After Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson made introductory comments to the October 7 meeting of the Rochester School Committee summarizing the ORR District’s Acceleration Road Map, Rochester Memorial School Principal Derek Medeiros presented a two-year School Improvement Plan.

            Medeiros introduced his team that helped produce the PowerPoint document, including teachers Forrest Cote and Jenna Tavares, paraprofessional Donna Cisco, and in new two-year terms, Student Council parent representatives Beth Jupin, Lindsay Tallman, and Maciel Pais.

            Medeiros explained that ORR’s overarching plan built around 21st Century Learning, Social Emotional Learning, and Global Citizenship will provide the framework upon which Rochester’s two-year plan will be localized.

            “The main goal for us [is] our students will be engaged in instructional practices that expose them to 21st Century skills, obviously through project-based learning experiences but also dealing in the classroom,” he said. “In order to make sure those project-based learning experiences are the highest quality … we know that we have teachers and specialists in our buildings who do this well and find this to be work that they take pride in and are going to be teacher-leaders for us.”

            Project-based learning experiences will aim to enable students to demonstrate media, and informational and tech-based literacy. At least one of those experiences will occur in Year 1 with an expanded schedule of such opportunities.

            In answer to committee Vice-Chair Anne Fernandes’ question, Medeiros said, “Teacher-leaders for us, honestly, are folks that are willing to do the work and want to be leaders on their grade-level teams or in their content area.” Medeiros said they are willing to be collaborative, have an open mindset, and are usually leaders in their field as acknowledged not only by himself and Assistant Principal Charles West but fellow faculty.

            Nelson stressed that meetings going back three and four years ago the district has been looking to ensure that individual schools’ strategic plans and school improvement plans connect to the adopted goals of the ORR District. That includes establishing timelines that flow with those on the district level.

            Committee member Kate Duggan was happy to hear world languages mentioned. She considers language opportunities crucial to the appreciation of other cultures.

            Committee member Jason Chisholm mused as to potential interaction with Tabor Academy, which draws students from all around the world. Chisholm suggested that bringing students from other lands and cultures to RMS from as nearby as Marion may be an untapped resource.

            “That is a great point, Jason, we will certainly look into that,” said Medeiros.

            Citing the School Council’s potential for connection to the community, Committee Chair Sharon Hartley suggested a senior citizen for School Council.

            Acknowledging her own plan to retire from School Committee in 2022, Hartley found the humor in the notion that she might be a prime candidate to fill such a role. She said she will bring the idea to seniors at the Council on Aging. Medeiros inspired laughter as he reminded Hartley that the meeting’s minutes would record her interest.

            The committee voted to approve the School Improvement Plan.

            The members also revisited edits to the Student Handbook and voted to approve the final version that includes the mask mandate that has been extended to November 1. Nelson said that the handbook can be amended again as needed during the school year.

            A Literacy discussion was on the agenda, and Hartley introduced an article published titled, “What is wrong with how schools teach reading.” Despite the pessimistic title, the article resonated with Hartley, whose 40 years of experience in and around education have not eradicated an abiding sense of how complicated the subject of reading still is for many students.

            Drawing from an interview with expert Emily Hanford, Hartley quoted from the article Hanford’s comment that, “The brain is hardwired to speak but not to learn to read. … Children have to be taught explicitly how to connect letters and sounds.”

            Reading does not come naturally, she summarized.

            So many theories of reading comprehension have come and gone, but Hartley said cognitive science is now addressing the science of reading. She suggested the schools have a “research guru” to stay up to date on the latest research.

            Citing the two-sided challenge of teaching and learning, Chisholm asked about strategy at the sight of struggle. Nelson said that, while Aimsweb is ORR’s official screening tool, MCAS also comes into play, and he added that there are different angles to interpret data and ways to connect evidence-based science of group studies.

            Town of Rochester Facilities Manager Andrew Daniel joined the meeting via Zoom to update the committee on Green Communities grant funding for Rochester Memorial School. Daniel told the committee that the town has received a second batch of funding in the amount of $176,000 to be focused primarily on the school building.

            Repairs will target the air ceiling, gaps in insulation, and work around the perimeter of the building including missing sections of brickwork that will be sealed. Lighting upgrades are also in the works, and Daniel estimated that RMS will need more grant funding to complete necessary repairs and upgrades.

            “We looked at the school top to bottom and did an assessment. … I think it’s about $300,000 (of work needed),” said Daniel. “This will get us started.”

            Lighting and automatic sensors inside classrooms, the library, and the cafeteria are first on the list. Work in the gymnasium is anticipated during the next wave of grant funding. Daniel scheduled a walkthrough with a job site foreman for this week and hopes to achieve a gameplan.

            Meantime, associated paperwork has been completed, signed, and approved by Eversource. “We’re actually pretty close to getting boots on the ground and getting some of the work done,” he said.

            Once all of the rounds of Green Communities grant funding are spent, upgrades at RMS are estimated to generate approximately $26,000 in annual energy savings, according to Daniel.

            In other business, Nelson provided a COVID-19 update. Six nurses are conducting tests so one nurse is available to every ORR District site every day. There have been 14 COVID-19 positive tests at RMS since the start of the school year; there were five positive results isolating as of the October 7 meeting.

            Nelson reported that the boil-water order in the Tri-Town does not apply to Rochester Memorial School, which draws from well water.

            The committee ended the public meeting to go into executive session to discuss collective bargaining and to comply with grant-in-aid provisions and only returned to adjourn.

            The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, November 4, at 6:30 pm.

            In outlining the priorities of the Old Rochester Regional School District’s Acceleration Roadmap to the September 23 meeting of the ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jannell Pearson-Campbell listed the need to foster a sense of belonging and partnership, monitor students’ understanding, and ensure strong, grade-appropriate instruction with “just-in-time” scaffolds when they are needed.

            ORR’s Acceleration Roadmap to Equitable Recovery is designed to prioritize learning acceleration over traditional remediation and functions as a blueprint to utilize to move beyond the pandemic. The Acceleration Roadmap outlines best practices to ensure that learning is memorable in our classrooms.

            In discussing the Acceleration Roadmap with the JSC, Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson stressed that the Acceleration Roadmap is not a new initiative but a roadmap to best practices based on fresh survey results from families.

            To this end, ORR conducted a survey to collect data on the status of students and their families where it concerns many aspects of the 2020-21 academic year that began with hybrid learning while offering fully remote learning and eventually transitioned back to in-person learning while still offering the fully remote model.

            Director of Student Services Craig Davidson said there were over 1,400 survey participants.

            Region-side member Joe Pires called the survey results “commendable” and said, “To be in the positive percentile in almost all of the categories is really something to hang your hat on. … Moving forward, I think having that feedback will allow us focus on some areas and maybe pull back on other areas.”

            Pires recommended that the district make public the impact, and Region-side Chair Heather Burke agreed, suggesting that a minimum of 1,400 respondents would be eager to see how their answers compared to others’ responses.

            The membership on both sides of the JSC applauded the effort but added a variety of questions and concerns.

            Acknowledging that last year’s work seems to be carrying over in the Acceleration Road Map, member Frances Kearns encouraged administration to continue working with community partners in an effort to close the gap on the weaker areas of the survey.

            Member Carly Lavin asked how parents of students squarely on track or slightly ahead should be thinking of the Accelerated Learning program. Nelson explained that the Accelerated Road Map, while inspiring most discussion around the most advanced or most challenged students, is for the students on target as well.

            Member Margaret McSweeny articulated worry about the half of families that did not respond, suggesting that they tend to be the ones that may feel negatively toward school. “It’s the non-response that we really need to be focused on,” she said, acknowledging that 1,400 respondents out of a potential 2,600 “is a great number.”

            Nelson indicated that history shows that lack of response to surveys and lack of attendance tends to go hand in hand.

            Member Tiffini Reedy asked about focus groups addressing children’s needs, especially those who feel unsafe. Nelson said there could be a building-wide approach or another way to connect and loop to families. “Our clinical team, we would lean on those experts in combination with the administrative team,” he said.

            Nelson’s Strategic Plan Update, a five-year program culminating in “Vision 2023,” broke down the shift back on academics to think, to learn, to care. He delegated presentations to committees representing 21st Century Learning, Social and Emotional Learning, and Global Citizenship.

            In discussing 21st Century Learning, ORR Junior High Principal Silas Coellner, the chairperson of the goal joined by committee members, including ORR Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jannell Pearson-Campbell, Sippican School Assistant Principal Peter Crisafulli, Early Childhood Coordinator Doreen Lopes, and Sippican School Principal Marla Sirois, said elements of the strategies borne in the pandemic-disrupted third year became valuable parts of the overall learning plan.

            Coellner also said the committees wants each student to experience two project-based learning experiences in each grade level.

            Under Social and Emotional Learning, Rochester Memorial School Assistant Principal Charles West, whose team includes Nelson, Mattapoisett Elementary Schools Principal Rose Bowman, ORRJHS Vice Principal Kelly Chouinard, and ORR Director of Student Services Craig Davidson, said that a strategic initiative is to develop and expand effective and consistent discipline practices, expectations, and teacher language throughout district schools.

            The Year 4 goal, said West, is to achieve three to five family engagement opportunities with an emphasis on alignment with the guidance from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

            Under Global Citizenship, ORR Principal Mike Devoll, whose team includes ORR Assistant Principal Vanessa Harvey, RMS Principal Derek Medeiros, and Mattapoisett Elementary Schools Associate Principal Kevin Tavares, said that Year 3 commitments were built around the shift toward anti-racist philosophy.

            “Our aim three years ago versus where we are now versus where we are going certainly has changed,” said Devoll, tying the broad categories of Global Awareness, Personal Responsibility, Civic Literacy and Citizenship, and Empathy into the larger, changing society. He said project-based learning that included families has been key in communication.

            Medeiros added with discussion of how project-based learning experiences have been incorporated into classroom learning.

            School Committee were invited to respond, and Kearns suggested a future-meeting discussion on mental health support for students in the schools. In light of homophobia and transphobia, she also suggested having a clinical specialist talk with the district team about available services and activities that “dovetail” with the strategic plan.

            Nelson referred to work last school year with clinical psychologist Dr. Alex Hirshberg. Davidson said Hirshberg will work monthly with ORR staff throughout the 2021-22 year.

            Asked by Lavin if there are enough community groups representing the students for empathy and uncovering any blind spots, Nelson said, “I’m sure we do (have blind spots),” and that cultural proficiency work is never finished.

            In other matters, Reedy asked about continuing the COVID-19 Dashboard that was regularly updated on the ORR website last academic year. Nelson said the first dashboard was due to appear on September 24 and would be subject to continued tweaking where it concerns the reporting of cases.

            The JSC voted to raise pay rates for substitute teachers and staff including long-term substitutes and nurses. The two-part vote raised rates for the 2021-22 academic year and voted on a permanent basis to maintain any increases in the state minimum wage for instructional assistants and cafeteria, clerical, and custodial personnel.

            As summarized by Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber, the state minimum hourly rate is scheduled to increase from $13.50 to $14.25 effective January 1, 2022, and again on January 1, 2023, to $15.

            For the 2021-22 academic year, the JSC voted on per-day increases from $80 back to $120 for non-certified substitute teachers. Certified substitute teachers, previously earning $85 daily, would increase to $150 a day. Last year ORR was up to $165 per day. Nurses, earning $120 per day, would increase to $200 per day.

            Long-term substitute teachers and staff would earn the minimum rate over the first 20 days; once beyond 20 days they would move to the Step 1 schedule. Non-certified substitute teachers would earn $120 per day for first 20 days and, once beyond 20 days, move to Step 1.

            In her introductory comments, Burke discussed the proposed Capital Stabilization Fund that will go before voters in town meetings over the next few weeks.

            “The creation of the fund doesn’t magically create the funds that go into it,” she said, noting the difficulty in procuring funding coupled with the aging buildings at ORR. “The last time these schools had a major renovation was almost 25 years ago.” She credited the maintenance staff but said the buildings “get worn down.”

            “This is a big moment for us, and I’m glad it’s finally getting to the citizens of the three towns,” said Nelson.

            Hartley was voted to continue as chair of the union side and April Rios as the vice-chair.

            The JSC entered executive session to comply with the provisions of grant-related requirements and returned only to adjourn. The next JSC meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2022, via Zoom.

ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55

By Mick Colageo

            Two weeks after Sarah Stearns of Beals and Thomas, Inc. presented on behalf of Hingham-based Renewable Energy Partners, LLC in its application for Special Permits to construct a solar array at 109 Neck Road, the intense scrutiny from board members and abutters alike gave way to a better feeling all around during the Tuesday night’s meeting of the Rochester Planning Board.

            In the October 12 continued public hearing, Stearns thanked the Planning Board for participating in a site visit earlier in the day that she considered “very productive.”

            First, representatives visited a similar canal solar-canopy project at Eldridge bogs, then went to the site on Neck Road where a sample panel was placed. When gathered for the hearing, board members had no concerns or questions.

            At that point, abutter Zachary Souza, 118 Neck Road, asked about the status of screening of the project.

            Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson told Souza that the consensus at this point for solar seen from Neck Road is to create a condition in an Order of Conditions to allow the facility to be constructed first, then look to see with abutter input if and what screening is necessary.

            “I know you and your neighbor talked about your view scape,” said Johnson. “We all agreed that all the racking, all the steel would be painted a flat black so there would be no reflection and we wanted it up.”

            Johnson said that it is too early to successfully decide on vegetation. “We wouldn’t know what type or where to put them,” he said, telling Souza the board plans to conduct another site visit when the effects of the project can fully be realized by the board and project abutters.

            “They are going to be proposing some screening from Snipatuit Pond at two points … on the next revision of the plans,” said Johnson. The intent is that abutters would not be able to see the ground-mounted array or the canopy.

            Souza called the plan “fair” and said he is in favor of it. He noted, however, that the sample panel is not painted flat black at this time. “It will be,” said Johnson. “Good point, but it will be.” Once Souza confirmed that the sample panel is located at the nearest edge of the project and not somewhere in the middle, he said, “Speaking for myself, I’m very pleased with that decision.”

            Johnson said when entering the area there was significant distance between the visitors to the site and the panels. He said there was some reflection from the sun because the panels are made of steel. “Painting them black would dampen that effect,” he said.

            In answer to abutter Tim Batchelder, 155 Neck Road, who asked via the chat function, “The blue bibbons noting the line of clearing have been in place prior to the last Planning Board meeting. If I recall from the last meeting that the amount of clearing to be done was actually scaled back. Is there a plan to put out new clearing ribbons to show the proposed new line of clearing?” The applicant’s representative said new flagging will be placed.

            Johnson said a new revised plan will be submitted prior to the next Planning Board meeting on October 26 that will reflect all the changes in the plan. With that, the hearing was continued to Tuesday, October 26.

            The draft decision for Special Permit for Cushman Road Solar, LLC will be addressed at the board’s October 26 meeting.

            In her report, Town Planner Nancy Durfee said material costs are slowing projects. Johnson said that board members will conduct some site visits. She also took the opportunity to commend Administrative Assistant Victoria D’Antoni on an excellent performance to date.

            Johnson said he found it refreshing that the Planning Board was approached by owners at Arch of the Meadow regarding planned reworking of the function facility’s entrance. The downside, he said, is that retail and classes on the site that were conditionally endorsed were occurring without evidence of compliance. The board has issued a timeline that, if disregarded, could lead to a cease-and-desist order.

            No Planning Board-related items will appear on the October 18 Town Meeting Warrant, but Johnson said he hopes some projects will make it onto the warrant for next spring’s Town Meeting.

            Site visits will cease after October 15 and resume in April 2022.

            Johnson told the meeting that Town Counsel Blair Bailey set up a meeting with the Buzzards Bay Coalition to discuss illegal work that was done.

            The Planning Board is scheduled to meet only once a month in November and December on the second Tuesday of each month. The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, at 7:00 pm.

Rochester Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

The boil-water order has been lifted for Mattapoisett but not for Marion or Fairhaven.

There is no E. coli in any MRV member town, but the presence of total coliform in some samples taken in Marion and Fairhaven has the state Department of Environmental Protection not yet willing to authorize the lifting of the boil-water order in those towns. (Not mentioned, but deducing here that, since approximately 250 houses in Rochester are served by Marion town water, the boil order continues for those homes as well.)

According to Mattapoisett River Valley Water District Chairman Vinny Furtado of Fairhaven: The earliest that the DEP will allow Marion and Fairhaven to life the boil order is Saturday. They may decide to hold off and test another round on Monday. As the Zoom meeting adjourned, Henri Renauld and Meghan Davis were on a conference call with the DEP.

According to Renauld, the Mattapoisett Water superintendent: The MRV and the Town of Mattapoisett had clean samples on Oct. 7 and 12, 13 and 14 (no total coliform and more importantly no E. coli).

According to Marion DPW Director Nathaniel Munafo: Marion had clean samples on Tuesday and Wednesday, but on Thursday found total coliform in low counts at two locations. Marion’s Water Dept. continues to collect additional samples today to send to the lab immediately.

According to Furtado: Fairhaven is also E. coli free as of T-W-Th (the three-day stretch that DEP looks at before considering allowing a town to life a boil order), but like Marion, Fairhaven found total coliform in some samples so the state is hesitant to lift the boil order in Fairhaven.

Renauld noted that the chlorination process emanating from the MRV water treatment facility can take time to realize its full effect in far-away places such as West Island or Converse Road, but those systems are expected to clear up.