Alignment across the Old Rochester Regional School District, it was agreed by the Mattapoisett School Committee, is essential to strengthening learning at the most local level.

            The committee met on December 7 to review and vote to approve the 2023-24 School Improvement Plan, which was presented by local elementary school principals Dr. Linda Ashley and Kevin Tavares within the context of the Old Rochester Regional School District’s Vision 2028 strategic plan.

            Local schools will have a one-year improvement plan, then go back to two-year models, to be in synch with ORR’s five-year plan.

            Mission, Vision and Core Values are the same across the district, especially in terms of literacy and curriculum.

            Ashley, the principal at Center School, discussed the draft plan, meeting with other district principals, and arriving at action steps that include implementation of the district-wide, core literacy program, Into Reading and the Science of Reading, in collaboration with The Hill for Literacy and the effort to provide teachers with Into Reading resources and professional development.

            “The big, overarching district goal,” Ashley stated, is to establish common assessment practices across grade levels with horizontal and vertical alignment. A common assessment plan and schedule will be established across the district.

            “We are literally tying all the building-level work to our strategic plan,” said ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson, who reminded the committee that while the district-wide Vision 2028 included five initiatives under each facet of the strategic plan, not every initiative would be tackled in Year 1. “So what you’re seeing is that the initiatives in each objective that are scheduled to start in Year 1 of the Strategic Plan, now are having goals presented at the building level in terms of what Year 1 work needs to be done in each of the schools either individually or collectively.”

            Ashley said that the District Instructional Council members and select staff from Center and Old Hammondtown schools will review and update the curriculum content.

            The overarching goal in the second part of the School Improvement Plan is related to Teaching and Learning and begins by defining and revising the process of professional development so as to support equitable teaching and learning with consistent and dedicated time.

            Tavares, principal at Old Hammondtown School, introduced Strategic Initiative Number 3 related to the strengthening of support systems.

            Action steps include weekly meetings of “response to intervention” (RTI) teams, ensuring that students needing those steps are addressed. FLEX intervention blocks in the weekly schedule will be used for this work.

            “I think it’s been a goal of the superintendent, where we feed into the junior high, to have all three towns, so you’ll see the words ‘district-wide systems’ throughout this (presentation),” said Tavares.

            Climate and culture are at the core of Strategic Initiative Number 4. Principals, teachers and adjustment counselors will collaborate to promote strong social as well as academic skills.

            The “responsive classroom” is based on meetings to establish classroom rules, behavioral supports and restorative practices to apply social-emotional learning. The outcome hoped for is discipline.

            Communication with families and engaging students in leadership roles, including Project 351.

Safe schooling is a goal, including cybersecurity training, ALICE (alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate) training and fire drills.

            Inventory and meetings with Facilities Director Gene Jones and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber will be part of the teachers’ follow-up on classroom needs.

            The committee voted 4-0 to approve the School Improvement Plan.

            In her Chairperson’s Report, Carly Lavin reported having received information for a potential policy from a member of the community and has referred that information to the district police-review process. Member Cristin Cowles will report back to the committee.

            “For me there is no doubt the focus this year has been on our new literacy curriculum,” said Lavin, calling it “something the committee is really proud of.” She said she is thankful for the hard work by everyone involved. Lavin also noted that the impact has extended beyond the classrooms into family life, as many students are learning literacy in a new way.

            “Change, while challenging, is the catalyst that propels us toward new heights, and we’ve really just started to imagine what that could be for our students and our children,” said Lavin.

            With that, Lavin recognized the many people who are working toward helping the schools go through the change.

            Given the floor, Nelson spoke on behalf of administration and talked about some recent extracurricular activities, including the Unified Basketball Team’s fundraising game against tri-town Police and Fire personnel.

            He noted the impending retirement of Tavares and indicated that the search process will soon commence.

            In the absence of Barber, Nelson reported that the Mattapoisett School District operating budget has an unencumbered $747,911 at its disposal. Obligations to Bristol County Agricultural School will not affect those funds, according to Barber, said Nelson.

            The Facilities Report included quotes to paint the Center School clock tower. Breakfast and lunch counts continue to be strong at both Center and Old Hammondtown schools, and the Thanksgiving banquet that had not been held since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was a major success.

            At the recommendation of the administration, the committee voted to approve the admittance of the Brockton Public Schools and Whitman-Hanson Regional School districts as new READS Collaborative member districts effective July 1, 2024.

            Sarah Leahy has been brought aboard as the music/chorus teacher and Luis Rivera as a cook.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 6:30 pm, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Mick Colageo

            Coming before the Mattapoisett Planning Board during their December 18 public meeting was Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering. Fresh from the well-attended Tree Committee meeting, Hering brought the Planning Board up to date on what had transpired and possible involvement, or lack thereof, for the Planning Board.

            Hering explained that the Tree Committee meeting covered many aspects and areas of concern with respect to the proposed village street project. She said she learned from Town Administrator Mike Lorenco that because the village street project is a municipal project, trees felled out of necessity for that construction do not need to be vetted in a public hearing by the Planning Board.

            Historically, the protocol had been that trees within the town’s easement and requiring removal must first undergo a review via a public hearing. Surprised to hear that they would not be subject to a public hearing, Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker asked, “When did they start doing this?”

            Board member William Wennerberg, who is also a Tree Committee member, reported that Lorenco explained that Planning Board involvement in the removal of trees that is part of a municipal project is not necessary. Hering had broached the idea of having each tree currently slated for removal vetted in the public-hearing format by the Planning Board.

            Board member John Mathieu read from the Mass.gov website: “After a road has been designated as a scenic road, any repair, maintenance, reconstruction, or paving work done with respect thereto shall not involve or include the cutting or removal of trees or the tearing down or destruction of stone walls or portions thereof, except with the prior written consent of the planning board…” The statute goes on to read that if there isn’t a planning board, responsibility falls to the select board. Tucker said he would speak with Lorenco to clear up this matter.

            Hering also said that Lorenco had agreed to flag all 26 trees presently slated for removal to give residents a visual representation of what will be gone. She said that residents are now becoming aware of this project and have questions that need to be answered.

            In other business, the board approved the removal of trees located at 12 Barstow Street, 12 North Street and 4 Marion Road.

            Wennerberg asked if the board would entertain looking at tree removal policy and local bylaw for the possible inclusion of new language that would beef up new tree plantings. He said that currently, if a tree is removed in the town’s easement, the homeowner of the property can refuse to have a new tree planted. Hering concurred that oftentimes property owners, “…don’t want new trees.” Wennerberg said the absence of such language means that the town is taking down trees but not replacing them. Member Nathan Ketchel thought for every one tree removed, two should be planted. The board members agreed to study the matter.

            The board also approved the Form B Preliminary Subdivision Plan for property located on Ocean Drive and owned by David Duchaine.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, January 8, at 7:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

            Now that the heat is apparently off south-coast homeowners to budget for a state-legislated upgrade to their Title 5 septic systems to costly denitrification technology, Marion Board of Health founding member Albin Johnson wants to take it a step further and find out if the board can repeal the recently approved town bylaw requiring that Marion property owners performing any new construction upgrade their septic systems to include denitrification technology.

            Having been approached by some constituents regarding alternative septic systems in Marion, Johnson indicated that the state’s effort to leverage upgrades to denitrification technology will not succeed on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. He said the new technology being pushed by state government through incentive programs is time consuming and not cost effective.

            “Be that as it may, it appears that … at the state level, the (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) was unable to convince enough state legislatures that the program that they put the cape on is sufficient for this area of Buzzards Bay,” said Johnson during the December 7 public meeting of the Marion Board of Health. “So we were left off the mandate that we have everybody upgrade immediately. We’ve been left dangling out there with the Marion Sanitary Code, and where it is just the Marion Sanitary Code, I’d like to look into the ability of the Board of Health to go back to our relying on Title 5 for the septic systems of the town before we get too many of these sewer-treatment plants in private houses. Because that’s basically what they are, sewer-treatment plants.”

            Johnson has always been skeptical of the associated studies, especially in Marion.

            “I question some of the studies that have been done, not so much down cape, but we are a completely different geological area, and we couldn’t find any nitrogen leaking from the town (Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoon) up there on Benson Brook Road, and yet they continue to insist that that was where most of the nitrogen was coming from. And it cost us $13,000,000 (for the sludge cleanup.) So I’d like to save some of the residents of the town who might not be as close to the harbor,” he said. “I question the … efficacy of putting these (denitrification septic) systems up in the north end of Marion.”

            During her tenure on the Board of Health, scientist Dot Brown authored and gotten passed a Marion bylaw requiring any new construction in town needing septic to include an upgrade to denitrification technology. Cost estimates for such installations in single-family homes have ranged from $20,000 up beyond $30,000. In order to operate efficiently, the systems also call for consistent maintenance and management by the homeowner.

            “Well I think it is reasonable to try to find out what the evidence base is, and it’s always nice to know if you have facts as opposed to opinions,” said Dr. Ed Hoffer, the current chairman of the board. “I would suggest that maybe both you and I can do a little interrogation of those that are pushing it and see if we can find facts.”

            “That would be fine with me,” said Johnson, who questioned MassDEP as to why Marion was not notified and informed of a November 28 meeting the state agency held with the Town of Wareham, with which Marion shares the Weweantic River.

            The IA database annual user fee will increase from $50 to $60.

            Hoffer suggested the matter go on the first agenda of the 2024 season; in the meantime, he and Johnson will conduct a fact-finding mission as a prelude to any decision regarding how to henceforth regard the denitrification bylaw.

            In her Public Health Director/Nurse Update, Lori Desmarais reported that Marion has administered 533 flu vaccines and 105 COVID-19 vaccines in 2023 and has only five Covid vaccines left. “We still have flu vaccines if people need them,” said Desmarais.

            Marion’s association with Dementia Friendly Massachusetts led to an informational meeting on December 6, and the town is now working on a pamphlet with information for citizens.

            In a review of correspondence, Hoffer said the Health Department’s FY25 budget only reflects cost-of-living increases.

            The board discussed a letter sent to the owner at 15 West Avenue, denying permission of an application and a memo copying the decision to Building Commissioner Bob Grillo. The address “is not a single-family dwelling but a rental property at this point,” according to Hoffer, who anticipates the matter falling into the purview of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Desmarais also suggested sending the decision to the Planning Board.

            Health Agent Shallyn Rodriguez reported that 38 Rockey Knook Lane now has a new Title 5 septic system.

            In discussing the Massachusetts Transient Noncommunity Drinking Water Systems – 310 CMR 22.00, it was noted that the Ansel Gurney House, 403 County Road, has been serving water from a well under the purview of MassDEP. Hoffer said that tying into Wareham water was found to be “ridiculously expensive” for another Marion-based interest. Desmarais researched other towns for protocols and found that extensive testing is being done, especially in wells that are not managed by MassDEP.

            The board has decided to return its public meetings to the Marion Town House, necessitating a change in meeting time from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Given the holidays and scheduled vacations, the board agreed to meet on December 28 and hold its first meeting of 2024 on January 18.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health is scheduled for Thursday, December 28, at 4:30 pm at the Town House.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo