The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, April 26. As a result of Troy Garron’s resignation, the Board is down to just Ashley DiSesa and Gordon Andrews, whose term expires in a few weeks.

The Selectmen reviewed the articles on the town meeting warrant. Andrews asked DiSesa if she disagreed with any of the Finance Committee’s recommendations. She said she disagreed with their approval of 40 hours for the Assistant Treasurer position. DiSesa also took issue with the IT wages that were being funded with ARPA funds that she noted will not be available forever. “We were supposed to level fund this year, that was the plan,” she said. Regarding new ambulances and cruisers, DiSesa said, “just so everyone knows as far as ambulances and cruisers, we were told that they were… years out to get if we were going to approve it now.”

Andrews said that there was a note on the school article stating, “this number has been reduced by $755,828 which is being funded through the Circuit Breaker money from the State.”

The Selectmen were split on their opinions on a new intercom system for the school. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan said that Capital Planning did not vote to recommend it but said that the Finance Committee was holding their recommendation until town meeting. Director of Facilities Matt Durkee presented on the topic to the Finance Committee and Nolan said, “I think they were pretty satisfied with his explanations.” Andrews said, “for just a pure safety thing of being able to communicate with the schools as a whole, I am for this, but I just have a couple of questions before I vote to recommend.” DiSesa said she was against it. The Selectmen also said they were a “no” on the article to establish a stabilization fund for Silver Lake which needs a two-thirds vote from Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton.

Regarding the article to increase membership on the Board of Selectmen to five, DiSesa said she would like to speak to the need. “There is a lot of work to do, and I think we could be doing a lot more if there were more people involved and have a lot more voices. You know, everybody is concerned about different people in this town having agendas and stacking boards – then put more people on them – let’s go. Show up, volunteer, get on a Board and do some work. All for it. I’ll take all five,” DiSesa said.

Interim Town Administrator Ed Thorne said he received correspondence from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development regarding the MBTA Community Information Form. Thorne said the form asks for basic information regarding municipal plans to comply with the legislation. Thorne said of the legislation that it “requires that 175 communities to zone near a half a mile to a station of putting multi-family housing, if allowable.” The State passed a zoning requirement that if a town wants to receive grants under the Housing Authority, they must create a zone that allows 15 dwelling units per acre.  Thorne said he felt that the town should complete the form so as to not miss out on any eligible grant opportunities. DiSesa said, “I want to be careful what we are signing up for just to get grants.” Andrews was of the opinion that signing the document did not obligate the town to anything. An action plan would not need to be completed by the town until July of 2023.

Planning Board member Amy L. Troup said, “Complete Streets obligated us, and immediately by signing the obligation which is the form he’s talking about, it allows the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to change any of your laws by signing that document… if you read 40R in its entirety, any monies that you do receive for it, have to be repaid… it is absolutely not something we need to take in.” DiSesa said she did not want to sign it, so no motion was made, and Thorne was instructed not to complete the document.

There was a request for a live entertainment permit for a D.J. for cruise nights at the Halifax Walmart from May 6 to September 23. Andrews read all the requirements of the requested permit. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the permit. They also had a request from the Ragnar Relay that would be held on Saturday, May 21, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. Police Chief Joao Chaves said he was fine with the event. The Board approved the request.

The Selectmen had an appointment with Marilyn MacDonald and Don Nagle of MacDonalds Industries regarding remediation of waste soil. They were seeking a letter of support from the Board. Andrews said that in the past they have had issues with heavy truck traffic. MacDonald said that in addition to a $200 fine, MacDonald Industries also donates to the Halifax Food Pantry when trucks do not follow the rules regarding which streets they can use. A resident showed pictures to the Selectmen of damage caused by heavy truck traffic to various streets in town that were in relatively good condition prior. “We are up for anything to keep them off the streets, believe me, this is my community too,” MacDonald said. Andrews asked if a sign could  be put up stating that the roads are not for overweight vehicles. The Selectmen decided they would talk to the Highway Superintendent about what could be done. The Selectmen approved the requested letter of support.

Regarding the July 30 special election, Andrews said that the last day to obtain nomination papers would be June 8 at 5 p.m., the last day to submit papers to the Board of Registrars would be June 10, the last day for the Selectmen to notify the clerk of vacancies on the ballet would be May 26, and the deadline to object or withdraw would be June 28. The voter registration deadline is July 8. The Selectmen tabled the vote in order to discuss the possibility of having the special election the same day as the primary election.

A request was made for Saturday, June 18 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for use of the Town Hall Green. Andrews said that the requestor had already reached out to Chief Chaves, the Library Trustees, the Board of Health, and the Cultural Council. The Selectmen were told that they were still looking for a volunteer D.J. They were also told that they did not yet have a lineup for the event stating that the high school music program had expressed interest in performing. The requestor said that they had secured port-a-potties. An ice cream truck and a bouncy house may also be part of the event.

The Selectmen also had a hearing for earth removal at 0 Plymouth St. and 250 Lingan St.  A representative from Morse Brothers reviewed the plan with the Selectmen. A resident said that he would like for the trucking to occur during school hours and not on Saturdays. He cited safety concerns with children playing outside during those times. DiSesa asked how long that kind of limitation would postpone the project and was told it would likely increase the duration by several years. Andrews said the Board was told by the Zoning Enforcement Officer that the project was not allowable. “It needs to be proven through peer review,” he said. “We are playing a lot of ‘what ifs’ on a project that might not be allowed,” DiSesa added. The Selectmen voted to continue the hearing in a month’s time.

The Halifax Finance Committee met on Monday, April 11. They heard from both Facilities Manager for Silver Lake Regional Matt Durkee and Council on Aging Director Darlene Regan. Both have articles on the warrant for town meeting on May 9 for their respective departments.

Durkee spoke to the ongoing issues with the intercom system at the Halifax Elementary School. “The problem with the system is – number one, it’s a proprietary and based system, so there’s only one authorized vendor that can perform maintenance and repairs on the system so that kind of shoehorns us into a price bracket that we don’t really like,” Durkee explained. He clarified that the aforementioned issue was not the main one driving the request for a new system. “There are sections of the building that do not work currently with the intercom system on a consistent basis,” he continued. Durkee said that the gymnasium is the most critical portion of the school experiencing difficulties with the intercom system. In addition to difficulties with dismissals, Durkee said that students in gym class have been the last to know that lockdowns were happening. “One of the main parts of this new proposed system is to bring all of the classroom spaces and meeting spaces in the building up to a consistent, usable intercom system,” he told the Finance Committee.

In addition, the new system would outfit the clocks throughout the building with an auto adjust feature. “If there is a power outage, currently we have, I would say half the building, is battery operated, manually adjusted clocks; every time there is a power outage, that has to be adjusted – each space,” Durkee explained. Another new feature of the updated intercom system would be, in Durkee’s words, a “user friendly bell schedule adjustment.” This feature would allow the administration to easily update the bell schedule for half days or two-hour delays, etc.

Durkee also said that they are working their way through the entire Silver Lake Regional school systems to replace the aging intercom systems to integrate all of them. “The end goal here, once all these schools have come online in a new system, they will all be interconnected so if… the superintendent needed to make a district-wide address… it can be done through this system and speak to each classroom or any space where there is an intercom,” Durkee explained. He also said that there is a preset recording for all types of emergencies including fire alarms or lockdowns.

Regarding price, Durkee said the final pricing would be $38,793.51 including previously anticipated price increases. He said that the plan was to reuse much of the current wiring already found in the school in addition to the existing speakers which would help to keep the cost down. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan confirmed that this cost was already included in the capital plan. The article is recommended by the Finance Committee.

Regan spoke to the Committee about the plans to utilize existing funds to convert the Halifax Museum building into a new senior center. Regan shared with the Committee some 3-D renderings that were done of the proposed center. The images are available on the town website as well as having been shared in last week’s Express. “It just gives the people the idea of being excited about what the possibilities are going forward and that the funding is there its just a matter of making this all happen,” Regan explained. “Aesthetically on 106, it’s going to look beautiful,” she told the Committee. Regan stressed the importance of the new center, not just for aging adults, but for those with disabilities as well as the families of seniors.

Finance Committee Chair Thomas Connolly said to Regan about town meeting, “I anticipate, based on prior ones, that you’ll get questions about those things [services] and folks will want to be reassured that we are not just building an empty building that has no programming capability inside. My first recommendation would be to make sure you have crisp answers on that programming stuff that is going to go on there.” Connolly said that the proposed building looks “gorgeous” and agreed that it would enhance the look of the community as people drive down 106. Regarding the funding, he did bring up similar infrastructure issues that exist with the Town Hall, the Fire Station, and the Police Station though he noted that the current COA building is likely the worst. “Is there a rationale that we need to convey as to why these funds are used here and not for those three other central buildings?” Connolly asked. Nolan said that both the Police and Fire Stations are much larger jobs and noted that a complex combining both is in talks and would cost “quite a bit of money.” Of the new COA building, Nolan said, “This a building that can be done in the $1.6 million that we have leftover from the school.” She went on to say that pouring that money into the existing Fire or Police Stations would not make sense. Connolly agreed noting that a similar project in Brockton is estimated at upwards of $98 million. Nolan said a combined Police and Fire station in Halifax could cost somewhere around $12 million.

Finance Committee Chair Thomas Connolly said, “I think the one number that sort of tells it all for us is, after the one percent increases, it looks like our usual $300,000 buffer is somewhere around $119,000 this year.” He continued, “We are cutting it very close to the levy limit… that is where we are even with effectively a flat budget across the town… except for some uncontrollable increases like special education and the waste management contract and other just inflationary measures that are hitting us.”

Nolan told the Committee that there were still a few outstanding articles that the Finance Committee did not provide a recommendation on including a special town meeting article for work on the front door of the Town Hall. The total cost is $11,000. “If you’ve come to Town Hall recently, you would see why, they really need to be replaced,” Nolan said. The Finance Committee will provide their recommendation on it during the Town Meeting.

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in-person on Thursday, April 7. Superintendent Jill Proulx spoke about anti-bias training that is taking place at the Middle School to support anti-bullying, respect, and fostering a welcoming community for all. She said that a similar program will be rolled out at the High School using a peer mentoring model. Proulx said that a representative from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) would be leading it.

Committee member and Halifax Elementary School Committee Chair Summer Schmaling clarified that students would have the ability to choose whether they wanted to be a peer mentor but not whether they participated in the program as a recipient of that mentorship. She said, “Hanover has this programming, and it is to the point where there is no escaping it; it is being jammed down these kids’ throats… these peer mentors… it’s not as nice as it sounds; it’s a very aggressive campaign, if you will.” She said she does not want the ADL in Silver Lake’s schools. She said she feared the environment would become “toxic” and “poisonous.” She said she wanted parents to know when the programming would be taking place so parents could pull their children from it. Proulx pointed out that the Attorney General is partnering with the program. “Look at our Attorney General,” Schmaling said. Proulx said that opting out of assemblies would present a problem due to a lack of adequate staffing. “So, for some people this organization is racist, anti-police, and driven by hate,” Schmaling said after being told by Committee Chair Paula Hatch that the Committee was not in the habit of vetting material used by school clubs. Hatch said she participated in the anti-bias training herself and called it “very benign… not in the least bit abrasive or antagonistic.” “These parents are bull, and they are rising up in the hundreds and speaking out against it,” Schmaling said of parents in other communities where the programming was being implemented.

“I’m uncomfortable with the pre-judging prior to it happening,” Committee member Emily Davis told Schmaling. She continued that she found Schmaling’s attitude disrespectful to the administrators and community. Schmaling was asked to stop interrupting while Davis was trying to voice her opinions. Davis used the example of the Gay-Straight Alliance as being potentially polarizing but pointed out that it was a safe space for many. “Being exposed to things that make us uncomfortable or that are different opinions is necessity for us to be able to build bridges and have meaningful conversations,” Davis said. “I think this club presents the perfect opportunity for students that have very different opinions and very different ideas and ideologies to be able to have those conversations in a safe and supportive community and I think, in my opinion, that is the very purpose of an education,” Davis said.

Schmaling remained heated saying the programming was driven by a political agenda. She went on to say that she took issue with children being taught that they are inherently racist and privileged because of the color of their skin.

There was a debate on whether to create a standing committee to review texts when concerns are brought up regarding specific texts included as part of the Grade 7 through 12 curriculums. A committee was recently formed to provide a recommendation on the title, So Far from the Bamboo Grove after a parent raised concerns about the appropriateness of the text. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said that she felt it would benefit everyone involved if there was more transparency in general regarding the syllabi for various courses. High School Principal Michaela Gill said that syllabi should be posted per policy.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said he was asked to investigate how best to address concerns arising over specific texts. “There are policies around… reconsideration of instructional materials,” he said. He said that ideally, concerns should first be addressed with the classroom teacher. If questions remain, an additional meeting with the coordinator or principal would follow to see if the concerns could be addressed or an alternative text provided. The final step would be for the Committee to consider if the resource should be changed. Schmaling said she fears that concerns are not raised early enough for a parent to intervene before a child is exposed to what some may consider inappropriate. Schmaling said that she would prefer that a syllabus be provided in hardcopy format as opposed to being posted on an app. Hatch agreed.

Schmaling was personally concerned with the text, The Perks of Being a Wallflower which is part of the 11^th grade program of studies. Committee member Gordon Laws gave an impassioned argument that while the subjects broached in the book are uncomfortable, they are meant to be, and they are in line with the real-life experiences of students in the age range that are reading the text. He did say, however, “If Summer does not want her daughter to read that, I fully support her right to say, ‘you’re not going to read that.’”

Student Council representative to the School Committee Callie MacInnis spoke up saying she was in agreement with Laws. “It is a very uncomfortable topic, but I think it is necessary to know at that age… it’s something that you should know… I think it is better to read it in a setting of a book, which you know is fictional,” she explained. Hatch said to MacInnis, “you are a wonderful asset and I enjoy having you here as I think the rest of the Committee does; you are meaningful in what you say.” She continued, “One of the reasons I continue to enjoy my experience on this Committee is because we can have honest, intelligent, thoughtful, meaningful conversations – everybody here tonight played their role in it, and I want to thank you; this was a robust discussion and we hashed out an uncomfortable subject and came to some reasonable thoughts.”

The Committee voted to accept a donation from a resident to aid in paying off any unpaid meal debt for students. Committee member Jason Fraser said that there was a bi-partisan bill at the federal level to extend through September 2023 the federal free meals program. “There’s bills at the State level and the Federal level right now trying to work on making the current way we are doing lunch a permanent fixture,” Fraser explained.

Middle School Principal Jim Dupille gave an update on the students that went to the Regional History Bee. Two of the students made it beyond the regional and have qualified for the national academic competition in Orlando. “Congratulations to all of our students that have participated,” Dupille said. Superintendent Jill Proulx thanked Dupille for his 11 years of service to the district as he is leaving. She said that they will begin interviews as early as the last week in April. She said they hoped to be able to make an appointment by the end of May. Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) President Jon Lay read several tributes to Dupille’s tenure at the Middle School from a number of faculty members. Many praised him for his professionalism and his family first attitude.

Gill asked the Committee to consider changing the way the second semester grades are calculated. She said that final exams are currently calculated to account for 20 percent of the final grade. “We think this is a bit excessive for a student’s final grade to rest so heavily on one form of assessment,” Gill said. She continued, “What we would like to do instead… is to create two equal terms for three and four at fifty percent, the final assessment or project that is done in the class be part of the term four grade which traditionally has more interruptions than the rest of the school year anyway…that would allow teachers to continue to have the autonomy to assign their final exam… or learning based project… seniors with an A minus or better would still have the opportunity to be exempt from their final exams but, again, I think it would alleviate some stress for kids.” “I think it’s a great solution; I would love to make it permanent,” Fraser said. Other Committee members spoke out against the proposal citing fears that students would not be prepared for future endeavors including college. McGee said that her own child, who went through Silver Lake schools, was struggling in college due to not having the rigor usually required in their last two years of high school during the pandemic. “I’m going to vote no on this and it’s not because I don’t’ respect what you and your staff have done to come up with this; I just don’t think it’s the optimal solution,” McGee said. The proposal passed during the Committee vote though several members voted against it. The change would only affect this year.

Gill told the Committee that students have been engaging in a number of endeavors to support the people of Ukraine. Efforts have included students in the Allied Health group collecting medical supplies and the Red Cross Club have been creating educational and awareness materials to share with their classmates. Gill said the Woman Empowerment Club held their first annual woman in the workforce career fair. Gill also said that all the junior and senior CTE students took the 10-hour OSHA certification earlier this month.  The Senior Theatre Independent Study hosted SL Idol. It was the first time the event was able to be held in several years.

MacInnis also shared some recent updates with the Committee. MacInnis said that the spring sports were off to a successful start in addition to unified sports which is a partnership with the Best Buddies program. She said that pins could be purchased to support a day of silence for the LGBTQ+ community. MacInnis also said that the National Honor Society (NHS) would be partnering with the Middle School for their tutoring program. She also said that several drives were going on in the school including one for an animal shelter and a food drive to support the Pilgrim Area Collaborative.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable spoke to the Committee regarding a special education review that takes place every three years by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to monitor student outcomes. She said that of the 36 areas reviewed, only one fell outside the implemented category. This pertained to procedures used to provide services to eligible students enrolled in private school at private expense. She said that since it was only partially implemented, they now must provide a plan to correct it. Grable said, “Every school has an obligation to locate and evaluate students with disabilities that are either home schooled or enrolled in private school at parent expense… private schools located within a school’s boundaries, so for us we are looking at Sacred Heart School in Kingston. The districts are to calculate and spend a proportionate share of the Federal Special Education IDEA fund to provide equitable special education services to the eligible students.” She said there were 4 students attending Sacred Heart and 6 that are homeschooled. She said they must engage in meaningful conversation with these students’ families and schools to discuss what, if any, funding would help to ensure that these students obtain equitable services.

Grable explained to the Committee the difference between a unilateral placement by a family versus a team decision to send a child to a different school. Grable said a unilateral placement is one where a family would decide to send a student with a disability to a district outside of Silver Lake. In this case, Silver Lake would have conversations with the family regarding implications of that decision. “When we have a student in our system here that we are feeling we cannot meet their special education needs… then we do seek to find an appropriate out of district placement for that child.”

During the Chairman’s Report, Hatch said she was contacted by Hanson Selectman Jim Hickey regarding a subcommittee on the feasibility of de-regionalization. Hatch said they are considering de-regionalizing from Whitman and wanted insight on how things were handled when Pembroke left Silver Lake. She also said that they expressed interest in potentially joining Silver Lake. Hatch said, “this is very early on, and it may not come to anything.”

The Halifax Elementary School Committee met in-person on Monday, April 4. Committee Chair Summer Schmaling opened the floor for public comment. Richard Bayramshian of the Halifax Teachers’ Assocation (HTA) spoke saying, “it’s important to understand why the Teachers’ Association is making their plea tonight for a fair and respectful contract moving forward. After receiving a 1.6 percent raise for one year in January of 2021, seven months after our old contract expired in June of 2020, negotiations started back up in February of 2021; the starting point was an offer of 0 percent until Finance Committee and final budget was set for the upcoming fiscal school year of 2022-2023.”

Bayramshian said that the HTA requested that they be paid the stipend that all town employees received but he said that request was denied. Bayramshian said that the final offer the School Committee proposed was for two years at 1 percent and 1.5 percent which the HTA brought back to the Union, who voted it down. He said that a second meeting was scheduled for March 9 which Bayramshian said was put off several times by the School Committee due to not having a quorum. He said that the mediation date was set for May 3, nearly three months after the original scheduled date.

“I’ve been a teacher here for almost 30 years; I’ve been negotiating for nearly half that time. I’ve considered the town of Halifax and HES as my second family. I’ve run over 20 years of fundraisers… I’ve run after school sports programs…,” Bayramshian said. He said that the HTA has been without a contract for nine months and that what they really hoped to accomplish was a three-year contract in line with cost of living increases and inflation rates. “My own paycheck has decreased the last three years,” Bayramshian explained.

Steve Ruisi, also of the HTA, spoke next saying that he shared many of the same sentiments expressed by Bayramshian. “Our message is simple; invest more in teachers,” Ruisi said. He went on to say that it was disappointing to be there to discuss the lack of progress with the negotiations. “It has been very clear throughout these negotiations that investing in teachers’ salaries have never been a serious priority,” Ruisi told the Committee. He said that both Kingston and Plympton settled their contracts early in the winter saying the towns rewarded them for what they have done over the last two years throughout the pandemic. Ruisi said that in initial drafts of the budget, teachers’ salaries were decreased by $36,000 rather than being level funded. He said that the HTA received no response from the School Committee when they pointed out the decrease and demanded to be level funded. “Earlier in the spring as unprecedented stimulus money was approved for towns and schools, we were again optimistic; at that time and still, a large majority of that money was and still is unspent,” Ruisi said. He also said that inflation is estimated at 6 percent and the teachers were only asking for a 2 percent increase. He said it was important to note that as the previous year’s inflation rates were used, in part, to justify the one year, one percent contract. He said the teachers were “crushed, shocked, and disappointed” to be the only town employees not to receive the stipend.

Kindergarten teacher Tiffany Easter spoke next. She began by thanking the School Committee for the opportunity to speak before them. “I just wanted to get up here tonight and shed some light on the reality of teaching in Halifax right now. I know I speak for many others when I say this as a sixth-year teacher with a Master’s degree working toward paying off undergrad student debt, keeping up with the cost of living, paying for rising health insurance costs – right now I am forced to work three jobs,” Easter told the Committee. “We can’t put students first if we are putting teachers last,” she finished.

Tara Tonello, a parent of a student at HES, spoke after Easter. She acknowledged that she could not fathom the “intricacies” of the tasks faced by the Committee. “However, I am aware that the teachers have been working with an outdated contract this current school year,” she said. She said that when it takes this long to accomplish something, in this case agree to a new contract, the general impression is that it is not a priority. The reply, addressed to the teachers said, “I hope you know that you are valued, appreciated, and incredibly respected.”

School Committee member Jim Keegan spoke saying he has a child at HES as well as another at the Middle School. He said that both himself and his wife were born and raised in Halifax and that they wanted to make sure that their children went through the Silver Lake school system. Keegan said that he could not be happier with the education that their children are receiving and said that everyone that he speaks to in town are in complete agreement. “I support our schools and I support our teachers,” Keegan said. He cautioned against using social media as a member of any group including a union, saying that it can easily become divisive. “When we are using social media and using bits and pieces to fit our agenda, it doesn’t do anything but separate us; as a parent, I would hope that everyone would use caution when using social media,” Keegan said.

Schamling thanked everyone for attending but said that she wished that more people would have been in attendance during their budget hearing.

There was a school choice hearing which allows the School Committee to opt out of school choice. School choice is a program that allows Massachusetts schools to accept students from other towns in the State. Superintendent Jill Proulx made it clear that school choice does not allow for discrimination based on race, gender, athletic achievement, academic achievement, etc. The administration recommended against choosing school choice due to the large class sizes. The School Committee voted unanimously to opt out of school choice.

Keegan provided a Youth and Rec update. He said that sinkholes were currently getting fixed that were located on the Babe Ruth Field. Keegan also said that adult volleyball was scheduled to begin April 29 at 7 p.m.

A PTO update was given by committee member Jennifer Carroll. She said the bookfair this year was the most successful one to date raising $50,000. She also said that field trips are returning. The newspaper club for Grades 4-6 was approved by Youth and Rec and is seeking volunteers to chaperone. Field Day will be Monday, June 13 with a rain date of Tuesday, June 14.

Principal Kayne Beaudry began his update by saying, “I just want to put it out there to just recognize the fact that we don’t appreciate teachers enough…we do appreciate all that the teachers do especially the last two years were rough, and I wouldn’t want to be beside anyone else… they did a wonderful job trying to figure out how to teach during COVID.” Beaudry said that conferences were held and were offered either in-person or remote. He also said that kindergarten registration went live on February 7. MCAS would be held that week.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch spoke about the Student Opportunity Act saying that it sought to close learning gaps. He said that additional Chapter 70 funding did not happen in 2021 due to the pandemic and additional federal aid. He noted that the funds would be available for 2022-2023 and that based on Halifax’s demographics, that increase netted about $16,000. He said that one of the goals was to take a math interventionist position and move it from a 0.49 position to a 1.0 or full-time position. Lynch said that Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds can be used to fund that position through 2024.

Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable provided an update on an assessment that was completed regarding special education services in Halifax. She said that of the 36 areas reviewed, 35 were deemed successfully implemented. Only one service was considered partially implemented. She said that every district has an obligation to locate students with special needs that are either homeschooled or enrolled in a private school by their caregivers. The district has a responsibility to identify these students and with parent consent, consult on how and if any eligible funding would help the student to obtain eligible services. She said that since this area is only partially implemented, they would be looking to finer tune the process.

Proulx asked the Committee to increase the pay for long-term substitutes to make them more aligned with other local districts. She said the possibility to reduce the rate in the future could be explored should long-term substitutes become more readily available. Committee Chair Gordon Andrews asked Beaudry if there were currently any open long-term substitute positions at HES and was told there was not. Andrews clarified that voting the increase would not cost them anything right now but would make them competitive should the need arise for a long-term substitute. The increase would be from $95 a day to $272. Schmaling said she was in favor of learning more about the increase’s full impact on the budget before voting in favor of it. The Committee decided to discuss it further at their next meeting.

The Plympton School Committee met virtually on Monday, March 28. Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen brought up the ongoing issue of dog waste on the school fields as well as a recent incident involving a dog bite. Resident Heather Sanda said she was out for a run when she encountered three dogs with an owner on school grounds. One of the dogs jumped on her and bit her hip and knee which prompted her to call the police. “There is no leash law in Plympton so all that happened was this dog was taken home and put under house arrest for ten days to be monitored for rabies,” Sanda explained. “People just use it as a dog park and it is not a dog park,” Sanda said of the school fields. Sanda said that some of the first-grade teachers have recalled students coming in from recess with dog waste on their shoes. “I know we have had this conversation too many times; we have given people the opportunity to clean up after their dogs… my understanding is nothing is any different than it was before,” Wilhelmsen said. Amy Hempel spoke on behalf of the Plympton Athletic Youth Sports (P.A.Y.S.) saying that while preparing the fields for spring sports, there was considerable waste on the fields. “It is unfortunate for the folks that have been using it appropriately, but it is not designed to be a dog park,” Wilhelmsen said. Hempel noted that 90 percent of surrounding towns do not allow dogs on their sports fields.

The Committee discussed placing signs around the area alerting residents that dogs will no longer be permitted. Wilhelmsen said the difficult part would be enforcement. “We are not in a position as a School Committee or Peter [Veneto] as an administrator to be enforcing who is on the grounds and who is not, especially after school hours…I think we will need to work with the Selectmen to see if we can engage the Police,” he explained. Regarding the lack of a leash law, Wilhelmsen said, “It is incumbent upon all of us that have dogs to understand and know your dog and be able to make sure that dog is acting appropriately and healthily with everyone that is around.” The School Committee voted to ban dogs from the Dennett grounds. Sanda thanked them saying, “I’m glad it was me and not a kid.”

Playground Update

Committee member Jason Fraser said, “with the help of Rep. LaNatra and her staff, we did trace the path for those fenced off funds which are for the enrollment increases we realized this year. They are supposed to be for fiscal year 22 which is ending June 30… DESE [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] has some preliminary numbers for us… I don’t think they are official yet… we are supposedly in line for $80,000.” Fraser said that the money could be used to help finish the rubberized surfacing on the new playground at the Dennett.

Capital Improvement

Wilhelmsen said they plan to have an article at the special town meeting for several purposes. He said there were four classrooms that need floor replacements. Wilhelmsen told the Committee that an upgrade to the intercom system would cost about $35,000. They are also looking to upgrade the building entrances with key fobs. Five HVAC units also need to be replaced but will likely be funded using ARPA funds.

Legislative Update

Fraser said the federal government was lapsing on their free meal programs for students for both breakfast and lunch. He said there is currently a bill at the State House called the Free Meals for All Plan. He said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) were in support of it. He said it has also been requested that the per pupil minimum increment be changed from $30 to $100. “With inflation wreaking havoc on budgets across the State, $100 just seems a little bit more appropriate,” Fraser explained. He said they were also asking that Circuit Breaker be fully funded. The school loses money from charter school tuitions that are taken directly out of the town’s Chapter 70 funds. “We actually have the ability within Mass General Laws to reach out to all of those students who go to charter schools and send them flyers and brochures of our own, advocating for our schools and the great programs that we have,” he told the Committee. He further said he would like to see the administrative team prepare something to send out.

CASA Update

Hempel provided the CASA update saying they just finished the end of Winter Fest. “I think it was a big success looking at the number of people that went,” she said. She also said that they were looking for volunteers to bring back the talent show.

Principal’s Report

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto said that they currently have 241 students enrolled. The school recently held the honor roll breakfast and any sixth grader on the honor roll was allowed to bring a family member. Veneto said that a former Dennett student, Dan Lyons, who is now a senior also came and spoke to the students about what they can expect at the middle school and high school. Veneto also said that the entire school participated in Read Across America week where students got to wear different themed attire each day. Former student Payton Devonshire is leading a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. There will be a box for collections in the lobby of the school as well as at the Police Station. Veneto also said that the Assistant District Attorney recently spoke to fifth and sixth grade students about the dangers of the internet as well as “how to remain safe while online.”

“We also had another really interesting project that we tried for the first time in Grade 6,” Veneto said. He said a Deputy from the Sherriff’s Department introduced a CIA unit kit that students tested in class. “They did fingerprint experiments, footprint analysis, working with unknown powder and liquids,” Veneto explained. He called the program “hugely popular.”

Assistant Superintendent’s Update

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided data on a recent professional development day centering around social and emotional learning and anti-bias training. He said that they surveyed teachers and had 228 responses. Eighty-five percent of staff rated the training as either a 1 or a 2 out of 4 with 1 being extremely effective. Lynch also provided an update on ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund). They are using some of the funds for a program that includes visits from an expert to help aid the school improvement plan.

Budget Update

Proulx told the Committee that it was her hope that they would approve the budget that night, so they could have a budget to present to the community. Wilhelmsen said that himself, Proulx, Fraser, and Director of Business Services Christine Healy all met with the Finance Committee to review the budget and the addition of the new director position being added to the budget. “We didn’t get too many questions… but I think overall they were very, very pleased with the budget,” Wilhelmsen said of the Finance Committee. He said there would be no increase in the budget after taking all factors into account. “I think this is a good, strong budget,” he continued. The Committee approved the 2022-2023 elementary school operating budget of $2,767,440, the special education budget of $1,136,022, and the out of district vocational budget of $60,000.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, March 15. The Selectmen met with Michael Mahoney the Director of the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) to discuss a $50,000 increase for services for fiscal year 2023. Selectman Mark Russo said they did have a bit of sticker shock as they were originally told that they would be at $175,000 and not $200,000 with the potential for that to reduce should other towns join. “The three-year step plan that we laid out went $100, $150, $200… I’m honestly not sure where the shock is,” Mahoney said. Fire Chief Steve Silva said he agreed with Russo saying that both Hanson and Hanover have joined the ROCCC without a reduction seen to Plympton’s share of the cost.

“Plympton wasn’t paying an equitable share all along,” Mahoney said explaining that 911 was paying their share previously. Mahoney further said that all of the smaller towns that are a part of the ROCC are paying $200,000 including Halifax and Rochester. Silva questioned this given Plympton’s population of just under 3,000 as opposed to Halifax who is more than twice as large. Mahoney claimed that the call volume for Plympton has been larger than Halifax’s over the last six months. Silva said that the metric used to indicate call volume was resulting in “an inequitable situation.” “You pay for the impact on the dispatcher,” Mahoney said.

According to Mahoney, 911 calls represent the vast minority of calls to the ROCCC. He said that business related calls represent more of the calls fielded. John Traynor asked Mahoney for assistance in figuring out what is driving Plympton’s call volume to match or exceed that of the much larger towns. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said that further investigation needs to be done into what is driving Plympton’s high call volume to see if there may be an alternative way to handle some of those calls. Mahoney said that he was happy to pull some numbers and review them further with the town.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy asked what will happen if the town can’t afford the $50,000 increase for fy 2023 given the short notice and how far along they are in the budget process. She asked if they would need to approach the State and Mahoney said, “we’ve done anything and everything to secure support in grant funding as much as we possibly can for all of the member towns.” Mahoney said he would stand with the town before the 911 Commissioner to lobby for more money if needed.

Traynor led a discussion with Executive Director of Area 58 Richard Goulart about moving forward with a hybrid style meeting where participants could join virtually via ZOOM while others were physically present in a meeting room. Goulart said that both Carver and Halifax are currently doing a hybrid style meeting. To do so and to allow Area 58 to record the meeting, they would have to be the ones to host the meeting. Dennehy felt that having Area 58 host the meeting could pose a problem if the town needed to organize a meeting quickly. “I think it could work very well for regular meetings,” she added. Dennehy also said that if they moved to hybrid meetings and there was a technology glitch, the meeting would be invalidated. Russo inquired about the sound quality. “Generally speaking, we haven’t had a real problem with that,” Goulart said.

The Selectmen had two public hearings on the agenda. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said that in 2018, the town adopted a policy of right of first refusal for full transparency whenever land became available in the town. This allows residents that have concerns to voice them as well as allowing interested committees or boards in town that have interest in the property to speak on it. The first property was located on Ring Rd. in Plympton. Kirsten Eliassen who works with the developer Ring Rd. Solar was there to speak on it. “The solar array will be installed over the existing cranberry bogs and the cranberry bogs will continue to be harvested for the life of the project,” Eliassen explained. There are 14.6 acres on the first parcel and there are 5-6 acres to be converted. No one spoke out in favor of or against the project. The Selectmen voted not to exercise the town’s right of first refusal on the first property.

The second parcel is 41 acres, and they are proposing to convert between 8 and 9 acres. Again, no one spoke out in favor or against the project and no boards or committees in town were interested in the property. The Selectmen again voted not to exercise the town’s right of first refusal.

Mike Slawson of the Plympton Public Library spoke in favor of Jessica Lau being appointed to the Board of Library Trustees until May 21, 2022. “I think she’ll be an excellent addition to the Board,” Slawson told the Selectmen. They voted to appoint her. Arthur Kinsman was also appointed to the Bylaw Review Committee until dissolved. Brian Kling was also reappointed as the town’s animal inspector.

Dennehy said she had a few items in correspondence. A request was made by a resident who runs a meditation group called Plymouth Zen to use a room at the Old Townhouse. Russo called Plymouth Zen a “very nice bunch.” He did say, however, that he wanted to be careful not to set a precedent and to view any approval more so as a trial. The Selectmen decided to vote on the issue at the following meeting.

The Selectmen ended the meeting with their raves. Traynor said, “My rave is for Kathy LaNatra.” He said the library was hosting a speaker series each month and noted that LaNatra has done a good job any time she has been asked to speak. “We have a good rep,” he said.

“My rave is for the courage of the Ukrainian people who are defending their country, their homes, and their lives,” Joy said.

Russo said he wanted to underscore both of the previous raves in addition to his own. “My rave is for the time of year that its budget creation time, preparing for town meeting – kind of a busy time but we kind of layout the foundation for the whole year… kind of a pleasure to be in that mode,” he said.