The Halifax Board of Selectmen, who have been meeting with greater frequency than usual, met in-person on June 11. They dealt with some regular town business including approval of line-item transfers and ambulance abatements. They also signed off on a road opening for White Island Road to install a new gas service requiring one detail. There was another road opening request for 160 Holmes St. to install a new gas service as well.

Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews recused himself from the discussion of the Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Green Earth Cannabis. “There’s nothing, as far as I know, in State law that says that simply because someone proposes a Host Community Agreement the town is obligated to say so. I think, you know, it’s the Board’s judgment call not just on zoning issues or site plan review which are being done by the Planning Board but whether it’s worth it to the community to have this establishment in here… it’s one of the reasons we ask for the public comments on it,” Town Administrator Charlie Seelig explained.

He told Selectmen Ashley DiSesa and Troy Garron their options including agreeing to the HCA, saying no to it, asking for additional provisions within it, or asking for additional public comment. Garron said he has very strong feelings about it and said he has heard from more residents against the idea than for it. Seelig said that a valid reason to say no would be that there was significant opposition to the establishment particularly due to its close proximity to residents resulting in traffic worries, etc. Garron made a motion that they not agree to the proposed HCA and DiSesa agreed. Seelig said he would communicate the decision to the applicant.

The Selectmen also reviewed the Police Department rules and regulations. Seelig asked the Board if they wished to move the discussion to a further date and have Police Chief Joao Chaves attend. Andrews pointed out that they hadn’t been updated in a really long time and Seelig laughed saying, “Yea, in about 45 years.”  Selectmen DiSesa and Garron both said they had reviewed the new rules and saw no issue. The Selectmen then unanimously approved.

Seelig also discussed several documents pertaining to the Franklin St. Solar Field. “There are two documents, one is the final document related to the actual payment of taxes pilot agreement and that is going to go to the Registry of Deeds… the other is for financing purposes for the developer,” Seelig explained. The Board unanimously agreed to approve the documents. The Solar Field itself was approved at a previous year’s town meeting.

The Selectmen also re-evaluated their own duties and liaisons. Garron agreed to stay on as the liaison to the Animal Control Officer. He also agreed to be assigned to Cemetery, MBTA, Memorial Day, Monponsett, Advisory, and Old Colony Planning Council delegate. DiSesa was assigned to the Capital Planning Committee as well as the Highway Department. Seelig remained on for Chief Procurement Officer and the insurance plan. Andrews agreed to be the liaison to the Finance Committee and Fire Department as well as the Halifax Emergency Management. He also took on Government study. DiSesa agreed to Traffic Safety.

The Selectmen also discussed the surplus equipment procedure. Seelig said, “We have tried to be transparent in the past when we’re selling property, to get the information out; this helps formalize what locations, what venues we’ll be putting out notices and such when we’re putting property out for sale whether it be vehicles or something else.” He said that for vehicles they would still do the auctions and advertise on the town website. Seelig told the Selectmen that this way any resident who may be interested can find out about it and no one can say they weren’t aware of the proceedings. The Selectmen voted unanimously for the policy.

Seelig also addressed reports received regarding OUI (Operating Under the Influence). He said that for the last several months there were none reporting that someone pulled over said they had had their last drink in Halifax. “Most of the time we get a clean sheet,” Seelig said.

Seelig also said he was looking into reports of erratic power outages in town.

It came down to the last at-bats and they were three outs away from losing the game. However, the Silver Lake High softball team saw the challenge and they beat it.

The Lakers hosted the Duxbury High Dragons on Wednesday, May 26 and while they went into the bottom of the seventh inning down a run, they got two in the final half frame and came out with a 5-4 victory. The win put them at 7-2 on the season.

Nina O’Neil was among the heroes for the Lakers in the game. She had a walkoff single on a full count to knock in the game-winning run. It came on the third at-bat of the inning.

Lily Gustafson started the inning off by reaching base on an error by the shortstop. The next batter Delaney Callanan (2-for-4, 4 RBI) had an RBI double to center field, scoring Gustafson. Silver Lake then put in Autumn Fletcher as a pinch runner for Callanan. Fletcher reached third base on a wild pitch and then scored on O’Neil’s ground ball single to center field.

The Lakers used two pitchers in the game: starter Caroline Peterson and reliever Briann Ghilardi. Peterson went four innings and allowed two runs, neither of which were earned. She allowed five hits and four walks and struck out four batters.

Ghilardi pitched the last three innings in relief and allowed two runs, both of which were earned, on five hits and didn’t walk any batters. She had three strikeouts.

The Lakers had eight hits in the win. Other than Gufstafson, Callanan, and O’Neil, who had two hits apiece, Hannah Kelleher and Sam Waters also had hits for the Lakers.

The Lakers finished their regular season at 8-2 last week.

The Thursday, May 20 Silver Lake Regional School Committee meeting began with Chair Paula Hatch saying they were “giddy” because they were finally all in-person.

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill was unable to attend due to family obligations. Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Jim Dupille read Gill’s notes to the Committee. Earlier this year, a subcommittee was established to formalize a dual enrollment policy. It would allow juniors and seniors in good academic standing to enroll part-time in college courses and earn college credits. The student and guardian would be responsible for paying for such courses. “I think it’s a great opportunity for our students to get a jump start on colleges; there’s an opportunity for them to not only earn credit in our high school but really reach out to the next level and really propel them forward in their career,” Dupille explained. Dupille said that Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee was instrumental in the development of the program.

One Committee member asked if the program would be open to the career and technical education students as well. Superintendent Jill Proulx said, “I think there’s an opportunity for a wide-range of types of courses that students could potentially take advantage of.”

Committee member Christopher Eklund expressed some concerns over the way the policy was presented calling it “very, very open.” McGee noted that there were many different models for dual enrollment. She also pointed out that for the last several years, many CTE students have already been involved in dual enrollment programs. McGee said that her own son was in a dual enrollment program at Quincy College taking precalculus as well as English Comp 101 online there. “By the end of December, he had his entire high school year of math and year of English completed,” she explained. She said that it has eased the transition into college. McGee pointed out that if a student takes an Advanced Placement (AP) course in high school but does not receive a score of a 4 or a 5 they will not receive college credit whereas a passing grade at a college while enrolled in a dual enrollment program would count toward college credit. She also stressed that it is financially more beneficial as well to enroll in such a program.

Eklund asked if the courses that are being selected to take at a college are typically those that are not offered at Silver Lake. McGee said that it gives students the opportunity to go beyond the curriculum offered at Silver Lake. Eklund said his concern was students going off campus to take courses that they could take at Silver Lake. He said he was all for students going off campus to take courses not otherwise offered to them. “I’m fully in agreement, I just want more structure to it,” he explained.

Committee member Gordon Andrews said, “So the idea is this is the first step an open policy and then you guys can work on an implementation plan to try to bring in colleges?” “That is my understanding,” McGee said. Except for Eklund, all other Committee members voted in favor of the new dual enrollment policy.

Dupille reported that according to Gill, the high school’s full, in-person return to school has been very successful. Gill requested permission from the School Committee to accept donations from the Kingston Fire Department for a physio-controlled life pack, 15 defibrillators; the total value of such donations is $20,250. A 2001 Oldsmobile was also donated by a resident to be used by the automotive department. High School graduation will take place on June 4 at 6 pm. The annual senior parade will take place on June 3 and students will have an opportunity to visit their former schools. The annual senior awards will be a virtual presentation on June 1.

Dupille then turned to his own update. Dupille said that later that week they would be holding their practice MCAS testing with actual testing on May 25, May 27, and wrapping up in early June. Spirit Week was held at the Middle School from May 10 through May 14. Dupille said clubs are now meeting after school once again including the school paper the Laker Ledger as well as the drama club. He said they were also looking at bringing back a modified field day sometime in June based on the new safety guidelines that are being released.

Proulx told the Committee that on May 17 the Department of Education issued a new set of Covid 19 frequently asked questions with updated information. Effective May 18 students no longer had to wear masks outside even if distancing could not be maintained. Adults still need to wear masks outside if distancing cannot be maintained. Masks will be required for all while indoors. Gathering limits for outdoor events will be lifted as of May 29. Governor Baker had announced that the state of emergency would be lifted on June 15. Proulx said she reached out to the head of the subcommittee on policy to amend the Covid policies appropriately. Proulx said that as of right now they are not anticipating a change to the policy that requires students and adults to wear masks while inside the school prior to the end of the school year. Proulx pointed out that sometimes the broader public implications do not always apply to schools as they must account for not only the Governor’s mandates but the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) determinations as well.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided an update on the financials saying that while there were a number of deficits there were also a number of surpluses that would likely weigh each other out. Healy said she was surprised to see that the only utilities deficit was for gas at the high school. She found this surprising given the number of air purifiers and other items running due to the pandemic. Healy noted that the schools were still waiting for reimbursements for CARES Act funding from the towns.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch began his update by saying that principals, coordinators, and department heads are beginning work on summer curriculum. He said that teachers and coordinators are also working on a new K-5 ELA program. Regarding professional development, Lynch said they have their diversity, equity and inclusion working group continuing their work that was started over the winter. “The goal of this working group is to eventually design diversity, equity, and inclusion professional development for our schools,” he explained.

Superintendent Proulx also presented. “Despite the FAQ’s that came out earlier this week and the Governor’s announcement about the COVID related restrictions ending on May 29, one thing that is going to remain in place is that all of the federal U.S. Department of Agricultural school meal flexibilities that were announced on April 20 are still going to remain in place through June 30, 2022,” Proulx said. She also mentioned that youths over 12 years of age are now eligible to be vaccinated. Proulx also spoke about the grant opportunities that are available for summer programming to support the needs of the students that may have arisen over the last year or two. One such program is the Accelerated Learning Academy. The program is intended to help those students entering Grades 3-6 most affected by COVID 19. There will also be a Silver Lake Middle School Enhancement program for students entering Grades 7 and 8. There will be another program to ensure students with disabilities will not fall behind.

Silver Lake Education Association President John Lay spoke briefly. Lay said he wanted to acknowledge on behalf of the SLEA the tremendous amount of work that went into getting kids and teachers back in school full-time in a very short amount of time. He also said that he really appreciated the school encouraging kids aged 12 and up to get vaccinated. Committee member Summer Schmaling took issue, however, with the idea that the schools would be encouraging students to get vaccinated. “Something he said really struck me; encouraging students to get vaccinated, that is not our role as a school to be doing that. I have an issue with that; I’m trying to speak without coming across emotionally…. I think it’s out of line for our teachers and our staff to be having that conversation with minors,” she explained. Proulx clarified that the school nurse is putting together an informational packet to be distributed directly to parents.

Hatch pointed out to the other members that Halifax did not support the regional budget at their town meeting though Plympton did. Andrews clarified that if two towns vote no to the regional budget, the School Committee must reconvene to present another budget and the towns would have 30 days to hold another town meeting. Kingston did, in fact, vote through the Silver Lake Regional budget during their town meeting on Saturday, May 22.

As it was Andrews’ last Regional School Committee meeting, Hatch said, “We have to bid farewell… I just feel the need to say, you have been a tremendous asset to this Committee; your Finance Committee background coupled with your ability to just think outside the box has been overwhelmingly beneficial to this Committee… I’m going to miss your wisdom and I’m going to miss your humor both and I can’t thank you enough for having been on this Committee.” Additionally, School Committee secretary Lisa Turcotte is retiring. Hatch said, “Lisa you have been such a wealth of knowledge as well; you’re sort of like the historical gatekeeper of so many pieces of knowledge of this district… you’ve been absolutely wonderful to work with.”

Halifax voters cast 1175 ballots in the Halifax Town Election on May 15.  Of the 6,014 registered voters, 19.5% chose to be counted.  The heavy campaigning saw a veteran Selectman and Board of Health and Planning Board members defeated by newcomers to the boards.

Selectman Tom Millias got the nod from 499 voters while Ashley Anne DiSesa got 601 votes.  Write-ins were nine and Blanks 66.

Alan J. Dias was a candidate for re-election to the Planning Board where he was unseated by Brendon W. Elliot.  Dias got 426 votes to Eliot’s 654.

Dias was also a candidate for re-election to the Board of Health but lost to Pamela Ann Engstrom who got 633 votes to Dias’ 473.  There were two write-ins and 67 Blanks.

Dorothy L. Lamoureux won re-election to a three-year term on the Board of Assessors with 802 votes.  Write-ins were 15 and 358 were Blank.

There were 137 write-ins for the three-year term on the Board of Library Trustees.  Susan Vogt and Patrick Michaels each won seats.  There were 2,213 Blanks.

Kathleen Shiavone was elected to the two-year term on the Board of Library Trustees with 826 votes.   There were 21 write-ins and 328 Blanks.

Summer Schmaling won election to the two-year term on the Halifax Elementary School Committee, besting Lana M. Eldridge who got 513 votes.  There were two write-ins and 72 left Blank.

Two candidates won three-year terms to the Halifax Elementary School Committee. James F. Keegan III won with 455 votes and Lauren Laws 493 votes.  Marline Amedee got 419 votes, Jennifer Ann Carroll 369, and Robert W. Johnson got 200 votes.  There were two write-ins and 412 Blanks.

Summer Schmaling also won election to the two-year term on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee with 571 votes.  Her opponent, Marline Amedee took 518 votes.  There were 2 write-ins and 84 Blanks.

Gordon Laws won a seat for three years on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee with 532 votes to his opponent, Jennifer Ann Carroll’s 464 votes.   There were four write-ins and175 Blanks.

Robert Gaynor won a three-year term as Town Moderator with his write-in campaign.  There were 176 write-ins and 999 Blanks.

Bruce Nobles won a three-year term as Park Commissioner.  There were 139 write-ins and 1036 Blanks.

Michael J. Schleiff won a two-year term as Park Commissioner.  There were 54 write-ins and 1121 Blanks.

Daniel O. Bosworth, Jr. won a 3-year seat on the Board of Water Commissioners with 826 votes.  There were 12 write-ins and 337 Blanks.

Susan Marie Lawless was elected to a three-year term as Town Clerk with 826 votes.  There were 17 write-ins and 283 Blanks.

Pamela R. Adduci won re-election to the Treasurer/Collector position with 901 votes.  There were 14 write-ins and 260 Blanks.

There is a tentative final version of the Host Community Agreement between Green Earth Cannabis, to be located at 657 Monponsett Street, and the Town. The HCA is available at
http://www.halifax-ma.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4496/f/uploads/green_earth…
      Interested parties can send in questions and comments concerning the HCA to the Board of Selectmen until Tuesday, May 25. The Board will also accept public comments concerning the HCA at 7 p.m. at its meeting on May 25.

KINGSTON (April 30, 2021) – Representative Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston) announced that the Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed their fiscal year 2022 (FY22) budget. The budget, funded at $47.716 billion, continues the State’s strong support of cities and towns in their recoveries from the effects of COVID-19, and includes significant investments in education, supportive services for vulnerable populations, and workforce and economic development, among other priorities. 

 Representative LaNatra worked hard to ensure that the 12th Plymouth District and the South Shore received adequate funding to continue to support its residents through this difficult time, as well as ensure that the district and the region continues to develop its economy, improve public safety, and support children, veterans, and those struggling with homelessness and food insecurity. 

The following amendments were supported by Rep. LaNatra and adopted into the House FY22 budget: 

• $100,000 for the Nathan Hale Veterans Outreach Center

• $25,000 for the Kingston Business Association to provide support to their members through grants 

• $25,000 to the Plymouth Coalition for the Homeless  

• $50,000 to conduct a market feasibility study for economic development in Plymouth County  

• $1,700,000 for the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs  

• $40,000 for the Duxbury Fire Department for fire safety improvements  

• $25,000 for the Town of Middleboro Police Department to implement measures intended to build positive relationships in the community  

• $2,000,000 to be transferred to the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund established under section 13T of Chapter 23A of the General Laws 

• $200,000 for the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth to provide training and workshops that address harmful behaviors for at-risk youth 

• “This budget meets the needs of the 12th Plymouth District, the South Shore and the entire Commonwealth,” said Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “This pandemic has been incredibly difficult, but it has highlighted issues that have impacted families all across Massachusetts for a long time. This budget is a great step towards solving systemic problems such as food insecurity, a lack of affordable housing, and adequate childcare. I want to thank Speaker Mariano and Chairman Michlewitz for their support of the 12th Plymouth District, as well as for so many crucial investments in education, food insecurity, small businesses, veterans, and health care that were made during this House budget debate.” 

• The FY22 House budget reflects the local aid commitment recently made by the House and Senate. It increases Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) by $39.5 million over FY21 for a total of $1.168 billion and Chapter 70 education funding by $219.6 million over FY21 for a total of $5.503 billion, fully funding the first year of a six-year implementation plan of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA). Enacted in 2019 to support equitable funding for our most vulnerable students, the Legislature’s funding schedule ensures the SOA remains on track to be fully implemented over the course of seven years as opposed to the Governor’s budget proposal. 

Additional education funding allocations include: 

• $367 million for Special Education Circuit Breaker; 

• $154 million for Charter School Aid; 

• $82 million for Regional Transportation; and 

• $14 million for Homeless Student Transportation. 

Continuing the House’s commitment to high-quality early education and care (EEC), the FY22 budget includes a $20 million investment in rate increases for child care providers across Massachusetts. 

 Other early education and care funding initiatives include: 

• $15 million for Head Start grants; 

• $12 million for child care resource and referral agencies; 

• $5 million for EEC higher education provider opportunities; and 

• $2.5 million for early childhood mental health grants. 

 Building on Speaker Mariano’s priority to ensure Massachusetts residents from diverse backgrounds have access to meaningful educational opportunities, the House budget invests in higher education allocating $571 million for the University of Massachusetts system, $315 million for community colleges, and $291 million for state universities. The budget also includes a $10 million increase in scholarship funding over last fiscal year for a new total of $130 million, and funds the community colleges SUCCESS Fund at $10.5 million and the STEM Starter Academy at $4.75 million. 

 The budget also includes large investments in labor and economic development, such as the creation of a trust fund dedicated to job training for the offshore wind industry to be administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. This budget makes an initial deposit into this fund of $10 million to establish and grow technical training programs in our public higher education system and vocational-technical institutions. The fund will also prioritize grants and scholarships to adult learning providers, labor organizations, and public educational institutions to provide workers with greater access to these trainings. 

 Additional investments include: 

• $50 million for adult education; 

• $24 million for Youthworks Summer Jobs; 

• $5 million for Small Business Technical Assistance; 

• $5 million for Community Action Agency Operating and Outreach Support; 

• $5 million investment in Local Tourism Recovery Marketing;  

• $2.5 million for Urban Agenda Grants; and 

• $2 million investment in Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership. 

The Commonwealth’s commitment to MassHealth remains one of the largest drivers of the budget. In FY22 the House provides $18.969 billion to fully fund its caseload, which has increased as more residents became eligible during the pandemic.

The House’s FY22 budget accurately reflects this enrollment growth, showing the necessary increase in spending beyond what was included in the Governor’s budget proposal, while also factoring in the increased Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) reimbursement levels. 

 Many of the House FY22 budget’s most significant increases represent essential services and programs that serve Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents, including $771.1 million for the Department of Transitional Assistance to maintain support to families, at-risk parents, victims of intergenerational trauma, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Other notable health and human services investments include $30 million for Emergency Food Assistance, $13 million for Healthy Incentives Program, and $500,000 for a public awareness campaign on the contraceptive ACCESS Law. 

 The House’s FY22 budget also includes funding for housing and homelessness prevention, investing $22 million in direct appropriations for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) Program to promote housing stability and combat the threat of evictions. The budget also includes $148 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and $84 million for public housing subsidies. 

 Additional investments for individuals and youth include: 

$56.4 million for Homeless Individuals Shelters; 

$12.5 million for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP);  

$12 million for Rental Subsidies for eligible DMH Clients; and 

$8 million for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. 

 The budget funds the Department of Developmental Services at $2.29 billion, aimed to support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. It includes $219.9 million for Day and Work programs; $84.9 million for Respite Family Supports; a $55.4 million increase for DDS’ Turning 22 class; a $7 million investment in transportation services; and $23.4 million for head injury treatment services. 

Reflecting the Legislature’s strong commitment to providing access to care and treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder, the budget allocates $160 million for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, including support for the MA-Access to Recovery program and targeted investments in five additional recovery centers. The budget also provides funding for low-threshold housing for people experiencing homelessness, mental health disorders and at risk for HIV; outpatient and mobile services for persons with disabilities; and treatment at correctional facilities. 

In an effort to ensure every resident has equal access to the criminal justice system, the House’s FY22 budget includes a $775 million investment in the Trial Court; $35 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation,; and increases for Prisoners’ Legal Services and Mental Health Legal Advisors. The budget also renews commitments made by the state’s criminal justice reform, such as $11.1 million for community-based re-entry programs, and $4 million in pre- and post-release services. 

The budget also continues the House’s focus on environmental and climate protection by including $312.6 million in funding for environmental services, which includes increases for state parks, environmental protection, and the endangered species programs. Additional investments include millions for hazardous waste site cleanups, river ways protection and access, and Clean Water Trust contract assistance. 

The House budget makes the MEFA college savings tax deduction permanent, creates a commission to develop recommendations and best practices for responses to mental health emergencies, and creates a new program to approve rural growth funds that would invest in small businesses in rural communities. It also eliminates the sunset on the Film Tax Credit and increases the Conservation Land Tax Credit. 

The House Ways & Means Committee, which Rep. LaNatra sits on, introduced their FY22 budget on April 14, 2021, following a review of the Governor’s proposal and a series of budget hearings.

After a three days of debate and over a thousand proposed amendments, the budget passed by the House of Representatives 160-0 and now goes to the Senate. 

Plympton Police Chief Matthew Clancy has announced that Eversource Gas Division will be replacing a 100-year-old natural gas main along Grove Street in Plympton.

The construction will tentatively begin on Wednesday April 28, 2021 and stretches from the Halifax/Plympton town line to the Kingston/Plympton town line. The project is expected to take 4-5 weeks to complete.

Grove Street, a popular cut through road near Silver Lake Regional High School and Middle School, will be closed to through traffic during daytime hours while construction is active.

Grove Street residents will have access under the direction of police details. School bus access will also be maintained.

The road will reopen to through traffic during evenings and over the weekends.

Those who are not residents of Grove Street are encouraged to seek an alternate route while this project is ongoing.

KINGSTON – Kingston’s annual town election will be held Saturday, April 24.  All precincts, 1-4, will vote at the Kingston Elementary School, 150 Main St., Kingston, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On the ballot:  Select Board for three years, two candidates for re-election, Kimberly Emberg and Sheila Marie Vaughan.  (Vote for two)

Assessor for three years: Scott J. DeSantis.  (Vote for one)

Collector of Taxes for one year:  Jessica M Kramer and Kenneth G. Moalli.  (Vote for one)

Planning Board for five years: Jonathan Jacob Barnett, Sr., candidate for re-election. (Vote for one)

Silver Lake Regional School Committee for two years: Emily R. Davis and Emma Rose Morgan.  (Vote for one)

Silver Lake Regional School Committee for three years:  Leslieann S. Magee, candidate for re-election. (Vote for one)

Kingston Elementary School Committee for three years: Katina Bedard and Megan G. Cannon.  (Vote for one)

Water Commissioner for three years: Richard Wilson Loring, Jr., candidate for re-election.  (Vote for one)

Board of Health for two years: Dennis N. Randall.  (Vote for one)

Board of Health for three years: Janet D. Wade, candidate for re-election and Norman P. Harbinson, Jr. (Vote for one)

Library Trustees for three years: Emily Flight Curtin, candidate for re-election, Shannon J. Gauthier, and Christine Maiorano. (Vote for not more than two)

Recreation for three years: Melissa A. Bateman and Daniel P. Shropshire, both candidates for re-election.  (Vote for not more than two)

Sewer Commissioner for three years: Thomas W. Taylor II, candidate for re-election.  (Vote for one)

Senator Michael Brady (D-Brockton) announced today, as a member of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, that the House and Senate have reached an agreement to pursue an increase to local aid in the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget.

The agreement funds the first year of the Student Opportunity Act and places the commonwealth on track to full implementation by 2027. Signed into law in 2019, the Student Opportunity Act is a landmark achievement for equitable education and constitutes the largest investment in Chapter 70 aid in over twenty years.

“The rapid outbreak of the pandemic caused many important commitments to be delayed,” said Senator Michael D. Brady, “We are working closely with our partners in the House, local school districts, and education stakeholders to ensure we can get the state back on track to ensure all students can receive a high-quality education.”

The local aid agreement includes the following parameters:

• Funds Chapter 70 at its highest level ever at $5.503 billion, an increase of $219.6 million over FY 2021, which fully funds 1/6th implementation of SOA rates;

• Creates a $40 million enrollment reserve fund targeted to stabilize school districts adversely impacted by pandemic-related enrollment changes; and

• Funds Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $1.16 billion, an increase of $39.5 million over FY 2021, providing additional local aid support to our cities and towns