The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in person on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Bullying Discussion

Committee Chair Paula Hatch read a statement she prepared regarding recent incidents of bullying within the school district. “We’ve seen more incidences since Covid, whatever we can do to assist in helping to reduce the number of incidences… do we have students that are comfortable playing a role being a student that you can come to if you are being bullied?” She said she feels strongly that the School Committee play more of an active role in trying to reduce bullying in the schools. Superintendent Jill Proulx said that a number of steps have been taken in the last few years to attempt to curb bullying. “We’re working with our high school to consider new student-led opportunities,” she explained. One suggestion was made that a taskforce be created to address issues of bullying.

“We have a very divided community on some of the cultural things here at the school and some of it may be feeding into and swinging the pendulum the wrong way inadvertently,” Hatch said. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill got emotional saying, “When we cross that threshold, we have to set aside our personal and political beliefs, but we all have to have the shared fundamental belief that every child belongs in our school and if you cannot support that on the School Committee, I’m not sure this is the place for you.” Committee member Jason Fraser concurred saying, “we also see it in the discourse amongst adults in our own communities; the children learn from their homes first, we are their first teachers and I really think it is incumbent upon the adults in our three communities to check themselves – check the rhetoric and remember that the children are listening.” Hatch ended the discussion saying that she would like to see them take it up again at their next meeting and perhaps come up with some ideas that allow them to be part of the solution.

CTE Discussion

Director of Career and Technical Programs Elliott Glass attended to speak about the selection for outdoor service projects. “The program is obviously a live work, learning based program that puts our students outside to work on a real, hands-on project that has a pretty awesome outcome,” Glass explained. He said that students have to be in the program for two years before being allowed to work off site. “We use a work request form… the biggest factor that we are looking at is the curriculum, and so we have a mission and a job to provide state frameworks to our students in a carpentry program,” Glass explained. He continued, “we consider differences between residential requests and municipal requests to town buildings.” Some recent projects include Pope Tavern’s roof, stairs and landings at the Plympton Fire Department, the dumpster area at Kingston Senior Center, Handicap accessible benches at Gray’s Beach, etc. A Committee member asked about advertising and Glass said they are limited in what they can do with that but said that a detached two-car garage in Kingston was recently completed. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said she still felt that the criteria for selection was still unclear and said she would like to see it be more need-based. Glass said that after speaking with other vocational directors he didn’t receive a single other response saying that need was considered when selecting a project. Glass said the waters could get muddied and said he was not interested in making that a criterion.

“As you probably know, we have had growing numbers and a big influx of students last year that applied… it was over 50 percent of the 8^th grade population that submitted a CTE application; as those numbers have gone up there are some other factors at play; we’ve always been able to tuition in some Pembroke students that are part of our budget,” Glass explained. Someone asked Glass the state assigned tuition rate for students from Pembroke and was told this year’s number is $11,000.

Glass, who called Pembroke a really great partner to them, said that they filled all of their seats this year with in-district applicants as the demand was so great. Glass said that Pembroke was asking if something could be done to ensure that some seats would be available for Pembroke students. “I do think there could be a mutually beneficial agreement in something like this,” Glass said. “We do need to offset that number with the extra Chapter 74 funding we get for each pupil of our own that goes into CTE programming which is about $4,700 above Chapter 70 so we have to subtract that away from what we get from Pembroke to understand the true revenue implications,” Committee member Jason Fraser said of the out-of-district tuition.

Camp Norse School Approval

Hatch said that Camp Norse had approached the Committee looking for approval for the school that is offered there. Superintendent Jill Proulx had asked for a list of resources from Camp Norse so that they could review and vet them before the meeting. Hatch said materials were received just before midnight the night before and that they would need to go back to Camp Norse to tell them that they didn’t have enough time to digest the material. She said they would tell Camp Norse that they would review before their next meeting and decide at that time.

Charter School Discussion

A discussion was had based on limiting access to charter schools including Math Academy which sought to expand into Silver Lake. “Every time we lose a student to a charter school, the money travels with the student… we’ve seen an uptick over the years with students going to a charter school and it does hurt… and then there’s the financial burden that goes along with that,” Hatch explained. “A million dollars every single year from Halifax, Plympton, Kingston goes to paying charter school tuitions from the Silver Lake budget, that’s four percent of our budget,” Fraser said. Both McGee and Committee member Gordon Laws spoke about the nuanced discussion that needed to take into account both the negative consequences for the school district as well as parents’ need for choice. They did agree to craft a letter expressing that they were not in favor of charter schools expanding further into the district.

Municipal Representatives in Collective Bargaining

Proulx said that towns were invited to elect municipal representatives for collective bargaining purposes. Halifax Selectman Jonathan Selig and Kingston Town Administrator Keith Hickey were there to garner more information. Proulx said they had yet to hear back from someone from Plympton. Hickey said he wasn’t comfortable being the representative without having the go ahead from his Board of Selectmen. Selig said that given the day-to-day responsibilities of being the only Selectman in Halifax, he didn’t feel comfortable committing to being the municipal representative.

Principals’ Reports

Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill provided an update for the Committee. She said that they are joining with many organizations including Mass General in a program called, “I Decide.” The program is to provide financial support and resources for students who may have substance abuse issues.

Gill said she had an unconventional out of state field trip request for the music program. She said two proposals were on the table. The first to perform in Disney in Orlando and the second was for New York. Gill said they planned to allow families to vote for the preferred trip and then begin fundraising from there.

New Middle School Principal Becky Couet also provided a Principal’s Report. She began by asking for permission for an out-of-state field trip on Oct. 28 for the chorus to sing at the Providence Bruins. “They’ve done this in the past in the spring, but our beloved music teacher Sandee Brayton is retiring in December, and we want to make sure that she gets to go,” Couet explained.

Couet said they have a Robotics Club but due to covid there was no fee the last two years. She said that to participate in competitions, teachers were asking for a $75 fee for students to participate. The Committee voted to approve the fee.

Superintendent and Assistant Update

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch spoke briefly about goals for the new school year. “With curriculum as our focus, one of our professional development days is devoted toward providing staff with time to collaborate together and make progress on having a standard aligned Pre-K through 12 curriculum.” He also said that they had a professional development day that past week focusing on inclusive practices.

Superintendent Proulx began her update saying that Massachusetts will provide universal free meals this year. Regarding Covid, Proulx said that universal masking and testing requirements are no longer recommended. She did note that those who continue to mask will be supported in that decision.

Proulx discussed student learning goals for MCAS testing. She said that having 70 percent of students meeting or exceeding grade level expectations by 2024, was a goal.

Regional Agreement

Hatch addressed the regional agreement calling it a living document that was changed periodically. Fraser made a motion to start the process to review the regional agreement. The Committee voted to do so unanimously.

Standing Committees Reports

SLEA President Jon Lay addressed the Committee saying he appreciated the conversation that was had regarding both bullying and charter schools. He said that everyone was excited to start the school year fairly normally for the first time since 2019. He said there was huge turnover with paraprofessionals this year. “By my calculations we have at least 25 percent turnaround this year with paraprofessionals,” he told the Committee. He reiterated that the rates being paid by Silver Lake are 8 percent below the median of the local area.

Fraser began the legislative update saying, “we saw a 6.4 percent increase from the State of Massachusetts here in Silver Lake I know that the burden often feels like it is on the towns to support the schools, the State really came through in a big way for us this year.” He said that the free lunch program currently being funded through the State, should ideally be a federal program and the hope is still that it will be adopted as such.

Regarding SAFER, Fraser said that the first tri-town meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Dec. 1. He said that quite a few town officials will be participating in the meeting. Fraser also said that the Driver’s Ed program is currently offered at $650 which is lower than the typical fee of surrounding schools. Fraser asked the Committee to increase the fee for the program from $650 to $700, in part to pay for a new vehicle that is needed.

Fraser told the Committee about the Neptune Gametime Player which is a subscription that vets music that is selected by students for warmups during athletics. This would ensure that the music that is played is appropriate. There is potential for advertisements to be played over the program which would help offset the cost of the subscription.

The surveying for the tennis courts is done and the hope is to get the project out to bid by January.

Before adjourning, Hatch thanked McGee who will be leaving the School Committee. “One of the things I have really enjoyed working with you these last few years is you are not afraid to put a different idea out there, a different thought… it’s meaningful, it’s well thought through and many times it has put us in a different direction.” McGee received a rousing round of applause.

The sole remaining member of the Halifax Board of Selectmen, Jonathan Selig, conducted an in-person meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Selig was left manning the helm following the sudden resignations of Ashley DiSesa and Alex Meade as well as the newly hired Town Administrator Marty Golightly. Town Accountant Sandy Nolan was named as acting Town Administrator until a new one can be hired. A special town election will be held on November 8 to elect two new Selectmen.

Tax Classification Hearing

A tax classification hearing was held during the meeting. Selig said it was “for the purpose of allocating the local tax levy for the five property classes for the fiscal year 2023.” He introduced Holly Berry with the Assessor’s Office. Berry said there were five property types in Halifax. “Residential makes up 91, almost 92 percent of our tax base,” Berry explained. She further said that Halifax doesn’t have open space. Commercial property makes up nearly 5 percent of the tax base, industrial property makes up a little over 2 percent, and personal property makes up almost 1 percent. Given that commercial and industrial make up less than ten percent of the tax base, Berry said that she was not recommending a split rate. Selig voted to adopt a residential factor of 1 without a split rate.

“The real estate and personal property total value is based on 100 percent of the fair market value,” Berry said. She said the average single-family assessment for fiscal year 2023 will be $458,202, up 11 percent from the previous year. “The average tax bill for fiscal 23 will be $6,859.92, up nearly 4.10 percent from last year,” she explained. Berry also said that the average condo assessment was approximately $280,000, up 18 percent over the previous year. The average tax bill for condos will be $4,192. The top taxpayers in Halifax are Halifax Mobile Home Estates, Walmart, WJG Realty and Trust (Stop and Shop), Massachusetts Electric Company, and Halifax Solar.

Screening Committee for New TA

Selig said, “we are in the works of starting a Screening Committee for our new Town Administrator; it will be a 7-person committee.” He said that Town Clerk Sue Lawless will serve as the point person and the rest of the Committee will consist of acting, interim Town Administrator Sandy Nolan, the Halifax Police Chief, the Halifax Fire Chief, and three citizens at- large. “I’m making the call out here… if there’s anybody out there that would like to be considered… send the Board of Selectmen an email,” Selig said. He also said that they hope to have the Committee in place by the next Selectmen’s meeting. The consultant recommended having the position open for a month. “Ideally if everything goes well, we could be looking at a new Town Administrator… around the beginning of the year,” Selig said. He also noted that the final decision will be made once the Board of Selectmen is full again.

Town Green Request

Selig read a request from the Halifax Congregational Church asking for permission to use the Town Green on Sept. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the annual blessing of the pets service. Selig approved the request. The rain date will be Oct. 2.

Building Department Update

Scott Materna was in attendance to give a monthly status report for the Building Department. Among the updates were the ongoing installation of an EV charging station which is being paid for through a grant as well as the completion of the concrete sidewalk outside the Town Hall. Materna also provided updates on a number of projects that fall under the Green Communities initiative including new heat pumps at the Fire Station and Water Department as well as new insulation for the Fire Station attic. He said it totaled nearly $200,000 in improvements.

Pine St. Bridge Update

Selig began his update on the Pine St. bridge project by calling it great news. Selig said of the project, “it’s been a little bit of an issue for a while,” before turning it over to Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward. Hayward shared photos of the project with the Selectmen and Nolan. Hayward went through all the obstacles faced by the project including exorbitant cost and Covid delays. He said that the nearly $200,000 cost for police details would be eliminated since “Pine St. is going to be closed during the whole construction.” Hayward said that the project would be going out to bid soon. The current cost stands at $1.3 million, down from $1.5 million. He noted that they hoped to come in even lower.

Talent Bank Forms and Resignations

Selig said that a talent bank form had been received for Christina Palmer. Palmer expressed interest in serving on the Beautification Committee as well as the Library Trustees. Selig said he would share her information with those Committees. Someone in the public asked Selig if he talked to town counsel about appointing people to committees while the Board is short two thirds of the Selectmen. “If it’s a necessity they said we can. If it’s a board that we can hold off on, I guess it depends on how your board is functioning right now and if you think it can function until the interim, until November, they want us to try and sit tight,” Selig explained.

Jeanne Kling resigned from the Beautification Committee. Selig said, “I would like to personally thank her, I know she’s been a driving force of that Committee and a big asset to the town… she will be missed.” The Veteran’s Agent Wilford Corey also resigned calling Halifax “a great town” and adding, “I have been honored to serve as the Veterans Service Officer for the past decade. All the people I have worked with have been helpful and professional.” Selig said, “Again, a big loss for Halifax… we wish Will the best.” Steve Littlefield will be serving as Acting Veteran’s Agent. Littlefield was previously Corey’s assistant.

Public Health Grant

Halifax Health Agent Bob Valery was in attendance to speak on the Public Health Excellence Grant which Selig called “excellent news.” “Boards of Health, and ours in particular, are always about continuous  improvement; if there’s one thing, positive thing, that Covid showed us over the last two years is the need and the importance of the Public Health Department. Also, the impact that underfunding has had,” Valery said. He added, “Prevention is the best medicine.” He said that the Halifax Board of Health was chosen to be a host community for a new grant fund. “Their mission is to enhance the existing capabilities and to achieve the mutual goals of public health,” Valery said.

Several other local communities would be joining Halifax to better manage public health.  He said that it would be “zero cost to our town.” Valery said that they would be hiring a Health Inspector for the five towns participating that would be paid for entirely out of the grant money. “The first and primary goal of anything that we’re going to try and accomplish is to make sure that everybody gets fair and equal services whether you’re making a million dollars, or you don’t have enough to put food on your table,” Valery explained of the initiative. “Bob, you should be proud because the fact that Halifax is serving as kind of the central hub for this is a feather in your cap – in your Department’s cap,” Selig said. “I’m happy to, it’s my passion,” Valery replied.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met via ZOOM on Monday, Sept. 12. Selectman Mark Russo led a discussion on traffic and speeding enforcement as well as next steps the town might take to address the issues. Russo explained, “Kind of a long history of some speeding issues particularly two intersections in town… over the last year or two we’ve tried a bunch of things, we’ve declared a speed zone 20 mph… not much help there.” He said they have also tried painting the roads as well as most recently, installing flashing speed limit signs which were approved at this year’s town meeting. “Maybe there’s been a little improvement, but we continue to hear from concerned citizens,” he said. Russo suggested that the next step might be an increased police presence.

Resident Keith Sexton spoke up saying that he has seen an increase in car crashes on Center St. He noted that one recently resulted in personal injury. Sexton also noted that cars routinely come out of Franklin St. in Halifax going 70 mph despite a speed limit of 30 mph.  Sexton made suggestions including community edits to Waze to keep people from cutting through as well as the use of police dummy cars. He also said, “Quincy and Foxboro have leaned on the tech companies to keep traffic out of the towns.”

Resident Howard Randall, who has been outspoken on the issue, said of when he grew up, “it really was an attitude that you don’t speed through Plympton.” He continued, “I would like to reflect on that we had a history in the past of you don’t do these things in Plympton and if you do, you’re going to be bagged.” “I would love nothing more than if we got back to that sort of thing,” Russo said of more frequent ticketing for speeding. Randall, who lives on what has been deemed one of the worst intersections in town, said that his wall has been hit and he has even had motorcycles end up on his lawn. He noted that his next-door neighbor is leaving because “they can’t take the racetrack that has been created by their house by paving the road.”

Selectman Christine Joy said that the issue needed its own meeting, noting the very full agenda that evening. “This is a far-reaching issue; it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse. I agree with everything that everyone has said,” she said. She continued, saying they would do their due diligence before getting back together to discuss what other options are available to the town.

Public Hearing Cornerstone Energy

There was a public hearing regarding an application from Cornerstone Energy Services for new transmission lines that will cross above Spring Street and its intersection with Route 44 and Brook Street and its intersection with Old Farm Road. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy called it “routine maintenance” and noted it was part of a larger project. Randall expressed some concern to which Selectman John Traynor said he wasn’t sure the town had any legal standing regarding street crossings. “The bulk of the project will be underground wires,” Michelle Ruxton said of her understanding of the project. She did note that there would be some overhead wires involved as well, however. Randall said that he felt it all came back down to accommodating solar saying, “I hate to be so negative, but I’ve learned in my eighty years not to trust these people.” He continued, “they would love you to believe you have no rights, but you do,” he said to Traynor. The Selectmen agreed to continue the hearing until a representative from the applicant could be present to speak to the concerns. They agreed to set the continuation for 6 p.m. on October 17.

1-Day Brewery 44 Liquor Licenses

Michael Johnson of Brewery 44 spoke to the Board about hosting a small beer and liquor garden in conjunction with Sauchuk Farm. “Basically, what we are looking to do is a controlled space where we are serving our pumpkin beers and seltzers to adults,” he said. Johnson said they have a $1 million insurance policy. He was looking for 16, 1-day liquor licenses, covering eight weekends of the Sauchuk Farms season.

There was some question about the need for a police detail. Johnson asked if it was possible to do a review after the first weekend to determine if a police detail is necessary. He said that it becomes cost prohibitive for them. An abutter spoke saying that he felt that the police detail was necessary calling the event “a nightmare” for them. “Quite frankly, I think the police detail is needed,” Traynor said. The Board granted the 16, 1-day liquor licenses with the stipulation that a 4-hour police detail is required and that in two weeks, they would revisit whether the remaining weekends would also need a police detail.

Special Town Meeting

A special town meeting was scheduled for Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at Dennett Elementary School. The warrant was opened that evening and will be closing on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m.

Debate on Change from Board of Selectmen

Traynor led a discussion on changing the title of the Board from the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board. He called the issue “near and dear to my heart.” Joy said she wasn’t interested in making the change noting, “I just don’t feel like its really necessary for us to do this… I like our seal; I like our history.” Joy also said that the gendered term “selectmen” doesn’t bother her. Russo said he prefers the current title as it links to a 300-year history. Russo said that he felt that they could pursue gender equality in other ways. Traynor said he appreciated where they were coming from but noted that he would still like to pursue the change.

Old Schoolhouse

Russo said that a resident who has an old schoolhouse on his property wanted to see if the Community Preservation Committee would be interested in the building. Russo noted that it would be quite expensive to move. Of the project he said, “it really would require a champion and a site – neither of which we have right now.” Randall asked Russo to contact him saying, “there may be an angel out there that I know of.” Russo said, “Okay, I’ll be in touch.”

Appointments

Jessica Lau and Jonathan Mulcahy were named to the Board of Library Trustees until the next election. Their terms will expire on May 20, 2023. The Selectmen thanked them for their service to the town.

Selectmen’s Rants and Raves

Russo said he was thrilled about the Community Impact Grant application. “I think with the really talented people we have now, that could be really powerful for us,” he said. He also raved for the recent flower show calling it a “totally Plymptonian thing” and said the town should be proud of the event. Traynor raved for responder therapy dogs across the United States and Plympton Police Captain Cheryl Davis and her K9, who just became a certified team. Joy gave a rave for Linda Leddy and her work with the CPC as well as another rave for all the members of the public that showed up that evening to discuss the traffic issues in town.