Free Full Day Kindergarten Hotly Debated at School Committee Meeting

by Muriel Kramer

January 24,  2014 — The School Committee met last night primarily to discuss the budget in preparation for next week’s Public Hearing January 30^th at 7:30 PM in the Middle School Library; after the Public Hearing, the School Committee will take its vote on what it will be recommending to the Board of Selectmen to be included in the town-wide budget for FY ’15.

The most hotly debated topic was the newly added initiative to provide tuition free Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) which would drive the requested budget as high as 5.8% above last year’s budget. At last week’s meeting Superintendent Cathy MacLeod received feedback that some members of the SC would not be comfortable requesting such a substantial budget increase, and she was asked to explore alternatives that would bring the number down. Additionally, the superintendent was asked to revisit the initiative begun last year to reduce parent fees by 10% each year.

School Committee Member Scott Aghababian began the evening saying, “I’m going to end up maybe being the bad guy tonight.”  Later in discussion he added, “I know the work that has gone into this, and I know the difficult choices. The question is can we really afford the value add.” His primary focus was on pursuing a budget that could be supported at Town Meeting May 5^th.

Jon Graziano held a different position. “I disagree that our primary thought needs to be what we can get passed at Town Meeting.” He argued for pursuing the most value add budget, asserting that it is the School Committee’s responsibility to advocate for what the school district needs.

In response to feedback from the SC at last week’s meeting, Dr. MacLeod brought forward a new top level number that added a reduction of fees for parking, athletics and transportation, kept tuition free FDK and then targeted some decreases that included reducing professional development system-wide, reducing extraordinary maintenance,  and using F-1 Visa revolving funds for textbooks. The proposed increase was brought to 5.03% above last year’s budget.

Aghababian stated, “I don’t support a 5.03% budget increase. I’ll tell you right now, I don’t!” Later he added, “With our budgeting constraints, I do not support FDK. I understand why it’s a great idea. But the reality is, we need to get a budget passed at Town meeting. A lot of people in town are going to question it [FDK]”

School Committee member Ellen Scordino took a different tack, “I don’t think we should look at it the way Scott suggests that it benefits 189 parents; it’s a benefit to the whole district.” She also clarified for the audience of viewers that she will not benefit personally from a free FDK program; her youngest is in kindergarten now. She went on to make the point that many district priorities cost more and benefit kids in later grades; she advocated for making the decision based on what was right for the district.

The challenges that this initiative poses are very real, the discussion included recognizing that parents of next year’s kindergarteners need to know before May what will be in place for their students, depending on votes at TM there may or may not be modular classrooms at Center, so some students may need to be located at Elmwood increasing some logistic challenges, and this represents a change in delivery of service that may or may not be warmly received by a majority of voters.

Dr. MacLeod presented other options that include tuition based kindergarten and maintaining a Half Day Kindergarten (HDK) option that will not be an equivalent program. She made it clear that the difficult budget changes she suggested as possible were to support the tuition free FDK and that those were not on the table from her perspective if she was directed to have a tuition based FDK with continued HDK offerings. “We’ve been going around and around. We need direction.”

Clear direction was not forthcoming, but Graziano and Scordino maintained they would support the tuition free FDK option and proposed budget increase up to 5.03%.

While Nancy Alvarez-Burdick, Jean Bertschmann and Aghababian maintained a tentative level of support for a tuition based option that would drive a less aggressive budget increase while maintaining the initiative to reduce fees for athletics, parking and transportation.

PUBLIC FORUM

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN DISCUSSION

The Superintendent will be holding a public forum to invite further discussion on the opportunities and challenges of full-day kindergarten. If you have any questions or comments, your attendance is encouraged.

DATE:  Thursday, 1/23/14

TIME:  6:00 pm

LOCATION:  Middle School Library

Missing Holliston Dog

If you see Roo, DO NOT TRY TO detain her. She was abused before entering doggie foster care. Please call 508 269-6948 or contact Andrea at andreademayo1@gmail.com  or contact Animal Control through the Holliston Fire Department at 508 429-4631.

Fred “Ted” E. Hunt Sr., 87 

Fred “Ted” E. Hunt Sr., 87, a resident of Tilton since 2002 died at his home, January 12, 2014 following a period of failing health.  Fred was born in Framingham, MA, January 11, 1927, son of John Parkhurst and Ruth A. (Eldridge) Hunt.  Prior to moving to Tilton Fred lived in Burlington, VT where he resided for 26 years.  He spent his youth and attended school in Hopkinton, MA. He was a graduate of Hopkinton High School. He excelled in sports and was the recipient of the Scholastic Athletic Award and was invited to sign on with the Boston Red Sox. Fred was a lifelong member of the Congregational Church.  He later studied accounting and finance at the University of Massachusetts and Bentley College.  For 35 years, Fred was employed as a supervisor and subcontractor-buyer for the General Electric Co. in Pittsfield, MA, Burlington, VT and Erie, PA.  He continued his education at Williams College on his own and while working with General Electric attended classes at Croton on Hudson.

He served with the U. S. Army during WW II, Fifth Battalion Field Artillery.  Fred was predeceased by a son, Fred E. Hunt Jr. (Teddy) of Berwick, ME, October 22, 2007. 

He leaves, His wife of 65years, Lorraine C. (Varnum) Hunt   of   Tilton, Sons, R. Kevin Hunt of  Londonderry, NH,  Paul E. Hunt  of West Grove, PA, Nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

According to Fred’s wishes, calling hours will not be held.  A service will be held Saturday, January, 25, at 10:30 A. M.  at the William F. Smart Sr. Memorial Home, Franklin-Tilton Road in Tilton. A reception will follow at the Black Swan Inn, 354 West Main St. in Tilton. 

Private burial will be in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 D. W. Highway, Boscawen, NH with military honors at a later date.

Those wishing to make memorial contributions in Fred’s name may make contact with, the Wounded Warriors Project, 370 7^th Avenue, 3^rd Floor, Room 320, New York City, NY 10001.  

Hopkinton Education Foundation Anticipates Sell-Out

For Casino Night Fundraising Event

 Event to Benefit Innovation in Hopkinton Public Schools

HOPKINTON, MA, January 22, 2014 – The Hopkinton Education Foundation anticipates a sell-out crowd for its second annual Casino Cocktail Party, to be held Saturday, March 8, 2014, from 8pm to midnight at the Warren Conference Center, Hayden Lodge, Ashland. 

Tickets for the event can be purchased from February 1^st onward at www.biddingforgood.com/HEFGALA, for $90 each.  Attendance will be limited to 300 guests.  All proceeds will support the Education Foundation’s mission of advancing innovation in the Hopkinton Public Schools through grants to teachers.  Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation has awarded over 285 grants totaling more than $1 million.

“The Casino Cocktail Party is the Education Foundation’s biggest annual event, delivering a terrific evening of socializing and entertainment to raise awareness and money for educational innovation,” said Stephanie Szewczyk, event chair. 

The event features gaming, auction and raffle prizes, including a broad range of such casino games as black jack, craps, roulette and Texas Hold ‘Em.  Guests can use their winnings from the casino tables to be entered into a drawing for the grand prize of a $500 American Express gift card. 

To date, the Education Foundation has secured auction items that include Disney theme park tickets, kids’ summer camps and sports tickets.  Hors d’oeurves and desserts will be offered at the event, as will a cash bar.

Auction bidders will be able to use their smart phones to make bids throughout the event and receive live bid updates.  “We piloted the live-bid application at last year’s event, and know that it adds a lot of competitive fun to the auctions,” said Szewczyk. 

Additional information on the event is available at www.hopkintoneducationfoundation.org, or on the Foundation’s Facebook page.

Hopkinton Public Library Foundation

Chosen by Staples Foundation to Receive $5,000 Grant

Hopkinton Staples Associate Directs Grant to HPLF

January 21, 2014, Hopkinton, Mass. – Hopkinton Public Library Foundation (HPLF) has been awarded $5,000 by Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of Staples, Inc., under a new program that lets Staples associates direct donations.

Hopkinton resident, Rob Ajemian, nominated HPLF for the grant as part of a program that allows Staples associates to direct funding to non-profit organizations focused on education or job skills.  "When I learned of the library renovation and expansion project," said Rob, "I knew that Staples could and would want to be of assistance.  I was truly pleased to ask."

“Hopkinton Public Library Foundation is extremely grateful to Rob for his recommendation, and to Staples Foundation for its gift of $5,000,” said Laura Barry, HPLF Chairperson.  “These funds will support the expansion and state-of-the-art renovation of Hopkinton Public Library, building a spacious, modern and accessible library for Hopkinton’s over 15,000 residents.”

In 2012, Staples associates in the U.S. directed more than $1.4 million of Staples Foundation grants to 434 local non-profit organizations. The new program, called 2 Million & Change, will award additional funds to organizations around the world, reaching more than $2 million in grants for the year.  “Staples Foundation is committed to making a positive impact in the communities where our associates live and work,” said Katy Dobbs, director of global community relations for Staples, Inc. “Through our new program, we are pleased to support our associates and the local non-profit organizations that matter to them most.”

Negativity Is A Learned Way of Life that Can be Changed

    Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, Ed.D., Ph.D.

I try to teach my clients and those close to me that negativity is a learned perspective. When we are growing up we are all exposed to views of the world that are not objective or reasonable. Anthony, one of my group clients grew up with parents from two different countries who met in Europe during the last world war. Even though they have been living in the United States for over 50 years they still consider themselves to be suffering from prejudice from American neighbors and former co­­‑workers. Anthony grew up hearing Americans are greedy, selfish and biased against all foreigners. His parent’s pessimism pervaded much of their thinking and he was often told to shy away from anything unfamiliar. Basically their view of life was to take no chances and never stray from family, as “outsiders” could not be trusted. He realized as time went on that his parent’s assertions were mainly based on their own insecurities and unwillingness to trust.

Despite knowing this reality as an adult he has remained an untrusting person, very afraid to take chances and afraid that he will be ridiculed if he reveals his true nature to anyone. His first wife eventually left him as she could no longer tolerate his unhealthy attachment to his parents, and his un-willingness to make friends and socialize.

Anthony, interestingly, is a member of one of my group sessions where 4 of the 10 members were born in other countries and all immigrated to the states in the last several years. Anthony was initially surprised that these individuals did not experience the bias he expected. In fact three of them were recruited by American companies, helped to find housing, and were graciously received by their colleagues. They had difficulty of course, adjusting to a new culture but none spoke of the bias that Anthony had been taught to experience. It wasn’t just the fact that members from other lands had a different experience that eventually made the difference in Anthony’s worldview.

What changed his pessimism into a reality based view of life?                                                     

First and most importantly he developed trust in myself and group members. As he said “I can see and really feel how you all care about each other, at first I thought you were all playing a role but over time I realized you were complete strangers at one time, from all over the world, and now you have come to truly like and respect each other, you’re like a family of friends

Assertion Without Guilt

Anthony’s new found trust helped reduce the guilt he felt in separating from his parent’s worldview. He had overwhelming guilt whenever they disapproved and this resulted in shaking his self worth and contributing to self-criticism. Over time Anthony came to realize how overly responsible he had learned to be for the behavior of others. He grew up believing he was the one to settle his parent’s disputes, and thus felt accountable for their happiness and their distress. As he learned to express his opinions in our group sessions without fear of reprisal he began to liberate himself from the past and from his fixed view of his role in others distress. He began to see the benefits of having an open mind rather than a perspective that created a wall with those who were previously viewed as outsiders. With his newfound openness he was able to discover his relational abilities and he felt closer to his colleagues, friends and those in his community. Negativity was replaced with an excitement to live, explore and grow as an individual. He realized that his guilt was driven by incorrect assessments of his role with others, and as a result of lessening this tendency he freed up energy to relate with hope and optimism.

Replacing Biases With Truth

Eventually, based on his new discoveries, Anthony was able to systematically examine his views of life and their accuracy. He essentially was able to obtain a consensus view based on objective feedback rather than the inaccurate conditioning he adopted from his family. This is the critical juncture for change. We can only change our old story by having the courage to take in objective feedback in the present. I have seen this process result in profound transformations in many lives. It is not simple or easy; it requires the courage to change. When you have faith in the well meaning of others who are trying to help you move forward in life we can gradually leave the biases of the past behind. Anthony and many others I have had the privilege to work with are truth seekers, as a result they arrive at a place of comfort within and with others that is truly life saving. 

Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, Ed.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Soundmindz.org is a Hopkinton resident.

This article is published with permission of Soundmindz.org 

The Voltakk at MPAC

The Milford Performing Arts Center presents The Voltakk, a Boar’s Head play with music that celebrates the life cycle and the cycle of the seasons, based on ancient customs, superstitions and rituals during the winter solstice.  The Voltakk tells the story of a village in medieval Ireland forced to make sacrifices to a beast until one day the beast starts to take the village’s citizens.  The Voltakk takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and features music and stories from the Renaissance and Medieval eras.

Three performances at the Hopedale Unitarian Parish, 65 Hopedale Street, Hopedale:  7:00 PM on Friday, January 24, 2014 and Saturday, January 25, 2014; and 1:00 PM on Saturday, January 25, 2014.  Tickets include show plus huge appetizers and dessert buffet:  Advance $12 for students/seniors, $16 for adults; and $16 and $18 at the door.  Cash bar also available.  For more information visit www.milfordpac.org, call the studio at 508 473-1684, or email us at milfordpac@verizon.net.

Join us for a feast and festival full of medieval fun, food, beer, wine, music, magic and mayhem!

DOR Gives MA Taxpayers Free Tool to File Tax Returns Early; Get Refunds More Quickly

(Boston-January 21, 2014)-Massachusetts Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter today announced that the Department of Revenue’s free online tax preparation and filing program WebFile for Income opens Wednesday, January 22, 2014 and refunds will begin going out the next day. Taxpayers or their professional tax preparers who use commercial software programs and e-file their state income tax returns can hit the send button on January 29^th, two days before the IRS begins accepting federal tax returns.

“Our online filing program is a great way for taxpayers to get a jump on filing their state tax returns”, said Commissioner Pitter. “The easy to use software program is secure, reduces errors and helps taxpayers identify tax credits and exemptions they may not know they can take which can increase the amount of their refund.”

The average turn-around time for processing electronically filed tax forms is less than 6 days compared to more than 18 days for mailed tax forms. Most Massachusetts taxpayers file their tax returns electronically. Last tax year, less than 185,000 out of 3.5 million filers used paper forms which DOR had to manually scan and process. Another 444,102 returns were printed from software programs and mailed instead of e-filed.

WebFile for Income also sends instant confirmation that the Department has received returns and the information taxpayers enter on their returns this year will automatically be transferred to use for future returns.  One of the best features of WebFile for Income is that it lets taxpayers track the progress of their refund.

DOR encourages all taxpayers to e-file their returns. Many libraries, senior centers and other volunteer assisted sites offer free tax preparation and e-filing based on income eligibility. To find the site closest to you visit MA Cash Back.

Taxpayers who need paper forms can download them from www.mass/gov/dor or pick them up at all DOR offices, most IRS offices (except Quincy) and most public libraries.

Advanced Math and Science Academy [AMSA] High School Team Wins 2^nd in Programming Contest

Above, from left, Lino Alvarez, AMSA Coach/Computer Science Teacher, Dan Warner, Hopkinton,  Josh Michel, Andover,  Tejas Rao, Maynard, Jon Roche, Chelmsford

January 21, 2014 — Marlborough: Juniors Dan Warner, Tejas Rao, Jon Roche, and Josh Michel represented AMSA at the High School Programming Contest at Fitchburg State University on Dec. 6. AMSA placed second out of 42 teams.

The contest consisted of 12 problems. Each team was given three hours to solve as many problems as possible, with a single computer as the sole tool. They were expected to develop different programs to solve these problems.

For example, the AMSA team developed one program to find different bicycle-to-gear ratios.

Computer science teachers Kelly Powers and Lino Alvarez attended the tournament as AMSA coaches. Yearly, their students compete in similar computing events to improve and expand their skills.

Contributed content.