 By Carol Britton Meyer
Interim Supt. of Schools Gary Maestas shared his top goals for the current school year at a recent School Committee meeting. Of high priority is completing the Hingham Public Schools strategic plan for the future, crafting a budget for the schools for the next fiscal year that will sustain last year's budget increase, assisting in the search for a permanent superintendent, and hopefully bringing the Foster School building proposal to reality. "We may need to ask for an operational override to fund the budget for next year," Maestas explained. Enhancing communication within the district is also a top priority. "I'll be working with my team on a daily basis to accomplish these goals and what's needed to run the school system," he said.
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 Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
The recently-created Sustainable Budget Task Force is charged with the challenging task of developing a five-year "sustainable forecast" that will allow the town to provide services that meet residents’ expectations as well as ongoing expenditure obligations that are in line with projected revenue. The well-rounded task force is comprised of Interim Supt. of Schools Gary Maestas, one member each from the school committee and select board, a Hingham Public Schools administrator, the assistant town administrator for finance, and a former advisory committee chair. The goal is for the task force to report its findings to Town Administrator Tom Mayo in Jan. 2022, when budget discussions for the next fiscal year will be underway.  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
The search is on for a permanent Hingham Public Schools superintendent to replace Dr. Paul Austin, who resigned last July. In the meantime, Dr. Gary Maestas is serving as interim superintendent of schools for one year. The New England School Development Council (NESDEC) is providing assistance in the search for a permanent superintendent under an agreement with the School Committee. NESDEC also conducted a search that resulted in the earlier hiring of Austin. Online national advertisements will be placed in various education job search websites. "We'll be establishing a timeline and setting up a schedule," Chair Kerry Ni said recently. "A superintendent search is a heavy lift, with salary negotiations taking the lead and the entire committee involved in the process."  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer Major safety improvements to the well-traveled Kilby Street/Rte. 3A intersection -- long a hot spot for accidents -- began Sept. 14 and are expected to take up to two months to complete. This long-anticipated project -- paid for with state funding -- began with catch basin work and will eventually progress to reconstruction of that portion of the roadway to allow for right-in, right-out turns only on both sides of Kilby Street. The work -- which will include improvements to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety -- involves narrowing the intersection and installing traffic islands to restrict traffic to the right-turn only configuration in order to improve vehicular safety along Kilby Street and Rte. 3A. Check the town website for updates.  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
Perhaps nothing was missed more during the pandemic than the library being open. Now back to regular hours, HPL is offering activities for all ages -- from book groups and an Anime Club for teens to live guitar concerts and story times for kids, and everything in-between. The Library’s Dolphin Gallery has resumed its schedule of art exhibits, and museum passes are available online. And there's more good news! Overdue fines on library books and other materials have been eliminated! Check out the calendar listings at hinghamlibrary.org for the latest activities, events, and other offerings for children and adults. Most are now in person, while a few are virtual. Thanks to all the library staff who made the reopening happen during a challenging time and for continuing the tradition of friendly customer service! By Carol Britton Meyer
"There's a lot going on with Foster School" was the good news from School Building Committee Vice Chair Ray Estes at a recent School Committee meeting. His update follows the Massachusetts School Building Authority's invitation to the Town of Hingham several months ago to enter into the Feasibility Phase of the Core Building Program. The town is working collaboratively with the MSBA to explore options to either renovate/add on to or replace Foster School with a new building with the hope of potentially qualifying for partial reimbursement from the state. An owner's project manager is in place, and selection of an architect is the next step. The building committee will continue to keep the community posted about new developments. If the town is awarded partial reimbursement and the project moves forward, the targeted completion date is Fall 2024.  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
Now in its 44th season, the Hingham Farmers Market is drawing many happy shoppers to its Station Street location following a very different -- although successful -- season last year. The HFM opened on schedule May 1, 2021, under 2020 Covid-19 restrictions, but in June -- with the lifting of earlier restrictions by Gov. Charlie Baker -- the market has been able to go back to normal operations. "We're back happily [this year] in a very robust environment," HFM President Mark Cullings said recently. The market -- the third-oldest in the state -- operates from the Station Street parking lot Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through November. HFM features nearly 34 vendor booths laden with fresh produce, delicious baked goods, beautiful cut flowers, meat, poultry, seafood, and many other popular offerings. While the move from the Bathing Beach parking lot back to Station Street -- where the market initially started out many years ago -- due to the pandemic was envisioned as temporary, HFM organizers have found the experience there to be very positive. "While not offering as much space, its ease of access and parking along with its proximity to Downtown Hingham are often mentioned by market customers [and others]," Cullings said. For more information, visit hinghamfarmersmarket.org. Why not stop by and experience the market for yourself??!!!  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
Even though Hingham Public Schools officials overall wish things were different -- with no need for a face mask policy for the new school year -- the School Committee unanimously approved this week, following an earlier lengthy discussion, a face coverings policy that's effective immediately. That's because sports tryouts and activities related to back to school are already taking place, including at the individual schools. This policy is in line with Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Riley's announcement this week of a statewide public schools indoors face mask mandate for K-12 students over the age of five, teachers, staff, and visitors. Face masks are not required outdoors. The goal is to provide and maintain a safe environment in the town's six schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which HPS administrators say is critical to returning students to a continuing "full-time classroom learning experience." There are some exceptions to this policy for those who have medical, behavioral or another challenge that makes it unsafe to wear a face mask or face covering. The HPS policy is based on guidance from public health experts. Committee member Michelle Ayer summed up the overarching goal: "trying to maintain a sense of normalcy while keeping our students safe, with a mask policy in place." The policy will be reviewed on a regular basis as needed.  Click here to watch Hingham's Weekly Update By Carol Britton Meyer
Plymouth River School Principal Melissa Smith recently stepped into the role of assistant principal, replacing Charleen Fabrizio, who recently accepted another position with Hingham Public Schools as elementary administrator of special education. At the same time, Gregory Lamothe -- who has served in a number of different roles as an educator in various communities -- has been named interim principal for the upcoming school year. Smith and Lamothe were the two finalists from among 25 candidates for the assistant principal position. Smith explained her reasons for accepting this new position in an email to PRS families. "After much reflection on my skill set and wanting to continue my loyalty to our excellent school, it was clear to me that this transition is a perfect opportunity for me personally and for the school's future success." Asst. Supt. of Schools Jamie LaBillois said that Lamothe and Smith -- coupled with "the dedicated and talented faculty and staff, wonderful students, and supportive parents that already exist at PRS make for an exciting combination in the year ahead." LaBillois will visit PRS in the fall to meet with faculty, students, and community members to explain the process for a full principal search. By Carol Britton Meyer Dr. Gary Maestas was recently named Hingham Public Schools interim superintendent of schools -- replacing Paul Austin, who resigned effective July 30. But it's not "official" yet, School Committee Chair Kerry Ni explained at a recent School Committee meeting. That's because although the Committee's intent was to enter into contract and salary negotiations with Maestas for a one-year time period, because he is retired and drawing a pension, Maestas was required to apply for a "Critical Shortage Waiver" from the state. Maestas retired after serving as Plymouth Public Schools Supt. of Schools from 2008 to 2020. State law provides for "critical shortage" waivers that permit a school district to employ a retired educator beyond his or her usual earning limits, in certain circumstances. "We're expecting an answer very soon," Ni said. Because there's important business to take care of -- including the eventual hiring of two new elementary principals to replace recently-resigned former Foster School Principal Beth Wilcox and former East School Principal Anthony Keady -- who both accepted positions with the Duxbury Public Schools -- the School Committee named HPS Asst. Supt. of Schools Jamie LaBillois to serve as acting superintendent until the waiver is granted. "This will enable us to move forward as a district," Ni said. |
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