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COMMUNITY | Schools
School Committee reviews proposed $57.1 million budget
By Susan Gonsalves Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH – At its Dec. 16 meeting, the Westborough School Committee will take a final vote on the proposed school budget for Fiscal Year 2022. On Dec. 3, the board heard a presentation by Superintendent Amber Bock detailing the $57,121,155 recommendation.
The $57.1 million request represents an increase of $2,687,410 or 4.94 percent over last year.
The superintendent discussed how the financial team whittled down a previous request by $400,000 in order to address fiscal concerns while still maintaining services that directly impact students.
Among the accounts most recently reduced were trash and phones, electricity, furniture, facilities, revolving accounts and summer programming.
She explained that the revolving accounts contained school choice funds where the district no longer participates.
In response to a concern by member Lisa Edinberg, the superintendent noted that the summer programming could still be a “full, robust,” offering for special needs and other current students and leave room for additional participants.
A large portion of the reduction ($126,442) occurred by spreading out full-time Kindergarten teacher salaries between revolving and salary accounts.
In her initial summary, Bock pointed out that the change to full-time, tuitionfree Kindergarten for all had to be factored into the budget.
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Also, the proposed budget reflects no new positions.
Bock emphasized that the school department sustained more than a million in cuts last year and approximately $700,000 in COVID cuts. She said that she has confidence that these reductions can be recovered over time, keeping in mind the rest of the town’s needs.
At the forefront of her mind, By Liz Nolan Contributing Writer NORTHBOROUGH - Robert E. Melican Middle School had its first potential COVID-19 in-school transmission case resulting in three days of remote learning on Dec. 1-3.
An uptick in cases was anticipated statewide due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
During the Northborough School Committee meeting on Dec. 2 District Medical Advisory Team member Dr. Safdar Medina said that school cases are going to mirror the community. By Dakota Antelman Contributing Writer HUDSON - Students at Farley Elementary School in Hudson will learn remotely through Dec. 16 after district officials confirmed at least one case of COVID-19 transmission inside the classroom, Dec. 1. The announcement comes amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases and momentarily contradicts a push from state officials for individual districts to return to full-time in-person learning. “We are not going to jeopardize anyone’s safety,” she said, is “how to live in a pandemic and maintain excellence.”
“There’s nothing left to give,” Bock said. “Recovery of base funding will be necessary. I’ve never experienced budgeting in this way…anticipating losses that could be untenable.”
If it is financially responsible to do so at the Fall Town Meeting, the superintendent said she may propose a restoration of funds.
School Committee Chair Kristen Vincent said the proposed budget reflected “creative solutions to bring the
“As has been seen in other locations, school itself is not a driver of community spread, it more reflects community spread,” he said.
Dr. Medina referred to Rhode Island data that revealed there was more of an incidence of positive cases in kids who were remote learners versus in–person learning.
“The longer the holiday, the longer the chances are of more cases,” he said. “If we do have a two week closure, that is two more weeks of intermingling that can go on outside of school and that is our main reason for School Superintendent Marco Rodrigues said during a School Committee meeting Dec. 2. “If we can safely continue to be open, we will. If we have to transition schools or classrooms into remote learning, we will do that as well.” This is the first case of confirmed in-school viral spread in Hudson. Thus, while individuals including Gov. Charlie Baker have said in-person learning poses little actual transmission risk, local leaders like Rodrigues have made no indications that they plan to numbers down,” and it should be made clear that next year, the community could anticipate a budget with a four to five percent increase.
“This (budget) represents a lot of smart thinking about how we can serve the entire community,” she said.
The public hearing concluded with no comments or questions from residents. The next step is for the committee to take a final vote at its Dec. 16 meeting. The budget will then be submitted to the Advisory Finance Committee and Board
Northborough school has first potential in-school transmission COVID-19 case
of Selectmen by Dec. 23 keeping the schedule we have.”
The Northborough Southborough Public Schools District is currently screening staff. The most recent screening of 564 staff members was the week of Thanksgiving.
There was only one staff member who tested positive at this screening - that person did have symptoms. There were no asymptomatic staff members who tested positive.
The screening will continue every Friday in December and will also include town of Northborough administrators
Hudson schools confirm case of in-school COVID-19 transmission; Farley Elementary transitions to remote learning
and employees. change learning modes. Likewise, though, Rodrigues has also reassured his community that school buildings do remain some of the safest places to be during the pandemic. “All of our schools have a high quality of cleaning and sanitization,” he said. “We will continue to be very detailed about that.” Read recent updates from the Hudson Public Schools on COVID-19...https:// www.hudson.k12.ma.us/ important_information/ c_o_v_i_d-19_information/ c_o_v_i_d-19_documents
Westborough holiday store aims to help families this year with different model
By Lauren Schiffman Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH - With the holiday season underway, many of us have had to reimagine our celebrations. The same goes for Westborough Youth & Family Services (WY&FS) and the Rotary Club of Westborough, which collaborate annually to host a free holiday store for Westborough families in need. Typically, WY&FS operates its winter wonderland free holiday store out of a meeting room at the Westborough Public Library, but in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the holiday store, too, has been reimagined.
In this unprecedented year, rather than toys, books, games and winter clothes, representatives from WY&FS and Westborough Rotary Club are seeking donations of gift cards to local retail outlets that carry items for children, including Learning Express, Target, Wal-Mart and Burlington.
Gift cards and cash will be collected by Rotary Club members, donated to WY&FS and distributed evenly to all families who apply. The requirements for applying are that applicants must be residents of Westborough and have children aged 18 and under living in the home.
“We’ve come up with a safe solution to provide for local families,” said Julia O’NeilWelch, administrative assistant for WY&FS. “We enjoy building relationships with the holiday store recipients and want our families to know that we’re here for them,” she added.
Donors are being asked either to leave their donations at Mugford’s Flower Shop, 8 Warburton Lane, or to call O’Neil-Welch at 508366-3090 to arrange for safe pickup. Envelopes with the gift cards will be distributed safely and by drive-by appointment only at the Westborough Senior Center during the week of Dec. 14.
Applications, which are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic, can be found inside the Westborough Public Library, 55 West Main Street, during library hours and in a plastic bin outside of the side entrance; the food pantry, 9 East Main Street; and on the WY&FS website, Holiday store | 17
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Gerry Gross, Rotary Club of Westborough and Julia O’Neil Welch, administrative assistant for WYFS in the 2019 Free Holiday Store
Holiday store | from page 16
https://www.town.westborough.ma.us/youth-and-family-services. Instructions for application submission are on the application itself, and O’Neil-Welch said that all applications will be processed with privacy and sensitivity.
Kathy Wilfert, president of the Westborough Rotary Club, said that during a time when things around us are changing, the Rotary hopes to make everyone’s holidays as festive as possible.
“If you find a project that needs to be done in town, you bring it to the club and we make it happen. Twenty years ago, (Westborough resident) Gerry Gross came to the club and said that the holiday store needed help,” said Wilfert. “That’s how the partnership began. After that, we forged a great partnership with Youth & Family Services not only with the holiday store but with other projects when they need it.”
Last year, the free holiday store distributed about 3,000 gifts to 230 children. Due to the pandemic, which has caused many to lose their jobs, WY&FS expects to serve even more families in need in 2020.
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