, nor create any. Voters also approved Halifax as a “Right to Farm” community, which affirms Halifax’s agricultural heritage, as the town becomes a bedroom community as well. Many spoke out in favor of these budget-neutral proposals.

An article from the Council on Aging to create a tax-abatement volunteer program was approved. This program will create two $750 per year positions, with income, age, and residency restrictions, to allow two senior citizens to work off a portion of their tax bill through volunteer hours. The Council on Aging stated they wanted to move slowly with the program, which exists in many neighboring communities, although the only discussion from the voters regarded creating even more positions.

All public safety articles proposed by the Police Chief and the Fire Chief, including a new $750,000 ladder truck, new roll-out gear and ice rescue equipment for the Fire Department, and two new marked Police Cruisers at $80,000, new and repaired radios and pagers, as well as various medical equipment, such as AEDs for ambulances and other public safety vehicles were all approved. The discussion tended towards making sure the tax-payers were providing enough to the public safety departments.

The voters banned e-cigarettes in town buildings, an issue that the selectmen discussed frequently at recent meetings. Originally the article read to include a clause banning them within 100 feet of town property, but this was struck at the last minute because of property lines being drawn in such a way residents who can legally smoke on neighboring property being in non-compliance with the by-law, such as the shared parking lot at Town Hall with the Congregational Church. All tobacco products are banned on school  property by state law.

The Finance Committee recommended a raise for Clerk Barbara Gaynor to recognize that she is working four days a week rather than the three she is currently compensated for. But when the Water Superintendent recommended an article to add $1.50/hour to his second-in-command when he is not present, the article was too vaguely worded for many voters as it  did not make clear if this was $1.50 for each hour worked the entire year (basically a new position) or just when the Superintendent was away. The article was voted down, after a Town Meeting member disparagingly stated that “pumping water is not rocket science” to audible gasps from the room.

In perhaps the strangest vote of the entire meeting, a voice vote was too close to call on the installation of an emergency telephone in the elevator in Town Hall. Because the building is often used late into the evening, at times by people alone, there is a very real chance of someone getting stuck in the elevator while no one else is in the building. People have gotten stuck before, according to Mr. Seelig. A standing vote was required, and the article eventually passed.

Halifax Fire Chief Jason Vivieros

Jason Vivieros, Halifax’s Fire Chief, always knew that he wanted to be a Chief. At the TRIAD meeting on Tuesday the Chief told local law enforcement, public safety officials and the Council on Aging, about his journey to the top, and also detailed what’s new at the Halifax Fire Department. State Senator Tom Kennedy was also present to address the new law requiring headlights to be on during inclement weather and at dusk and dawn.

Beginning in 1991 Chief Vivieros became a Swansea volunteer firefighter. He enjoyed it greatly, but wanted to make firefighting his full-time career, and to accomplish that he realized we would need further education. The first step, back in the early 1990s, was to attend EMT school. This takes about a year.

After finishing EMT school, he chose to attend paramedic school, in 1996. This was a two-year process, and a relatively new concept.  It requires classroom training and 400-500 hours of practical training in a hospital ER, Intensive Care Unit, and Operating Room.

In 1998 the Chief became a paramedic in Fall River, but his goal was still to be a career firefighter. Finally, in 2001 he became a Sandwich firefighter-paramedic and spent the next few years moving up the ranks to become the EMS manager and finally a Lieutenant, learning valuable management and operations experience.

But he still didn’t have his own department to lead.

When he came across the open position in Halifax he stated that he was intimidated that Halifax had higher qualifications than most other departments in the state. After several rounds of assessment, interviews with selectmen, and other town officials, he was chosen to lead Halifax’s Fire Department and began last August.

Chief Vivieros spoke highly of the Halifax Fire department, which has only 8 full time firefighters, which he described as very young, very motivated and highly trained. Training for new firefighters today is intense, and all the full time staff in Halifax are paramedics. They cannot be hired, even as call firefighters, if they are not at least EMTs. All call and full-time firefighters receive on-going training and yearly state testing to maintain their EMT or Paramedic certifications.

Finally, Chief Vivieros spoke about a shift in firefighting in Halifax and in general towards prevention. He said that even though people joke about calling 911 for a cat stuck in a tree, that the department will still go out for that call, as it could prevent an accident whereby someone tries to climb a latter and falls– in fact, the department received a call for a cat stuck in a tree just last week.

Other examples of “Community Risk Reduction”, as this type of work is now being called, includes doing home assessments, using grant money to help provide smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors or even nightlights to seniors. They will even check that house numbering is visible and correct so that no time is wasted during an emergency searching for a house.

Another new concept he mentioned is Community Paramedicine, where Paramedics actually go out into the community as allied health professionals to treat patients. Paramedicine is in its infancy in the country, but Chief Vivieros is confident that this will spread rapidly.

One has to climb a tall ladder to become the Chief, and Chief Vivieros has made that long climb.

In Other News:

• State Senator Tom Kennedy was present to speak about the law he introduced and was recently passed requiring headlights to be on during inclement weather (including fog and snow when visibility is low), when windshield wipers are on, and at dusk and dawn. He stated that he never intended the law to include insurance surcharges, and has introduced an amendment to take out that section of the law.

• The Plymouth County Sherriff’s Department Farm will hold its spring celebration from 10-1 on Saturday, May 9th.  There will be a plant sale, t-shirts, a K-9 demonstration, and a petting zoo. The farm is located next to the Plymouth Ddistrict court, at 74 Obery Street in Plymouth.

• Safety programs for those at risk to wander or fall are available. Contact the Council on Aging at (781) 293-7313.

There is a pill-drop center at the Police Station to drop off unused medication.

All Hands on Deck! Towns Ready for upcoming ATMs and STMs

It was a final Town Meeting run-though Monday noon for Plympton Selectmen as they met with Town Coordinator Dale Pleau, Town Counsel Ilana M. Quirk, Town Clerk Tara Morrison, Town Moderator John Traynor, Jr., and several board representatives and department heads to rehearse the upcoming Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. and Special Town Meeting within the Town Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Dennett Elementary School, located at 80 Crescent Street.

This review allowed town boards to become familiar with all the warrant articles and to have town counsel available to answer any questions still to be resolved.

In addition to the wages for town employees and contractual obligations for fire, police, and school employees, road maintenance and repair, some of the items which Plympton voters will be asked include:

The consideration of several new by-laws regarding solar energy installations.  These by-laws are the work of the Solar By-Law Review Committee and the Planning Board.

Creating a cable television public access enterprise fund, to accept fees paid to the Town by cable television licensees or any other funds received by the town for any cable-related services and to authorize Selectmen to enter into a grant agreement for the expenditure of those funds.

Plympton voters will also vote to:

• See if four parcels of town-owned land on Maple Street should be sold and the proceeds put into the Capital Stabilization Account.

• Rescind their vote at the 2013 Town Meeting approving the Silver Lake Regional School Committee to establish a Silver Lake Stabilization Fund.

• Employ an Engineering Project Consultant to review plans, proposals and final bids for construction of public safety facilities.

• Consider the quarterly payment of real estate taxes, rather than the semi-annual tax payments now in use.

There are 25 Annual Town Meeting articles to be considered on Wednesday, May 13, at the Dennett Elementary School, at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday evening, a similar meeting was held in Halifax, where Selectmen met with Town Administrator Charlie Seelig, Town Counsel Lawrence Mayo, Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor, Town Moderator John Bruno, and Town Accountant Sandra Nolan.

Halifax will hold its Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting within Town Meeting on Monday, May 11, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Halifax Elementary School, located at 464 Plymouth Street.

There are several items to consider in addition  to the wages for town employees and contractual obligations for fire, police, school employees, and road maintenance and repair.

Halifax voters will also be asked to approve:

• The sum of $142,000 to fund a public access studio and programming for FY16 and to establish a separate line item for this purpose.

• Water tower repair, repaint, and renovation .  Color swatches anyone?

• A $335 licensing fee for playing copyrighted music on town property, either live or recorded, and to establish an annual line item for such.

• Two new marked police patrol vehicles for $80,000.

• Two new computers and a scanner for the library, and a staff laptop computer for the Children’s Librarian.

• Computer equipment for the Elementary School.

• An emergency telephone for the Town Hall elevator.

• A new recycling truck and associated recepticles.

In non-money items, Halifax will also be asked to:

• Adopt a Right to Farm by-law to support agriculture as an integral part of the character of the Town of Halifax.

• Form an Agricultural Commission to support farming and help resolve farming disputes.

• Amend the Code of the Town of Halifax, Floodplain District.

• Prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and like devices in town buildings and property wherever the use of tobacco products is prohibited.

Warrants for both Halifax and Plympton are available online or at clerks’ offices.  They were also mailed to each voter.

On Wednesday evening, Plympton Selectmen met and finalized many recommendations for warrant articles in their marathon push to finalize the warrant by next Monday. They briefly touched on other business, including the spraying of herbicides in town that a citizen brought up last week and co-inspections by Town Assessors and Fire Department personnel, while skipping several agenda items.

After Town Adviser Dale Pleau suggested that the Board could vote on article recommendations that evening, rather than waiting until next week, the Board did just that. Approving many articles in groups, without fully reading them aloud, and only pausing for questions or to make modifications, the warrant is in nearly final shape.

All warrant articles for the Special Town Meeting were approved. A proposal that Selectmen John Henry had presented earlier in the meeting regarding retiring debt was sent to Town Counsel and will be voted on Monday.

An ongoing issue regarding an article to send a grant to the South Shore Community Action Council, which provides fuel assistance, housing grants, and other services to low-income residents on the South Shore was stricken from the warrant. Questions of whether the SSCAC is cost effective or beneficial to the town were previously raised, particularly by the Council on Aging Director Christine Maiorano, and the Board would like to study the issue for another year. Several remaining articles were not approved because the Board wants the advice of FinCom and/or Town Counsel before voting.

Selectmen Chair Mark Russo, “just to be done” with the issue, proposed separating Fire and Assessor inspections as the Board had voted to previously allow. According to Town Counsel, Fire Department inspectors must be given access to a dwelling, but Town Assessors do not have to be given access to a dwelling. Those who refuse access to Assessors, though, risk their property being assessed on attributes not related to a full inspection. Therefore they may be artificially high, or simply incorrect. The board unanimously voted to reverse their previous decision and the inspections will be separate moving forward.

Michael Antoine, of 17 Oak Street, appeared in the audience for the second meeting in a row with concerns over spraying herbicides. Due to some confusion during the previous week’s discussion, implications that this is an Eversource power-line issue were incorrectly reported. In fact, Keolis Commuter Services, the MBTA’s operator of Commuter Rail, will be spraying only “as-needed” and to “touch-up” along a small section of the railroad’s right-of-way in the northern part of town.

Although both Selectmen Chair Russo and Selectman Colleen Thompson were sympathetic to Mr. Antoine’s concerns of the herbicide, similar to the commercially available brand “Roundup”, seeping into the groundwater or harming bees (Mr. Antoine is a hobbyist beekeeper), they both emphasized that the spraying would be minimal.  Thompson had looked into the issue and read several articles that Mr. Antoine forwarded to her, yet remained unconvinced than any action needed to be taken this year. The Tree Warden and Town Health Agent were consulted as well and do not have concerns, for bees or humans. “How would you know if your neighbor wasn’t using the same thing?” Selectmen Thompson rhetorically asked at the end of the discussion.

In Other News:

• Three use of town property permits have been approved: one each for the Plympton Youth Athletic Association to have a family night showing a movie, one for a group called “Moving with the Spirit” raising money to donate to Haiti to hold a bake sale, and one for the Girl Scouts to build a community garden as they did last year.

• There are still many vacancies in town government and there is plenty of time to run a write-in campaign. The Board emphasized that training was available even if one doesn’t have much knowledge of a particular board or committee. There are especially vacancies on the Planning Board and the Finance Committee.

• There are several opportunities for the public to learn about the Town Meeting warrant as well as several open Board meetings coming up:

• Monday April 27th, 6 p.m. Open Selectmen Meeting with FinCom

• Monday May 4th, 12 noon. Run-through of Town Meeting with Moderator, and all major participants.

• Saturday May 2nd, 10:30-noon. Public meeting hosted by Town Moderator and Finance Committee at the Plympton Public Library.

• Wednesday May 6th, 7 p.m. Opportunity for the public to hear about the warrant and ask questions.

• Monday May 11th, 6 p.m. Open Selectmen Meeting.