Plympton-Halifax-Kingston Express

You are here: Home / Archives for News

Plympton Townwide Clean-up April 12

By

On April 12th, 2025, Plympton families will have an opportunity to pitch in and help clean up the considerable amount of litter that has accumulated along the town’s roadsides. The Plympton Garden Club and the Historical Society are announcing that the annual Townwide Clean- up will be held on Saturday, April 12, with a rain date of Sunday, April 13. The hours of the cleanup are 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
To participate, residents are asked to stop by and speak to the volunteers at a table set up on the parking lot in front of the Town House on Palmer Road the day of the event. There they will be provided with trash bags and other tools and receive a street assignment. Other important facts for volunteers to know include:
The Plympton Highway Department will be picking up full trash bags and transporting them to the transfer station.
The orange “pay as you throw” bags will not be required for this project. Instead, residents can use the bags provided at the volunteers table.
Once trash bags are filled, they can be left by the side of the road, and the Highway Department vehicles will pick them up.
Given that it has been two years since the last cleanup, Plympton’s picturesque roads are really needing help! We hope that there will be a strong turnout for this important effort. See you on Saturday, April 12!

 

School Committee approves FY26 budget million

By

Alan Ingram
Express correspondent
The Plympton School Committee has unanimously approved a $4.43 million operating budget for fiscal year 2026, successfully balancing the educational needs of Dennett Elementary School with the financial constraints of the town.
The vote, which took place during the March 24 meeting, represents the culmination of months of careful financial planning and collaboration between school officials and town leadership.
“We believe we’re at a place tonight where we have a budget that can support the needs of the students here at the Dennett, can maintain all of our staffing as we promised, and also meet the financial needs of the town as well,” said School Committee Chair Jason Fraser.
The total budget package includes $4,703,363 in expenditures, with $273,363 coming from anticipated circuit breaker special education reimbursements and anticipated grant funding. This leaves the town’s portion at $4.43 million.
Director of Finance and Operations Sarah Hickey presented the final budget figures after incorporating adjustments requested by the committee at previous meetings.
“If from that $4,703,363 we subtract out the anticipated $60,000 [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Federal Special Education Entitlement] Grant, $117,272 in anticipated circuit breaker, $32,091 in the 2025 [Rural Education Achievement Program Federal] Grant, $64,000 in the anticipated rural aid for next year, that would make the town operating budget $4,430,000,” Hickey explained.
The budget process this year was complicated by a chart of accounts conversion, making direct year-to-year comparisons more challenging than usual.
“This is the single year where we won’t be able to have side-by-side comparison of 24 and 25,” Hickey noted. “Next year the budget will be back out of the financial software, all of those sheets that you’re used to and you’ll be able to see the FY26, FY27 side-by-side comparisons with the percent increases.”
Committee member Jon Wilhelmsen expressed appreciation for the work done to reach the target figure but voiced concerns about the process.
“I know there was a lot of work today to try and get us to where we’re at, and I truly appreciate all that,” Wilhelmsen said. “It’s very difficult to be able to do the job on this side of the table, but you can’t look at the underlying numbers as it’s going along.”
The $4.43 million figure represents what appears to be an 11 percent increase over last year’s initial budget of approximately $4 million. However, Fraser pointed out that the school actually operated on about $4.25 million this year after addressing a $250,000 deficit that emerged by October.
If you base it off the $4 million to $4.4 million, it is an 11 percent increase,” Fraser explained. “But this year, to operate this building, we used $4,250,000. So our increase, if you take it from there to this, is a 4.25 percent increase.”
Wilhelmsen acknowledged the challenge this presents for town officials.
“To the town, it’s 11. And that’s the part that, you know, with working together with the town, we were able to get them to absorb it again,” he said. “This is the third year in a row that we’ve had to absorb these increases in derelict deficits. So, it’s just a challenge because the well is getting drier.”
The budget relies on $64,000 in anticipated rural aid for next year, based on Governor Healey’s budget proposal. Fraser expressed hope that rural aid might increase, potentially allowing for additional staffing.
“I’d like this committee to commit to is if we get a sizable increase there, that we come back to the table and we add additional aids to our staff here at the Dennett for next year,” Fraser said. “To help maintain the quality of education, but also to help keep kids in their home school instead of ending up not having the right amounts of supports here and having more kids go out of district as well.”
Earlier in the meeting, the committee approved the allocation of $144,000 in rural aid currently on hand. This includes $50,000 to supplement an HVAC earmark, $54,000 to address the current year’s deficit, and $40,000 to replenish the special education stabilization fund.“We would hold back $54,000 to fill what’s right now about a $49,000-$50,000 deficit for FY25,” Fraser explained. “If there’s any creep on that, we’d have a little bit of wiggle room.”
The committee also discussed the possibility of bringing some outsourced behavioral services in-house in the future. Currently, the district budgets approximately $53,035 for PACES services, which provide both in-school consultations and home-based support for students with special needs.
A meeting attendee raised the question of whether some of these services could be provided by existing staff or a new hire.
“I wasn’t sure if there was an opportunity to in-source some of the work and potentially get more benefit to the student population because of it,” he said.
Christine Marcolini, Student Support Coordinator, echoed this interest, asking if there might be “a way to kind of look at the bucket of money that we’re already budgeting for behavior consults, shift some of that over to having someone maybe part-time on staff that’s available to all students.”
While acknowledging the idea has merit, Special Education Director Christine Panarese noted several challenges, including finding qualified personnel willing to work in homes and determining whether a part-time or full-time position with benefits would actually save money compared to contracted services.
The committee also approved its meeting schedule for the 2025-26 school year before adjourning to executive session to discuss collective bargaining strategy with the Plympton Teachers Association.

BSU presents “Spring Dance 2025”

By

Bridgewater State University’s Department of Dance proudly presents a celebration of life, art, and movement in concert – Spring Dance. The concert performs Thursday, April 3; Friday, April 4; and Saturday, April 5 – all at 7:30 p.m. in the Rondileau Student Union Auditorium at 19 Park Ave in Bridgewater. For more information and tickets, please visit www.BSUtix.com.
Spring Dance is an established tradition at Bridgewater State University, entertaining audiences for decades.
In this year’s production, BSU Dance models its principle, “Dance is for every body” by featuring choreography from several accomplished students and professors.  Small groups, solo, and large ensembles inspire movement amongst the stage in a specular celebration. The concert features a wide variety of contemporary themes including identity loss, others perception of you, as well as love and trust.
This year’s group of choreographers is a melting pot of BSU faculty and advanced student choreographers: Dr. Danielle Bazinet, Kristy Kuhn Donnelly, Jazmyn Vautour, Jaclynn Ahl, Ellie Cochran, James Farrell, Meghan Stanton, and Maggie Zawalick.
Performances of Spring Dance will be held on Thursday, April 3; Friday, April 4; and Saturday, April 5, all at 7:30 p.m., in the Rondileau Student Union Auditorium.
Tickets are available at the door and online at www.BSUtix.com, while supplies last.

New Plympton Fire Station

By

Alan Ingram
Express correspondent
A new fire station proposal is moving forward to Town Meeting and a debt exclusion vote at the Town Election as town officials seek to address significant safety concerns and upcoming OSHA compliance requirements that the current 50-year-old facility cannot meet.
The proposed station would provide proper apparatus bays for larger modern vehicles, appropriate gear storage, and improved safety features for firefighters, according to a presentation by Jon Wilhelmsen, Chair of the Town Properties Committee at a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee.
“We are looking at a new station really for physical and occupational safety concerns for our personnel,” Wilhelmsen says. “The facilities do not allow them to actually maintain the vehicles in the building.”
The current station, built five decades ago, is non-compliant with current OSHA standards and regulations. The building’s tight spaces create hazardous conditions for firefighters working with modern equipment.
“The building is currently non-compliant with current OSHA standards and regulations, like pretty much all of them,” Wilhelmsen explains. “It was a station that has served us very well for 50 years, and very well for something that it wasn’t intended to do for us.”
One major issue is the size of modern fire apparatus. Today’s fire engines and ambulances are significantly larger than when the station was built, creating dangerous conditions in the cramped space.
“Modern engines have gotten bigger, and everything continues to get bigger,” Wilhelmsen notes. “The ambulances seem to grow three feet every generation or so.”
Fire Chief Cheryl Davis explains that changes in safety requirements have driven the increase in vehicle size. “In terms of technology that has changed, so the cabs have to be able to sustain the weight of the vehicle if it rolls over. And just chassis have gotten bigger.”
The department also faces supply management challenges, with equipment currently spread across four different buildings and trailers in three locations. During winter, one fire truck must be stored in a garage on Center Street because there’s no heated space available at the station.
The new station design includes appropriate apparatus bays and storage space for the vehicle fleet, proper gear storage separated from public areas, and facilities for firefighters to clean up after calls before entering private or public spaces.
“This is set up with appropriate gear storage and also locations to be able to do the gear models and all the things like that,” Wilhelmsen says. “The staff can go right in here. They can leave off their gear to clean. You can also take showers before entering any of the private or public space of the fire station.”
The proposal comes as Massachusetts prepares to implement new OSHA regulations for fire departments in 2025. Chief Davis explains that 21 National Fire Protection Association requirements will become law, including standards for separate gear storage and ventilation systems.
“Twenty-one of those regulations are going to become law. We don’t have the exact date, but it says sometime in 2025, and that’s where a lot of the safety considerations for the station come in,” the Chief says.
These regulations address serious health concerns for firefighters, including cancer risks from diesel particles and other contaminants. “The diesel particles are one of the biggest contaminants that are leading to the increases in firefighter cancer rates,” Davis notes.
Town officials considered renovating the existing station but determined a new facility would be more cost-effective. Renovating would require a temporary station during construction, estimated to cost $2 million to $3 million just for the rental.
“It was two to three million dollars just to put up a temporary station and occupy it during the time that we would be working on the building,” Wilhelmsen explains.
Additionally, bringing the current building up to code would likely require demolishing most of it anyway. “You’re going to end up taking down so much of the building and coming up with a code for today’s roads, at which point you’re likely knocking down most, if not all, of the building,” Wilhelmsen says.
The project is currently out to bid, with responses expected by mid-April. If approved, the new station would require approval at the May 14 Annual Town Meeting and a debt exclusion ballot question at the May 17 Annual Town Election for funding.
Construction costs will continue to rise significantly in the coming years, “If the town decides it’s going to do it this year and wait a year and do it another year, I think the safest thing I can tell you is it will cost more,” Wilhelmsen warns.
The new station would be significantly larger than the current 1,400-square-foot facility. Supplies are currently spread across four different buildings. Officials emphasize that every aspect of the design serves a specific purpose to meet current and future needs.
“This is a station for Plympton. It’s designed to meet what we need,” Wilhelmsen says. “It’s a lot bigger than what we’ve had, but we have a bigger mandate than we did when we built this as a call station without EMS.”
If approved, construction would begin in late summer 2025 and take approximately 18 months to two years to complete. The existing station could potentially be repurposed as a community center.
Town officials plan to hold additional public outreach meetings, including one on Saturday, April 5, at 10:30 a.m., and two weeknight meetings in April to gather community input before the town vote.

Kingston wins $29,000 grant for public library

By

T-Mobile has announced its latest round of 25 Hometown Grant recipients, each set to receive as much as $50,000 in funding from T-Mobile to support local development projects to revitalize their communities. The town of Kingston will receive a $29,000 grant to update the Kingston Public Library lobby, replacing 27-year-old furnishings and making the space ADA compliant, providing a welcoming, accessible space to patrons.
Since kicking off its five-year commitment to small towns and rural communities in April 2021, the Un-carrier has provided more than $16 million in Hometown Grants to 375 communities across 48 states and Puerto Rico. Hometown Grants has sparked more than 150,000 volunteer hours, bringing people together to uplift their communities in big ways.
“When we started Hometown Grants nearly four years ago, we knew T-Mobile could make a real difference in small towns across the country, but the impact has exceeded all expectations,” said Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group. “With this latest round of grants, communities will be able to fund everything from new fire hose technology to expanded food pantry space — creating important, life-changing improvements for the people who call these towns home.”

Halifax could lose jobs in budget cuts

By

Kristy Zamagni-Twomey
Express correspondent
Town Administrator Cody Haddad provided a budget update at the Tuesday, March 11, Halifax Board of Selectmen’s meeting. He said that the previous night he had presented two separate budgets at the Finance Committee meeting. “One with level service requests which would require about a $1.6 million override; I know that since then the School Committee has met and potentially pared down their budget… and then the other one… is balanced which would require about $1.2 million in cuts from the elementary school, several general fund cuts, and then we would need to eliminate four additional full-time equivalents on the general government side… we’re working on identifying those.” He said that the budgets would be presented to the Selectmen at a later meeting for them to decide whether to move forward with the override.
Selectman Jonathan Selig asked to address some correspondence regarding the budget issues with the schools. Selig said he was able to speak with Jason Fraser, who is a member of the Plympton Elementary School Committee, the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, and who also serves as President of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. “Federal funding is critical for daily educational opportunities for our children. Currently 10 percent of Massachusetts’ public school funding comes from federal programs across the Commonwealth. School Committees and School Administrators are grappling with historic inflationary pressure and increased cost… school districts are struggling just to maintain level service budgets and any decrease in federal funding to public education would be devastating to public school students whose futures depend on it.”
The No Cuts to Public School Act was filed by Senator Markey and would require Congress to appropriate federal formula funding for education at fiscal year 2024 levels or higher through fiscal year 2027. Selig asked the Board if they would feel comfortable writing a letter of support for that federal act. Selectmen Chair John Bruno said that he would like to see the letter go directly to Senators Markey and Warren rather than directly to the federal government. The Selectmen voted in favor of sending a letter.
Haddad said they were still actively looking for a library director. He noted that they got a good number of applicants and said that the screening committee would be reviewing them soon. Haddad noted that East Bridgewater was looking at the same time and actually didn’t have any applicants.
Haddad said that March 11, the day of their meeting, was the deadline for petition articles, submitted by residents of the Town of Halifax for the Annual Town Meeting. He noted that they had seven petition articles submitted.
Regarding the MBTA Communities program, Bruno said, “we have received communication that the State Auditor has made a decision that the MBTA Zoning Act is an unfunded mandate which can trigger other legal processes.” He further said that the Board is likely to take some steps to try to “hold back any detrimental effects of the MBTA law as long as we can.” Haddad said that the town was notified that the Green Communities grant that usually provides more than $200,000 in funding may be in jeopardy this year due to noncompliance with the MBTA Communities program.
A resident said that they read through the Auditor’s determination. He asked for clarification on the unfunded mandate. Bruno called “unfunded mandate” a vague and undefined term. He said that they have talked about it regarding the Thorndike Development and a 40B, he said nothing required made any difference with respect to the unfunded mandate.
The Selectmen reviewed the zoning amendments. Bruno said, “the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee has been meeting for two years… and, aside from the big project being the MBTA issue, also went through the entire zoning bylaw to update it and to clean it up a little bit.” Bruno said it incorporates the senior housing bylaw that was recently approved at Town Meeting. Haddad said that it has also made it so any special permits will now go through the Zoning Board of Appeals. Haddad said that the goal of the Committee wasn’t so much to make vast changes, but rather to make it clearer and more straightforward for residents.
Selig asked about abandoned properties and Haddad said that there is now a blighted properties section for all types of properties. “The scope of it is within State law, but just codifies it as town of Halifax bylaw,” Haddad said.
Mead, Talerman, and Costa, LLC were named as the new labor counsel for Halifax. Haddad called it a “standard agreement” and asked the Selectmen to sign off on it. They voted to approve the agreement unanimously.
In other business, Pamela McSherry was reappointed to the Halifax Cultural Council through March 22, 2028. Selectmen also approved bottle drives for the Boy Scouts on April 5 and July 19 on the Town Green.

North Easton Savings named to Newsweek list

By

North Easton Savings Bank is honored to be named to Newsweek’s 2025 list of America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions.
The award acknowledges North Easton Savings Bank’s proven track record of growing the community through fair banking practices, financial advising, and local philanthropy.
Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group recognized top regional banks and credit unions in the United States, by conducting a large-scale study based on the analysis of over 9,000 institutions, more than 70,000 customer surveys, and millions of social media reviews.
This most recent award comes following several other national and regional honors. North Easton Savings Bank was named to the USA Today Top Work Place for 2024, The Boston Globe Top Place to Work in 2024, and received the Boston Business Journal 2024 Corporate Citizenship Award.
“We are grateful to be recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions for 2025,” said Rich Spencer, President & Chief Executive Officer of North Easton Savings Bank.
“This accolade is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our community and customers. It is an acknowledgement that motivates us to continue our mission of supporting and uplifting our community, ensuring we remain a trusted financial partner for many years to come.”
“Regional banks and credit unions are the financial backbone of communities nationwide as they support small businesses, fund local projects and ensure easy access to essential banking services,” said Nancy Cooper, Newsweek’s Global Editor in Chief. “We are proud to highlight companies that utilize a community- and customer-centric approach to make a big financial impact in their neighborhoods.”
North Easton Savings Bank is an award-winning financial institution with over $1.6 billion in assets, North Easton Savings Bank is uniquely situated to provide personal and business banking solutions to southeastern Massachusetts.
Founded in 1864, NESB has a proven track record of growing the community through fair banking practices, financial advising, and local philanthropy.
Looking forward, the Bank is well-positioned as the preferred area banking partner with a powerful combination of convenient features like mobile and online banking and the personal, hometown touch of a local bank. North Easton Savings Bank is fully insured by the FDIC and the DIF and is an Equal Housing Lender. For more information, please visit NorthEastonSavingsBank.com.

Waiting for Godot

By

Celebrating its 25th season, True Repertory Theatre will bring Samuel Beckett’s groundbreaking play “Waiting for Godot” to life this April. Performances will be held at the Beal House, 222 Main St. in Kingston with evening performance on April 4, 5, 11 at 8 p.m. and matinees on April 6, 12, 13 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 general admission and $22 for seniors and students. Group discounts of $20 a ticket for 10 or more available upon request.   Tickets can be purchased online or at the performance. Online purchases can be made at TrueRepTheatre.com.
“We chose Waiting for Godot because now, more than ever, this feels like the right work at the right time,” said Donald Sheehan, who serves as the Artistic Director of True Rep.
The play is about two people living in a chaotic world who struggle to hold onto hope, who have invested in someone they know nothing about, Godot, to deliver their future. As they wait, they entertain one another, debate their existence, test their resilience, and provide unexpected humor, wisdom, and hope.
“The challenge of this play, for the actor, is to be completely honest and open — only then do we, as an audience, begin to recognize ourselves in these relationships,” remarked director, Victoria Bond. “Hopefully, people will not only recognize themselves, but one another, as well.”
As the author of the play Samuel Beckett said, “What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in the immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come.”
Directed by Victoria Bond of Plymouth this modern production stars Mark Reid of Hull as Estragon, Donald Sheehan of Pembroke as Vladimir, Ryan Guimares of Pembroke as Pozzo, Stephen Lee of Randolph as Lucky, and Robby Silenzi of Halifax as the Boy.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit TrueRepTheatre.com.

School Committee shaves $448k from budget From Budget

By

The Halifax School Committee met on Monday, March 10. The budget and the potential override were the main topics of conversation.
Chair Lauren Laws opened the meeting to public comment. A concerned resident spoke about cost-of-living increases and the town’s request to ask various departments to look at places where they can reduce their budgets. The resident asked if the schools had looked at all possible places to cut and recommended looking at things like paying for busing and/or kindergarten rather than cutting teachers. He said that class sizes of 30 plus students was not ideal.
Resident Katherine Schneider spoke saying she had a few questions that she put together based on previous meetings she has attended as well as speaking with teachers. She began by suggesting charging for buses as a previous speaker had recommended. “Is there a new curriculum being discussed? I’ve heard a few times about a new curriculum; no offense but like why are we cutting teachers and thinking about a new curriculum when we’re above average? Can we slash unnecessary professional development?” Schneider asked. She also inquired why there have been no cuts at the high school. She further said that she couldn’t understand why anyone would want to move to the town if the schools become decimated.
A former teacher spoke saying that while he doesn’t have children of school age any longer, he still supports the school budget. “If I have to spend a little more money every year, I guess that vacation in the Bahamas is going to have to go… because it’s important that the kids have certain things – don’t take music away from them, don’t take sports away from them; don’t take those things away from these kids,” he said.
Halifax Selectman Jonathan Selig spoke saying that he would like to provide some insights into what the town was doing on their end to help the elementary school. Selig told those assembled that the cost of education in Halifax has increased an average of three percent each year over the last decade. “This year it is a 21 percent increase at Halifax Elementary and an almost six percent jump for our assessment over at Silver Lake,” Selig explained. He continued, “I will admit, I was hoping some concessions could be made by both school committees… In light of these school budgets, the town is turning over every stone to try to attack this deficit from all angles; asking all town departments to submit budgets with a ten percent cut to try to start searching for possible solutions.” Selig said that everything from reducing hours in town buildings to cutting town positions were on the table. Selig asked the School Committee to consider making further concessions. He said that if they were relying on an override, they should try to make the figure as small as possible. He also said that Silver Lake using one-time E&D funds to bridge gaps will likely result in all three towns facing overrides next year.
The Director of Finance and Operations Sarah Hickey spoke as well and said that the current level service budget for FY26 including shared costs for Halifax Elementary is $8,284,489. She explained that Halifax’s assessment for FY26 is $9,030,026.55 which represents a $414,808.83 increase over FY25. She explained that the increase is significantly more than the other towns as there is a portion of the assessment calculation process where the Department of Education allocates Chapter 71 funding to Silver Lake. She said that there was a $400k increase that Halifax had to pay of those funds.
Hickey said that the 18.4 percent increase for the Halifax Elementary School budget is not something the town feels they are able to accommodate. She said that the total cost of education for Halifax combining the budget that was voted on at the last meeting for the elementary school and the Silver Lake assessment is $17,277,137.55 for FY26. This represents a $1.7 million increase or a nearly 11 percent change. Selig clarified that regardless of whether Halifax passes an override, they would still be forced to support the Silver Lake budget if the other two towns did support the figure. Laws asked if that money would come out of the elementary budget or elsewhere in the town. Selig said he believed it was set aside, but needed to verify.
Hickey reviewed the Tier one cuts of approximately $77k that were made back in December. She said that a request was made to see what class sizes would look like if three teachers were cut at a savings of $210,000. She said the estimated class sizes would be 21-23 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Tier two cuts, which amount to over $495k, include a grade 3 teacher, a grade 4 teacher, a grade 5 teacher, a grade 6 teacher, a tech teacher, a special educator, and a bus. Tier three cuts, which amount to over $337k, include a math specialist, a reading specialist, a custodian, a 0.5 librarian, and a 0.8 art teacher. Tier four cuts were called unrealistic, but totaled an additional $400k. These would include another kindergarten teacher, a grade 1 teacher, another grade 3 teacher, another grade 4 teacher, and another grade 6 teacher. Tier four cuts would result in some class sizes going up to 35. If Tier two cuts are taken, the increase from FY25 to FY26 goes to 11 percent, adding in Tier three and it drops to 6.5 percent, and with Tier four it becomes less than 1 percent.
There was some discussion about cutting out the cost of a new curriculum. Superintendent Jill Proulx said, “We don’t have a complete K-grade 6 written curriculum in any plan; we won’t have a resource that can be used by all teachers in each grade that is aligned with State standards. We can expect teachers to align their curriculums with State standards but without those materials it is more difficult to do.”
A resident asked why there was a staggering increase to the budget. Proulx said that all of the budget presentations since January are available online and noted that budget discussions have been ongoing since November. She further said, “It’s not just increases in special education albeit that is an area that we don’t have control over… just think about your own grocery bills… the reality is it’s a flaw in the funding mechanism in Chapter 70; the cost to educate is far outstripping the resources to pay for that education.” Selig said that this is not a problem that’s unique to Halifax and noted that he will be asking the rest of the Selectmen to support a letter to State legislators imploring them to look at how they are approaching education funding. “When you have towns like Duxbury that are six million in the hole and Norwell that are five million in the hole… and these are affluent communities, so the fact that you are seeing it across the State means the problem lies a lot higher than Halifax… I urge people to reach out to your representatives at the state level,” Selig said.
Asked about exploring asking residents to pay for full day kindergarten, Hickey said that they would have to first move to half day kindergarten and then ask people to pay for full. Laws said that they would save money either way since if they moved to half day kindergarten, they would save a teacher salary and if people paid for full day, it would make up some of the difference in the deficit. Hickey said that neighboring communities charge between $3k and $3.5k per student for full day kindergarten. Laws pointed out that they would be adding two buses to transport students for half day kindergarten. “So, it would be cutting teachers but adding bus costs… this is why it’s such a hard decision” she said. Hickey said if they had to run three buses it would be approximately $30k to do the midday runs.
Laws said, “If we were to freeze the budget, have some excess funds… I’m just trying to think of ways that we could push some of the special education surplus we have at the moment toward next year.” Hickey said, “Tuitions that were paid in FY24 are reimbursed to us to be used in FY25, so I believe what you’re asking is to freeze the Circuit Breaker account as it stands.” Asked for an estimate, they were told “under “$391,000.” Someone referred to it as “a whole tier [cuts].” Circuit Breaker is Massachusetts’s reimbursement program to help offset the costs of special education. A motion was made that the Superintendent be directed to reduce the Circuit Breaker funding for the FY25 budget by $200,000 which is the projected excess. There was a lot of debate back and forth by the School Committee as it was a “gamble” since there was a possibility that those funds would be needed this school year.
Special Education Director Christine Panarese said, “There’s a lot to win if you take the gamble; I don’t have anything on the horizon that would make me say we need to be cautious here – we need to be conservative. I think it’s pretty safe to say we’re just going to take $200k of that excess we have and apply it to make sure our budget is a little bit better, presentation-wise.” The School Committee discussed cutting both the $200,000 in Circuit Breaker excess and the Tier one cuts of $210,000 from the budget for a total reduction of $410,000. The Committee also discussed reducing the budget by $38k which represented a budgeted out of district placement for FY25 that hadn’t happened.
Asked what would happen if the override doesn’t pass, Laws said all the cuts would happen, including Tier four. “If we don’t get the override and then we’re in a position again next year, we would most likely go into receivership the following year which means the State takes over your school and you do what they say,” Laws said.
The Committee came to the conclusion that cutting as much as possible from the budget request would give the override the best possible chance of passing as they would be asking for under $1 million. The total amount taken from the budget request was just over $448k. The reduction included the Circuit Breaker excess, the tier one cuts, and the out-of-district placement excess. Ultimately, this means that the Halifax School Committee approved $7,648,313 as the FY26 local education operating budget.

The Winnetuxet Big Dig!

By

The signs have been up to detour around the Winnetuxet Bridge in Plympton for more than a month now. The pretty, picturesque bridge has been taken down to its very bones to make a more sturdy and attractive bridge with a concrete and steel uperstructure and substructure. The old timbers that made up the floor of the bridge are gone and will be replaced with a blacktop surface that is easier to plow and maintain, according to Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte.
Winnetuxet Rd. residents Kevin and Jackie Rafferty, who walk by almost daily, said the project is slated for completion in late August. The $1.2 million project is Plympton’s answer to The Big Dig!