In the News

Hingham Journal Question of the Week #5 — How will you, as a school committee member, ensure that the “best and brightest” teacher workforce is recruited, nurtured, and retained given the town’s current fiscal landscape and community demands for excellence?

Ray’s response: We continue to attract the most talented and dedicated educators in the Commonwealth even in the face of challenging fiscal realities. Hingham is a desired district for reasons that go beyond the economic considerations of the teaching profession. We boast an engaged community of parents, and our students are responsible, diligent, creative, and consistently successful in all aspects of the broad educational experience we provide. Our administrators and School Committee members advocate for adequate and appropriate funding, mindful of the balance required to ensure our Town’s finances remain strong and sustainable.

Hingham Journal Question of the Week #4 — The Mass. Teachers Assoc. wants “less testing and more learning” because standardized tests take time away from learning. Where do you stand on House Bill 340: an Act Relative to a Moratorium on High-Stakes Testing and PARCC?

Ray’s response: The concept of testing is a double-edged sword. Too much testing that is not appropriately targeted can lead to wasted classroom time and inflict unnecessary anxiety on our students. But testing is often the only way to measure student achievement and the effectiveness of our educators. There needs to be some consistent way to evaluate student learning.

Hingham Journal Question of the Week #3 — Just with the two, newly proposed 40B developments, Hingham could be faced with upwards of 500 new housing units — many geared toward families. How will the school department cope with the real possibility of a soaring population of schoolchildren?

Ray’s response: Hingham needs more housing options, including affordable choices, for both current residents and those seeking to make Hingham their home. But with any type of development, we must evaluate the potential benefits and impacts of proposals including how such development aligns with the goals of the Town’s new master plan. A major factor in examining new development proposals must be the potential disproportionate utilization of municipal services putting an economic and operational strain on departments providing those services. Each of the new housing proposals raises questions that are relevant to the school department.

The new developments could add many school-aged children to the Foster Elementary population. This is concerning not only because of the desire to maintain reasonable class sizes, but also because Foster, as our oldest school with several long-existing facility deficiencies, is ill suited to accommodate a significant influx of new students.

Redistricting was completed in 2009 in anticipation of opening East Elementary, relieving significant overcrowding among the then-existing elementary schools. We need to ensure that any increased student population due to housing development is shared among our schools to the extent possible. It may be necessary to re-evaluate our neighborhood district assignments and perhaps appropriate to limit the number of new family-sized units that are approved during the permitting process. It is imperative that any student growth be managed with both educational and facility impacts in mind. Regardless of one’s view on 40B projects, we need to approach any new development with a balanced eye weighing potential positive and negative effects. A measured and thoughtful approach is required to preserve not only Hingham’s character but also its operational and fiscal well-being.

Hingham Journal Question of the Week #2 — Picture yourself meeting over a cup of coffee with a lifelong resident, who is now a senior citizen worried about Hingham real estate taxes. Help the senior understand how the schools are watching every penny in a roughly $48 million budget.

Ray’s response: Rising real estate taxes are tough on everyone. Whether you’re a single senior citizen or a family of six like mine, the cost of living in general, and in Hingham in particular, is a challenge. But our municipal leaders, including the School Committee, continue to follow sound fiscal policies to reduce that burden.

Prudent fiscal management is a constant focus of both the School Committee and administration.

The size of our annual budget is large, but it must be in order to provide the quality of education our residents expect. However, the budget has no wasteful elements. We review every line item multiple times throughout the process to confirm the allocations, and adjustments are made if savings can be realized. We also receive regular updates on expenditures and potential variances from the approved budget. The administration is always looking for ways to maximize efficiencies and reduce costs, and the School Committee encourages these efforts, mindful of our constituents’ financial concerns. When anticipated expenditures become unnecessary or are reduced, those dollars fall to the Town’s reserves, further bolstering a healthy rainy day fund.

Examples of our vigilance include our exploration of an alternative lease arrangement for new busses, an effort expected to save tens of thousands a year. In addition, our practice of replacing retiring teachers with well qualified yet less experienced educators allows us to realize significant salary account savings. We also allocate tuitions for special education out-of-district placements only for those children and programs that we can confirm while budgeting.

The school budget, while significant, represents both a conservative approach and responsible management. The School Committee takes that responsibility seriously. We, too, are taxpayers.

Hingham Journal Question of the Week #1 —  HHS students directed “sexist and rude” comments at drama club performers during one of the school assemblies. Last fall, some student spectators showed a lack of respect for the HHS dance team. Hingham is not alone; Catholic Memorial High School recently took action after anti-Semitic chants at a game with Newton North.

This is a disturbing trend. What can the school committee do to help create a more positive climate in Hingham Public Schools?

Ray’s response:  There can be no tolerance for the behavior exhibited during the recent high school assembly and last fall’s football game. While the School Committee is the policy-making board governing our schools, we cannot involve ourselves in their daily management and operations. Our administrators, teachers and staff are on the front lines, setting the tone and expectations for student behavior and we must require stricter adherence to existing policies, as well as equipping them with the necessary tools to implement new strategies.

Steps have already been taken to address what has happened and reinforce a pillar of our core values: respect for the diverse views and backgrounds of others. The recent deplorable events are not isolated, representing a growing culture of intolerance, ignorance, and prejudice among our youth. We cannot allow the reprehensible actions occurring on the national stage to infiltrate our schools. It’s imperative that we, as a community, reverse the negativity and refocus our energies on simple human decency. We can do better.

But our educators cannot face this challenge alone nor bear all responsibility for failures that manifest in unacceptable student behavior. We, as parents, coaches and mentors, and indeed our entire community, must make greater efforts to shape the values of our youth. We must set the example and be involved in our children’s development to ensure they learn right from wrong, common civility, and respect for other people and beliefs, no matter how different. We all must fulfill this duty. We owe it to our children, to ourselves, and to our collective future to get this right. They say it takes a village. That truth has never been more evident.