Stop & Shop has chosen the Monponsett Watershed Association to be part of the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program, designed to make it easy for customers to contribute to their local community while supporting the environment.

For the month of November, each time a $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Stop & Shop located in Halifax, $1 will be donated to the MWA.

It is a great way to raise awareness, suppport the environment, and fundraise for the cause.

The bags will be available at various registers at the Halifax Stop & Shop, and at the reusable bag rack.  If you are having trouble finding the bags, ask the store manager where the Community Bags are and he will be happy to show you.

Spread the word about the Community Bag Program and help fund the work of the Monponsett Watershed Association.

The Halifax school committee meeting on Tuesday, October 15 began with a discussion on the current situation with the school’s buses. Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry and Superintendent Joy Blackwood reached out to the bus companies employed by the school to request that data be collected for several weeks regarding schedules and headcounts. According to that data, unlike last year, all buses are now under capacity. Halifax has four buses with capacities of 77 students a piece. The headcount for most of the buses came in in the forties with Bus 23 having sixty something riders. Blackwood explained that while it is required that there be space on the buses for all registered students, these numbers reflect the number of students actually riding the bus on a daily basis.

The data also revealed that the routes that take the longest are Bus 22 in the afternoon and Bus 38 in the morning with those rides averaging around 50 minutes. Currently, Bus 22 is the third of three buses to leave the school in the afternoon heading in the same direction for a time. As a result of the order, Bus 22 needs to stop behind the other buses dropping off students while its own first stop isn’t for nearly 20 minutes into the ride. Beaudry said it may be possible to change the order of the buses to see if it could cut down on ride length for Bus 22. Overall, however, the buses are reporting their completed routes back to the school ten minutes earlier than last year.

School committee members inquired about behavioral issues on the bus and whether there was improvement over last year. Beaudry said that they try to pull and examine the tapes from the bus on a regular basis. Additionally, bus contracts are set to go out to bid soon with Blackwood saying they are exploring the option to do so in the fall rather than the spring. One of the things that both the school committee and administration would like to see come from that are cameras that are located both at the front and back of the buses.

The policies subcommittee recently met to discuss updated school policies. One of the new policies will allow for alternatives to dissection as many students now hold strong beliefs regarding veganism, etc. Blackwood explained that while this has been the practice for quite some time, it is only now becoming official school policy.

Another policy update was made regarding the administration of medications. This policy underwent a thorough vetting including review by legal counsel to ensure that the changes were in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws. Additionally, Blackwood consulted with nurses from all six schools in the district over the summer.

Summer Schmaling told the committee during a Union 31 update that three finalists have now been selected for Superintendent. Schmaling reminded the committee members that the final interview process is open to all school committee members and invited their participation. Field trips to the campuses where the final three candidates are coming from are also going to be scheduled. The search committee hopes to have a final decision made by November 14.

Principal Beaudry gave a report on the recent happenings at Halifax Elementary including the open house held on September 11. Beaudry said, “The place was packed, it was great; it was a good vibe in the building.” The PTO run ice cream social in the cafeteria was also a huge success. The staff also underwent ALICE training (active shooter response training). They plan to roll it out to students as well. Beaudry shared some important upcoming dates as well including the PTO run book fair from October 21 to October 25 in the school library. The Halloween Social is scheduled for October 25 and the Turkey Trot for November 7. Volunteers are still needed for several of the events.

Assistant Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a presentation on the Halifax MCAS results. Proulx said she met with Beaudry, Assistant Principal Brian DeSantes, and K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell to go over the results and talk about next steps. While there was marked improvement in English Language Arts (ELA) scores in Grades 3-6, math scores for the same cohort have dropped since 2017. Farrell said it’s often difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused scores to raise or lower but at least partially attributed the drop in math scores to a change in curriculum and explained that, “in implementation of a new curriculum, it’s historical that you see a dip.”

Another area that needs improvement is the Grade 5 science and technical engineering scores. This was the fifth grade’s first time taking the science test. Farrell said that the long-term goal is to move the teaching of science more toward doing and less toward nonfiction reading.  Farrell also pointed out the difficulty of trying to keep up with changing Massachusetts standards, saying, “What isn’t aligned with standards is any textbook that is out there.” Farrell and Proulx assured the committee that they are working on making sure that teachers and students are in the best positions possible to meet those standards.

Farrell, who oversees Title 1 funding and spending, said there was an overall decrease in funding and that this year Halifax is functioning off a $250,000 grant. At this time last year there were 74 students being served under Title 1 and this year there are 83. Despite having more students, Halifax lost one of their four part time Title 1 staff members.

Unlike qualifying for an Individualized Education Program (IEP), determining which students receive Title 1 services is less strict and more fluid. Farrell explained that two pieces of data are used to determine which students will receive Title 1 services. Examples of data include test scores, teacher recommendations, social needs, etc.  Title 1 funds are used for professional development, summer programming, etc.

Farrell said that she is concerned about funding summer programs next year because of the cuts. Ways to supplement the grant money used for the summer programs are currently being explored.

Blackwood provided details regarding enrollment at Halifax Elementary as of October 1. This year’s kindergarten class was smaller than last year’s by nearly 20 students. Unlike Kingston and Plympton that both have an increase of students, overall enrollment at Halifax Elementary was down 22.

For the year 2020, 31.4% of Silver Lake students are from Halifax with estimates placing those numbers at 30.6% for next year. This is good news for Halifax’s budget as it means that their contributions will go down.

Blackwood also gave the committee her recommendations for where funds could best be used to better the school district. Blackwood said that she would recommend a nurse leader and said it was unusual not to have one.  Blackwood urged that it would bring value, safety, and oversight to the district. It would be a part time position and Blackwood estimates that Halifax’s portion of the cost would likely be around $6,000 – $7,000.

The second recommendation was to bring band back during the school day. Blackwood again recommended a part-time position emphasizing that the change would equalize the playing field and allow all students to participate and not just those whohave rides during after school hours. “For many students that is what makes school worthwhile – the extras,” Blackwood explained.

Police Celebrated and Marijuana Discussed during Halifax Selectmen Meeting

Selectman Tom Millias and town administrator Charlie Seelig were both unable to attend the Tuesday, October 8 Halifax Selectmen meeting but Police Chief Joao Chaves was on hand for the swearing in of one officer and the promotion of another.

Andrew Lyczynski, a recent graduate of the Police Academy in Plymouth, began his career with the department in March of 2018. Chaves said, “Andrew was a distinguished student officer earning praises and accolades from both the staff and fellow academy mates. He earned the position of squad leader and led the squad in exemplary fashion.”

Lyczynski’s family stood by to see him sworn in as a member of the Halifax Police Department. Chaves went on to say, “The residents of Halifax should be proud to have such a dedicated professional and community minded police officer.”

Officer Robert McDonnell, who has been with the Halifax Police Department since 2010, received his Detective badge during Tuesday’s meeting. Chaves said of McDonnell, “Throughout his career with the department, Officer McDonnell has distinguished himself not only through his excellent police work but through his dedicated service to the residents of Halifax.”

McDonnell’s list of credentials is lengthy and includes being a member of the SEMLEC (Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council) Search and Rescue Team where he assisted in finding lost children, missing persons, and recovering evidence. He is also a part of the Old Colony Police Anti-Crime Task Force, who work with state police and other departments on narcotic investigations throughout Plymouth County. Additionally, McDonnell conducts all investigations into sexual assaults that are reported to the Halifax Police Department.

Chief Chaves, who said he feels that Officer McDonnell has the skills needed to make a great investigator, shared a story of a recent investigation spearheaded by McDonnell into various shed break-ins that had occurred throughout Halifax. “Within days he identified a suspect, corroborated information with another police department, and requested warrants for the arrest of the suspect,” Chaves explained.

President and CEO Alex Mazin and Vice President of Community Relations Greg Czarnowski of Bud’s Goods and Provisions met with the Selectmen to discuss the possibility of an adult use outdoor marijuana cultivation facility on the same lot where Four Daughters had previously planned to build an indoor facility.

Mazin gave a thorough presentation explaining his philosophy on the environmental, financial, and socio-economic benefits of outdoor cultivation versus indoor cultivation. According to Mazin, outdoor cultivation is more sustainable for the environment and also has significantly lower startup and operational costs as compared to indoor cultivation.  Lighting, air movement, and temperature controls all contribute to the costly nature of an indoor growing environment.

According to Mazin, the costs to build a 50,000 sq. ft. indoor facility is estimated at $10,000,000 whereas the cost to build a 100,000 sq. ft. outdoor cultivation facility (or farm, essentially) is only around $300,000. The lower startup and operational costs mean more affordable products which, according to Mazin’s presentation, “bridges the gap for disadvantaged communities.” Mazin explained, “My belief is that if we cannot allow outdoor cultivation and greenhouse cultivation the whole effort on the war on drugs is a facade because you’re never going to be able to bring down the pricing to the point where you compete with the black market.”

Bud’s, which was established in 2016, is seeking a Host Community Agreement to build the outdoor growing facility with a 15,000 sq. ft. storage building on the 47-acre parcel of land located at 111 River St. That lot is currently zoned industrial and is not within 500 ft. of a school, park, daycare, or any other location where children primarily congregate.

Selectman Gordon Andrews pointed out that a special town meeting is scheduled for October 21 at which residents will vote on a citizen’s petition to increase the distance between residential areas and marijuana growing facilities. It would require a quorum of 100 people with two-thirds of them voting in favor of such a change to amend the by-law. If it passes, the lot on River St. would have to be re-evaluated as a site.

Mazin informed the selectmen that Bud’s had hired a civil engineer to review the land to allow them to predict what they could potentially cultivate on this land seasonally. According to their estimates, the six-month harvest, which would start in May and end in October, would produce a yield of 5,739 lbs. with a total revenue of $9,756,300 in the first year.

As was established with the Four Daughters agreement, 3% wholesale would go to the town estimated at $292,689. Assuming all went according to plan, Bud’s estimates that by 2023 Halifax would see over a million dollars in municipal revenue.

In addition to the financial benefits, Mazin also emphasized job creation as well as positive environmental effects. “I know Halifax is a farming community and the history was a farming community and so I think this sort of fits that and I’d like to see my efforts in changing the notion that cannabis is a manufacturing technique; it is farming, it is nothing more than another crop that you can grow,” Mazin said.

Chair Troy Garron said, “My feeling at this point in time is that even though we voted, the town, on Article 4 to make marijuana legal for adults, the tide has sort of changed.” Garron and Andrews told Mazin that they couldn’t provide an answer at this time and that a lot would depend on the result of the vote on October 21.

Several town positions have recently become available. Sadly, Jack Mather passed away recently, leaving a need for someone from the public to take his place as the town representative on the Old Colony Planning Council. Jonathan Soroko resigned from the Planning Board effective immediately. Longtime member of the Board of Health John Delano is set to retire in early November, leaving an opening that will need to be filled in the interim before the election in May.