I support Nancy Burdick for re-election to the School Committee.  I served the final four years of my twelve-year tenure on the School Committee with Nancy.  She is smart, thoughtful, and determined to provide the best for our children to the extent that the community can afford.  Nancy is a very attentive listener and values communication and collaboration very highly.  Her leadership style is to develop consensus before taking action.   Nancy is very mindful that the money spent on government services including public education comes from hard-working taxpayers.  She continually questions …

Hopkinton has an extraordinary opportunity to improve its public library.   After more than three years of careful planning, the design for a renovated and expanded Hopkinton Public Library building shall be presented to residents at the Annual Town Meeting which begins on Monday, May 2. If a majority of residents vote YES on Article 53, Hopkinton will be eligible to receive a state grant of up to 50% of the project’s estimated $10 million cost.  At this point, there is no cost to the town.    Planning for the library project began in 2008. That year, a library consultant led an extensive …

I am supporting Nancy Burdick for Hopkinton School Committee because of experience in the education field and her demonstration to a creative, inclusive environment for our children. During this academic year, Nancy worked with several families guiding us through resolution to several critical Special Education issues. Nancy was quick to identify several consistent themes of concern amongst parents and guided families in working in a collaborative manner to communicate with the school administration. In addition, Nancy followed through with both the parents and the school administration. In …

On Saturday, April 16, more than 3,000 volunteers fanned out across the Commonwealth to participate in the Patrick-Murray Administration’s fifth annual Park Serve Day. I’d like to take this opportunity thank them all, publicly, for donating their time and energy to make our parks cleaner and more attractive for everyone. The volunteers cleared trails, picked up litter and trash, painted picnic tables, and planted flowers and shrubs in more than 50 parks. Their dedication is testament to the high regard Massachusetts residents place in their state parks. Gov. Patrick was among the participants…

On Saturday Troop 4 Boy Scouts of Hopkinton had a very succesful pancake breakfast and silent auction in support of their end-of-summer high-adventure trip to Nantucket.  Their goal was $4,000. But even without offcial totals they had surpassed that total before opening the doors yesterday morning.  Guests were greeted outdoors by young men in uniforms and from start to finish there was service with a smile.  There was a silent auction that appeared very busy too.  No official numbers have been released yet but the Scouts  surpassed double their goal before even the breakfast ending. The …

We are writing to ask Hopkinton residents to support the plan for an expanded Hopkinton Public Library at annual Town Meeting on May 2, 2011.  With the approval of voters at the upcoming Town Meeting, Hopkinton will have the opportunity to leverage up to 50 percent of state funding to develop a state-of-the-art library for our community. Built in 1895, the library has been an icon of downtown Hopkinton for generations.  The last renovation of our library was in 1967 when the Hopkinton Library Trustees acquired the adjacent St. Paul’s Church and expanded the Hopkinton Public Library to its …

I object to your statement that the tax implication for the Fruit Street School was a 'relatively small amount of $250.' First of all, to many seniors in our community who are also facing a 3.5 percent tax increase, the additional $250 was cost prohibitive. In addition what you leave out of your story is the fact that we would be asked for an additional override for about $15 million for a new roof for one of the district schools that is in need of repair; and to create parity among the three districts. A lot of thought went into the decision for those of us voting 'no' and I resent your …

As a rule I typically avoid debates over religion and politics.  I'm gonna change my policy this weekend. I think what I have to say is worth reviewing prior to Monday's vote on the new school.  Those opposed to the new school (proposed by the Hopkinton School Committee, the state and many volunteers analyzing this over the past eight years) have some slogans about "staying unified." They also talk about saving the town money from high taxes which we can all appreciate and relate to.  I don't feel those in favor of the new school have been on message as effectively. I did a quick scan of the …

         My name is Colleen Malloy.  I am a seventh grader at Hopkinton Middle School.  I have been hearing a lot of debate about districting Hopkinton schools.   What amazes me is that no one has asked the kids what they think would work best for us.  I think districting would be a huge mistake, and divide Hopkinton.  Unlike many of people who are voting for this, I have survived three of the four transitions students experience in Hopkinton.    The transitions are not the terrible thing that adults are making it out to be.  When I was at Center School I wasn’t focusing on anything but …

             On behalf of the Hopkinton Parent Teacher Association I would like to send out a huge thank you to the wonderful student volunteers who helped with the babysitting during special Town Meeting on Monday, March 21.  Students from the National Honor Society, the Hopkinton LEOS Club, CommuniTeen, St. John’s and elsewhere helped take care of almost 50 children throughout the evening.           Thank you to the volunteer organizers, nail painters, toddler walkers, infant rockers, movie guys, allergy police, gimp master, duck-duck goose players – you all know who you are.  Every one of …

The Hopkinton Parent Teacher Association voted at a  general meeting on Jan. 31, 2011, to support building a new K-5 elementary school on Fruit Street. The HPTA encourages residents to be informed about this issue, to attend special Town Meeting on March 21, and to vote in the special Town Ballot on March 28. The HPTA will offer free babysitting at special Town Meeting, which starts  at 7 p.m. at Hopkinton High School. Please contact Beth D’Alleva at secretary@hptaonline.com or call 508-435-7393 with the ages and number of children attending. On Sept. 14, 2010, 14, the HPTA Executive Board …

In Hopkinton, there has been much said from both sides of the vote as to what the ideal decision is for the future of our schools.  I worry we are dangerously close to losing sight of the big picture - the future leaders that will emerge from this lovely town.   I feel by now that most of us realize that Center School no longer functions adequately for teaching our 450+ smallest students and, consequently, has been deemed obsolete by the Mass School Building Authority and the Hopkinton Elementary School Building Committee. Did you know that Center has seen 83 birthdays? The first renovation …

Hopkinton has the opportunity to move our schools forward with a vote to approve a new school on the Fruit Street property on March 21 and 28. As the parent of a middle-school student and teacher of first- and second-graders in Holliston, I fully support the plan proposed by the Building Committee and the School Committee. It provides the best option for educating our children from preschool through Grade 5. Hopkinton residents have long known that the Center School is no longer a viable school-building for educating our youngest students. Center School is 82 years old with an antiquated …

Over the past several weeks, many letters have been written about neighborhood schools, understandably based on emotion and assumptions.  I would like to share some facts (and some assertions) for voters to consider for March 21 (special Town Meeting) and 28 (townwide ballot). Districted elementary schools perform equally well in towns similar to Hopkinton. Neighborhood schools in towns with low poverty and high-performing school systems exhibit little or no difference in school performance.  For example, neighborhood schools within the towns of Wayland (two districts), Westwood (five …

As a former Hopkinton elementary school teacher, I am in favor of the Fruit Street School project.  I believe strongly in the power of modeling as a teaching tool.  When I first started teaching at Elmwood, the building was shared by second, third and fourth grades.   One of the fourth grade teachers and I teamed up to create reading buddies.  Each month, her students would visit our classroom with a book they selected to read to their second-grade buddy.  The fourth graders worked on their reading in a safe environment while the second graders were empowered to strengthen their reading …

Hopkinton soon has to make a decision regarding the proposed elementary school and a shift to neighborhood schools.  It is a subject of great debate regarding how we move forward educationally.  The focus has centered on districting, parity, expenses and feasibility studies. Absent from the core of this discussion are our children, the students themselves. Because Hopkinton has been “doing fine” shouldn’t be the impetus to close the doors on proposed educational opportunities if they potentially cultivate a better landscape for our children's future.  The discussion needs to return to what is…

There is a proposal to be voted on at a special Town Meeting March 21st at 7 p.m. for Hopkinton to move to a K-5 educational model and have three neighborhood K-5 schools.  The first K-5 would be at Elmwood School, which currently houses second and third grades.  The second would be at Hopkins School, currently fourth and fifth grades.  The third would be a brand new K-5 school on Fruit Street. Center School, currently housing Kindergarten and first grade, would be retired.  This proposed change would take effect in September 2013. We should do this!  There are so many great reasons to be in …

Hopkinton's Center School needs to be replaced. Cramped quarters have forced specialists and their desks into hallways. The heating system is so inconsistent and antiquated that students have to wear coats in some rooms and T-shirts in others. There's not enough parking for staff, let alone parents and visitors. The bus loop is a traffic hazard on Ash Street and a safety hazard for children playing on the playground. We moved to Hopkinton because of the quality of the school system, and the teachers and administrators have validated that decision by making our daughter's kindergarten year a …

The proposed new Fruit Street elementary school is an emotionally charged topic.   When we moved to Hopkinton it was in large part because the town believed in and supported education -  Hopkins was new and the High School was about to open.  Ten years later the town has a new and imperative need – to replace Center School.  The school does not merely need cosmetic improvements - it is literally falling apart.   It needs to be replaced and the proposal before us, with the state paying 43 percent, is the most cost-effective solution.    According to six different elected Hopkinton School …

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the full text of a statement by Hopkinton resident Glen Layton, a shorter version of which he read to the Hopkinton School Committee on Thursday, Feb. 17. First off I would like to recognize the superintendent, our principals, teachers, and support staff for the job that they have done keeping the Hopkinton Public Schools as one of the best in the Commonwealth. According to Boston Magazine we were ranked the 24th best public school in the Commonwealth in September 2010.  This ranking proves that we have an excellent system in place, and that we should think long and …