By Carol Meyer
Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams is focusing on four goals for the 2023-
2024 school year.

​The School Committee recently supported these goals following a presentation by Adams.

The first goal focuses on ensuring the district's continuous improvement;
human resources management and development; and providing leadership for
implementing comprehensive plans that identify the district's most critical
needs.

Other related areas include outlining processes for continuous improvement
that will address those needs most effectively and determining the measures
that will be used to assess progress.

Goal two relates to strengthening the Hingham Public Schools' multi-faceted
procedures for hiring, recruitment, and retention, including strengthening its
partnership with the Massachusetts Diversity in Education Network.

Developing a comprehensive program evaluation of student services is the
third goal. The school district will participate in an evaluation of current Student Services programming that will outline short and long-term goals for
identified areas of improvement in order to ensure equitable and inclusive
learning environments for students with special needs.

​Goal four relates to Adams' planned engagement in the second year of the
New Superintendent Induction Program, which empowers new superintendents
to accelerate student learning through strategic leadership. This will help
ensure the district's "continued focus on improvement."

By Carol Britton Meyer

​Following the recent implementation of a 25 mph speed limit in a large portion of downtown Hingham to enhance safety, Town Engineer JR Frey recommended the same restriction apply in more than a dozen neighborhoods around town. Signs with the new speed limit will be posted in the affected areas.

The initial change came about as the result of a 2022 Town Meeting-approved warrant article associated with concerns about downtown traffic safety expressed by residents and businesses over a long period of time.

"This is the first cut. We tried to be thorough, but there are only so many hours in a day," Frey said recently.

Following a lengthy presentation and discussion, the Select Board approved the additional speed limit changes in the Bradley Woods, Liberty Pole, Planters Field Lane/Wompatuck Road, Crow Point, and Bradley Hill Road neighborhoods as well as from Green Street to Burditt Avenue, the World's End and Canterbury Street area, upper Gardner Street from the Rockland line to Whiting and Derby streets at the five-way intersection, the southern end of downtown Hingham, and parts of Hingham Centre, among others.

Many of the speed limit changes are in response to concerns expressed by neighbors, with more to come.

Further measures are also under consideration to make the downtown area safer.
Frey also said the intersection of Middle and Main streets is being studied to address
serious safety and traffic concerns in that area, while Select Board member Bill Ramsey noted that the High/Free/Ward Street intersection is also extremely dangerous.