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Candidate's Statement - Kelly Knight

The fall after I moved to Hopkinton in 2009 my daughter started first grade at Center School and my son was in pre-K.  I was new to town, and to having a child in public school, so my focus was on reading, homework, and getting settled in.  A year later, I began to really tune in to the issues facing our town and schools, and the one that caught my attention was the Fruit Street School proposal as a Center School replacement.

I was immediately impressed with how engaged the community of Hopkinton became around this proposal, and how when the majority of voters felt the initiative was not in Hopkinton’s best interest they sent a very strong message at the 2011 special All Town Meeting when they voted it down.  It was not one for the School Committee, the Board of Selectman, or a select few to resolve.  Instead, any Center School solution would require input and active engagement from the entire community in order to succeed, and this was understood by our town leaders and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”):  Hopkinton needed to regroup.

As a result, the Elementary School Building Committee (“ESBC”) was formed in March of 2013 and in just twelve short months the ESBC has accomplished a great deal, including:

1)      Successfully submitted a Center School Statement of Interest – April, 2013

2)      Received Annual Town Meeting approval for a $600,000 Feasibility Study – May, 2013

3)      Invited into the Eligibility Period by the MSBA, during which a determination is made as to whether Hopkinton has the financial means as well as the community support to make this project a success – November, 2013

4)      Received MSBA approved to move into the Feasibility Phase – March, 2014

What will happen next is significant.  The ESBC will begin to work within the previously-approved Feasibility Study budget to interview Project Managers and building designers, and evaluate the potential building sites.  This should happen with continued community engagement and support from the School Committee.  Public meetings, social media, and active outreach programs are forthcoming and the community members engaged in 2010 and at the 2011 special All Town Meeting need to re-engage.  This is an exciting time and I look forward to being involved and finding support from the community at large as we move through the process of finalizing a solution. 

As a member of the school committee it is my intention to partner with the ESBC and examine its recommendations and process.  I will engage in open, honest, and transparent decision making in the hopes that the Center School solution project is a success for the whole town.

I respectfully request your support and your vote at the town election on Monday, May 19th.

Kelly Knight

1 Ledgestone Drive

April 4, 2014

by Muriel Kramer

April 4, 2014 — Hopkinton Principal Alan Keller had the opportunity to highlight the successes of some capable Hopkinton Middle School students at the School Committee last night. Himanshu Minocha is currently in eight grade and has developed an app available on iTunes called Soar Browser which emphasizes speed, privacy and preserving battery life.  According to Keller, Soar Browser debuted in September 2013 and has been downloaded over 6,000 times in 73 countries and is on its third release. Minocha is currently working on two more apps. Jason Liu also in eighth grade will represent Hopkinton in the National Geographic Geography Bee today in Worcester; the top 100 scorers on the qualifying exam given statewide compete in the final.  Two sixth grade students, Bailey Marlowe and Tim Fargiano, were also recognized as winners in Cambridge Science Festival’s Curiosity Challenge; they will attend an awards ceremony at MIT. Marlowe’s entry wondered how it was that the sun was able to move so slowly we can’t see it move, and Fargiano’s entry highlighted his desire to learn more about preventing concussions in football players and ways technology might be used to prevent the injury.

                Mr. Keller was also joined by Hopkinton’s own Boston Marathon Promoter Tim Kilduff to provide an update on the 26.2 Desire to Inspire project. The 26.2 Desire to Inspire project was first brought forward by Wellness teacher Deb Pinto, together with a small group of teachers they met weekly to create a curriculum to support the idea. This year students have been afforded the opportunity to hear from Rick and Dick Hoyt, will study the Battle of Marathon with BU Professor Loren Samons, will have the opportunity to participate in the Wreath Ceremony at the State House on the Thursday prior to the Marathon and will race in their very own 2.62 marathon challenge. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cathy MacLeod recognized the extraordinary effort and commitment of  Keller and the MS teachers necessary to establish a program like this. This represents “a tremendous amount of additional work.”

                A new idea for educational travel was brought forward by two teachers at the Middle School; the trip was intended to take participating eighth grade students to Iceland over April vacation.  The tour titled Iceland:  Glaciers and Geysers would have been open to all eighth grade students and focuses on human impact on the environment, sustainability, conservation, global warming, geographic features, dynamic earth, and Northern European culture and history. Most School Committee members were unwilling to support the trip to be planned for next year simply because the intent to travel request missed the deadline set by their new process for planning student travel. School Committee member Scott Aghababian indicated a willingness to consider it despite the missed deadline. Speaking in support of the improvement in process to insure careful planning, but also indicating flexibility, “I’m not going to second guess the educators and administrators, that it [the trip] is well planned is enough for me to give it a green light.”

                School Committee member Ellen Scordino objected to the trip strongly especially for eight graders; “this is added pressure, socially, financially and educationally. There is no place for it in eighth grade.”

                An additional travel request from the High School was also tabled because the request missed the deadline; that would have been a trip to Argentina. School Committee Member Jean Bertschmann highlighted the benefit to parents and students if all travel opportunities are available to be considered at the same time. School Committee Member Jon Graziano agreed, “the deadline is intended to give families the full clarity of options.”

                The Appropriation Committee (AC) is holding its Public Hearing on the budget Wednesday April 16^th in Town Hall at 6:30PM in preparation for Annual Town Meeting May 5^th at 7PM in the Middle School Auditorium. The AC is not currently in support of the School Department’s initiative for tuition free Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) to be included in the budget for next year. Interested tax payers are invited to attend the AC Public Hearing and provide their input on the budget recommendations the AC is proposing.

                The Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) got some great news last week when the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) invited Hopkinton into the feasibility phase. ESBC Co-Chair Mike Shepard and Finance Director Ralph Dumas have already submitted the Request for Services to select an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) in advance of the April 9^th deadline, and according to Graziano the ESBC is excited and prepared to tackle this next phase, “where we get to start on the meat of the work versus just the prep work.”

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