Emotions ran high at the Rochester School Committee meeting on Thursday over the inability to use a large back field for recess at Rochester Memorial Elementary School.

“How long do we have to wait to use the field…our priority is to provide physical activity along with education for our students,” asked Sharon Hartley, a Committee Member.  “It’s not appropriate for a renovation…it’s not the norm and it isn’t fair that the grounds are not ready after two years.”

Other members also expressed frustration when Facilities Director Gene Jones explained that the field would not be available to students until December of 2013 due to the warranty issues in the contract for the renovation project.  The fields, grounds and trees are the final piece of the renovation project.

At issue are warranty items that have not been settled with Mountain View, the sub-contractor handling that portion of the contract.  Gilbane Builders was the manager of the project and used Mountain View for the grounds handling portion of the project.

Jones explained that he was on top of the situation and has spent many hours inspecting the fields, trees and ground work around the school.

“The back field is patches of sand, blotches of non-grass…we have to give Mountain View the opportunity to fix it…that’s in the contract,” said Jones.

“Is there a termination clause in the contract, so we can withhold payment and work on it ourselves?” asked Member Tina Rood.

Jones told the board that no payment would be made until the fields and grounds were up to the specifications required in the contract.

“I’ve met with the Board of Selectmen and we discussed options, such as using water cannons to water the field after seeding…we hired an arborist to inspect the trees…the town spent good money on this project and we need to be sure we are getting what we agreed to,” said Jones.

Board members told Jones that they understood that he was the ‘messenger’ and appreciated his work in keeping on top of the project.  Superintendent Doug White asked the committee to be patient and that he would work with Jones and the contractor to assure that everything that could be done to ready the field in the spring would be done.

A lively discussion followed regarding the lack of an after school program this past September through December.  The program, organized and run by the PTO and teacher volunteers and a paid organizer, was not offered this past half school year.

“As a committee, we’re looking to see what, if any changes are needed,” said Hartley.

Superintendent White explained that after school programs in Marion and Mattapoisett are run by the town recreation committees, while Rochester relies on the PTO.

“It’s good to look at our programs and clarify the principal’s role, the PTO’s role and what is the best way to run it,” said Rood.

An after school program is currently in place for the January through June portion of the school year.

The committee agreed to form a new committee to look into how the program is organized and how to support it so that it continues to be available to children in the future.

Danni Kleiman was recognized at the meeting for being an outstanding teacher with ‘curriculum courage’ for her work with students in planning a Shakespearian play each year as an after school program.

“Ms. Kleiman is a wonderful teacher, supporter and friend to all,” said Elise Frangos, Curriculum Director.

In other business, White told the committee that he met with the police chiefs of Mattapoisett, Rochester and Marion in the wake of the Newtown, CT tragedy.

“As a result, our policy committee will be looking at what we should be communicating  to students and parents and includes drills that we will be conducting on a more regular basis,” said White.

White added that the district is looking closely at a systematic way of guarding entry to all school buildings with additional security measures.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Rochester Police have charged a pair from Plymouth in connection with a December 17th house break in the 200 block of High Street. Rochester Police were tipped off to the crime when an alert neighbor notified them about a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle fled the scene prior to police arrival but the neighbor was able to provide the license plate number.

The suspects then headed to Middleboro and Kingston where they committed more house breaks. Meanwhile officers from Rochester, Middleboro, Plymouth and Kingston Police conducted surveillance on the suspects home and took them into custody when they returned there later in the day.

As the result of a search warrant executed on the vehicle they were driving, police recovered items stolen in the Rochester, Middleboro and Kingston house breaks.

Rochester Police have filed charges against Jason P. Parsons, 34, and Jackalyn J. Kelleher, 50, both of Barbara’s Way in Plymouth with breaking and entering in the day time, destruction of property over $250, conspiracy, larceny from a building, and use of a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony. The pair will also be charged for the Middleboro and Kingston breaks. Other departments in the area are looking at the suspects as well.

Temperatures in the Tri-Town will be frigid on Thursday, with the highs expected to be in the mid to low 20’s.  Be careful!  The American Red Cross offers these safety tips when dealing with temperature plunges:

• Dress in several layers of lightweight clothing.  That will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat.
• Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves.  Wear a hat that covers your ears.
• Waterproof, insulated boots are the best to keep your feet warm and dry.
• Take frequent breaks when outdoors and stay hydrated.
• Seek medical attention immediately if you have hypothermia symptoms (confusion, dizziness, exhaustion or severe shivering) or frostbite symptoms (numbness, flushed gray, white blue or yellow skin discoloration).
• Don’t forget about your pets!  Leaving them outdoors in these temperatures for extended periods of time could be hazardous to their health.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., safety and security took center stage at Wednesday’s Marion School Committee meeting, the first of the new year.

“Everybody in this room is entrusted with the safety in and around the Sippican School.  It’s such a profound tragedy that causes us to think differently about the way we see our own schools and families,” said committee chairman Brad Gordon.

The December 14, 2012 shooting has prompted countless schools across the nation to review and discuss safety protocols and security measures around their campuses in an effort to help improve those systems in order to prevent future tragedies.

During her report, Sippican School Principal Evelyn Rivet praised the presence of mind of the teachers in the days following the shooting and their focus on helping the students understand the shooting.

“They came in early the next day and they held meetings discussing the best way to deal with this,” said Rivet.  “

The school has also implemented tighter security controls, including individual sign-in and out for guests and a locked classroom door policy.  The Marion Fire Department also toured the school offering recommendations for safe hiding places in the event of a similar emergency.  According to Rivet’s report, the school will be looking into a new double-lock entry system for the front and rear entrances of Sippican School.

“It’s been a collaborative effort on the parts of all of us,” said Superintendent Doug White.  “One of the things we are suggesting is to practice our drills more often, to have involvement from the police department during those drills.”

White said that parents would be notified of safety drills ahead of time so that they may be adequately prepared to discuss the rehearsals further with their children, but specific details may be withheld to increase student safety.

“I’ll be working with aides for a volunteer system to monitor the entrances.  We want it to be an open and inviting place but we want to have a better handle on knowing who will be in our building,” said Principal Rivet.  “We’ll also be asking to see photo IDs.”

She said that they are looking into further security measures that are both cost efficient and sensible for the school, including special key-fobs that would provide certain faculty members entry to the building as well as colored lanyards to indicate security clearance.

White said that they are continuing to collect thoughts and suggestions from teachers and staff in an effort to bolster current security measures.

Despite the efforts to make district schools safer from such violence, there is always the concern that the environment of the school would be negatively affected by more prominent safety measures.

“We don’t want to turn it into a militaristic setting for the kids to learn in,”Gordon said.  “We want to keep it an open place for the kids.”

“As I look at all protocols and all information coming through my office, I feel very comfortable that we’re handling things efficiently and effectively around safety and security,” said White.

In other business, the budget sub-committee briefly met before the quarterly meeting, where the superintendent offered the first drafts of the proposed FY14 budget.  This was the first time the Marion School Committee got a chance to see a complete draft of the proposed budget.  White said that he has been meeting with all major department heads in the last few months in preparation for budget discussions.

“There are no siginificant increases.  I think it provides quality.  I think it handles the increases of obligations here.  It supports our programs sufficiently,” White said.

The preliminary budget calls for a modest 2.5% increase overall, which was expected during the budget drafting process for FY13.  In addition, the new budget reflects three up-coming retirements, which account for about $44,000 of the budget.

The committee is also looking to increase the overall technology budget.  Technology director Ryan Mcgee said that he was researching cloud-computing and data storage options for the schools, which would allow for a safer and more secure depository for files.

White also said that some savings could be achieved under the transportation line item.  He said they are about to enter the fifth year of a five-year contract with the bus company.  He indicated the company planned to drop the rate for the year but did not have a figure on hand.

“We’re just looking to finalize that number. We’re verifying that as we speak,” said White.

The committee will review the specifics of the budget over the coming weeks to help prepare the final draft, due for approval by the members in March.

The committee also heard from Sippican School music director, Hannah Moore, who addressed the group with a petition to consider replacing the sound system in the school’s multi-purpose room.

“We have one of the finest multi-purpose rooms in the state,” Moore said, explaining that the existing system is inefficient, antiquated, and difficult to use.

She has been collecting prospective bids from audio system contractors and said the project could be funded with town money or by private donation.

The next meeting of the Marion School Committee will be on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, at 6:30 pm at the Town Hall.

By Eric Tripoli