Minimal disruption to school day despite two power outages
The Acton-Boxborough Regional High School briefly lost power just prior to the start of the school day on April 4 due to a transformer failure. The power failure occurred just as high school students were stepping off the bus. Power was restored after about 40 minutes.
A second power failure, which affected all school buildings and lasted five to six hours, occurred around 9:30 a.m. when a telephone pole went down on Hayward Road.
Due to the power failure, the Superintendent of Schools authorized an early dismissal for junior and senior high school students after their lunch period. Elementary school students
remained in school for the entire school day to minimize disruption and avoid logistical complexities that an unanticipated dismissal would have on working families.
High School launches community building event, High School Council announces policy initiative to reduce stress
High School sophomore and student representative, Diksha Mhatre, reported at the April 4 School Committee business meeting on a unique community-building event led by high school students, community members, and teachers that took place at the high school on March 27 during a flex block.
The event featured fifty-nine interactive workshops on a wide range of topics sponsored by 19 student clubs and 8 community-based organizations.
Workshops included a Fixit Clinic sponsored by Green Acton, Running an Alpaca Therapeutic Farm sponsored by the Harvard Alpaca Ranch, Hip-Hop Basics sponsored by the high school student club, 9LIVES Dance Club, Bias in Artificial Intelligence sponsored by the high school’s A World of Difference Program, and a panel discussion on incarceration sponsored by The Tufts University Prison Initiative.
Students also engaged in workshops where they created murals inspired by the murals of Chicano Park in San Diego, learned how to make a popular Indian snack called bhel puri, participated in a Chinese tea ceremony, competed in a World Cup game simulation sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and many more.
At the April 4 meeting, Mhatre also reported on a policy initiative created by the High School’s Student Council called the Omnibus Academic Reform Act. Mhatre described the act as “a bill to decrease student stress and improve academic performance through grade transparency and through guidance around school assignments that target time management skill building and management of mental health.”
New Athletics Director Announced
At the April 4 School Committee meeting, Superintendent of Schools Peter Light announced the appointment of James Scanlon as the new Director of Athletics for the School District.
Mr. Scanlon has served as Director of Athletics in the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District and as Head Athletic Trainer and Director of Athletics at Grafton High School. He has experience as a Faculty Lecturer and Athletic Trainer at several colleges and holds a Master’s degree in Athletic Training from Bridgewater State University.
New Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Announced
The School Committee voted unanimously on April 4 to appoint Dr. Gabrielle Abrams as the District’s new Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning effective July 1, 2024, pending successful contract negotiations with the Superintendent of Schools.
Dr. Abrams will take over for Dr. Deborah Bookis, who is retiring from her position at the end of the school year.
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 71 Section 59 vests school committees with the authority to appoint assistant superintendents upon recommendation of the superintendent of schools.
The Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning responsibilities include district-wide professional learning, coordinating research, grant management, and compliance with state and federal regulations, as well as facilitating collaboration on curriculum selection, design, development, evaluation, revision, implementation, and alignment.
School Committee Votes to Withdraw from the State’s School Choice Program
The School Committee voted unanimously on April 4 to remain withdrawn from the state’s School Choice program due to class size and space limitations, with the caveat that existing school choice students will remain through graduation.
The state’s School Choice program offers Massachusetts’ students the option of enrolling in another participating school district and requires school committee approval to officially opt out of the program on an annual basis.
Deputy Superintendent, Andrew Shen, clarified for the Committee that the state’s School Choice program has no bearing on the local practice in Acton-Boxborough of open enrollment whereby families have the option to enroll their child in any of the six elementary schools for kindergarten.
Shen reported that “as much as the state’s School Choice program does offer the possibility of additional revenue of $5,000 per student, the program comes with various financial risks around the cost of services that may accompany students who elect to join our District. The District leadership therefore does not recommend participation in the School Choice program at this time.”
HIT Cash Flow Concerns
Superintendent of Schools Peter Light informed the School Committee on April 4 that an unanticipated spike in health insurance claims for February has again left the Acton Health Insurance Trust (HIT) with insufficient funds to pay claims.
Light reported that the Trust has requested that the School District and Town prepay the employer share of premiums through the remainder of the year (June 30, 2024) to ensure the Trust has sufficient cash on hand to pay claims but could not assure the two entities that prepayment funds combined with other revenue sources will be sufficient if claims continue to exceed projections.
“I do have some concerns about HIT having enough money to make it through the end of the year,” reported Light. “We are not in a position as a District to have more reserves to put towards HIT. We have set aside $600K in 2024-25 as a contingency fund to cover runout claims, but I am worried that claims may exceed what we have set aside for contingency.”
The School District’s requests for cash flow projections from the Health Insurance Trust have gone unheeded. Sheri Matthews, Director of Finance, and Melissa Andrew, the District’s Treasurer have taken on the task of developing cash flow projections for verification by the Trust.
On the advice of Counsel, the School Committee unanimously voted on April 4 to approve an amended motion to their March 7 vote to withdraw from the Trust. The added language clarified that the Committee’s status as an active participant in the Trust for purposes of providing health insurance to subscribers shall cease on June 30, 2024. The Committee will remain a participating member of the Trust through June 30, 2026 for the sole purpose of administering and paying runout claims and other costs of the Trust. The Acton Health Insurance Trust shall be completely dissolved as of June 30, 2026.
Finance Committee presents their Point of View
At the April 4 School Committee meeting, Christi Andersen and Jason Cole, Chair and Vice Chair of Acton’s Finance Committee presented the Finance Committee’s Annual Point of View Statement.
Andersen noted that fixed costs including employee and retiree health insurance, pensions, the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School assessment, contractual obligations, and escalating utility costs are predicted to outpace revenue for the next several years, necessitating the need to reset the baseline for taxation with an operational override.
The Finance Committee anticipates that fixed costs in the fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027 will continue to exceed revenues, even if the override passes. “The money coming in does not match up with what we need to operate,” noted Andersen . “Proposition 2 ½, which limits the amount a municipality can collect in local taxes, was not designed to be sustainable forever. We knew an override was coming.”
Andersen continued, “The Finance Committee recognizes that the School District and Town have done a very good job over the last several years keeping the assessment increases for Acton at a very sustainable level. They were sideswiped by costs related to special education, health insurance and a few other unavoidable expenses this year that put us into a sudden need.
“I want to make sure that everyone who is listening knows that we didn’t get here because of negligence. We are appreciative of everything that’s been done to hold off getting here as long as we have. The Finance Committee supports an override of $6.6M in conjunction with other cost saving measures and recommends spending $5.4M in 2024-25, leaving the rest to help smooth out tax increases over time.
“The biggest failure has been in educating the public.”
Diane Baum has been an Acton resident since 1999. She served on the Acton-Boxborough School Committee from 2015 to 2021.