Superintendent Evan Bishop continues to form his administrative team, and at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, he announced that Sarah Ellam was selected to be the district’s new assistant superintendent of teaching and learning/chief academic officer.

“She will do a wonderful job in this role,” Bishop told the committee. “She’s very excited, and we’re very excited to have her in this position.”

Most recently, Ellam has been serving as interim assistant principal at Hopkinton High School. She has worked in the district for 24 years as an English teacher and, for a decade, the subject matter leader for English language arts, helping guide curriculum, instruction and professional learning in the department.

Sarah Ellam

Added Bishop in a social media post: “She is widely respected for her commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, her collaborative approach and the strong relationships she has built across our district. Her background in literacy, her use of data to support student-centered practices, and her thoughtful, steady leadership will be key as we continue strengthening curriculum, instruction, and student outcomes across HPS.”

According to LinkedIn, Ellam received her undergraduate degree in English and gender studies from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in English from Fitchburg State University.

“We’re excited to have her transition [into a leadership role],” said School Committee chair Kyla McSweeney after a unanimous vote to approve.

Her contract starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2029.

Hopkins project update provided

The committee heard from Jeff D’Amico and Carly Collomore, representing Vertex, the owner’s project manager for the Hopkins School project.

Regarding the repaving of Loop Road, Collomore noted the committee had set a “not to exceed” price of $1.8 million for the work. After seeking bids from contractors, the lowest came in at $1,434,149.

She said Vertex is recommending a contingency of $130,000, bringing the amount to $1,564,148.

The contingency includes funds for LSP services — a licensed state professional to do paperwork required when exporting materials off-site. It also sets aside money for what could be a risk with the structural integrity of a wooden bridge on the road.

Collomore noted the “levity” of the structural issue is unknown until repaving begins.

D’Amico explained contractors are going to remove the asphalt on top of the wood bridge. “If it’s minor repairs, we will move forward. If it is more significant, it could be a project unto itself,” he said.

School Committee vice chair Susan Stephenson asked if an evaluation for structural integrity had been done. D’Amico said a “visual observation” was done, and the closer look would come once the asphalt is stripped.

He added the bridge was not old, having been constructed in the 1990s. D’Amico said the contingency funds also would be used for issues such as if catch basins had “sunk, cracked or failed.”

The School Committee also authorized spending of $283,188.61 (based on state contract’s pricing) to replace all remaining furniture, which Collomore described as “really worn down.”

The money was realized as a result of the Loop Road repaving being lower than the not to exceed amount as well as the difference in actual versus estimated costs for new tile in existing bathrooms, replacement of existing toilet partitions and full flooring replacement throughout the building.

In an overall budget review, Collomore said there is $5,216,929 in available funds, $4,506,476 in construction contingency, $710,453 in funds reserved for specific use and $1,011,529 in estimated and pending change orders.

Zero emission vehicle policy adopted

In other business, the committee voted to adopt the zero emission vehicle policy, following a brief presentation by Geoff Rowland and Nicole Simpson of the Sustainable Green Committee.

Rowland explained the policy involves purchasing the most fuel-efficient vehicle possible when making new purchases. For the School Department, it would apply to three special education (SPED) vans used locally.

The other vehicles in the School Department, such as buses or vehicles used for snow and ice removal, would be exempt based on weight, he added.

Susan Rothermich, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said the district is in the process of replacing a SPED van used by the 18-22-year-old program to take the students to nearby vocational settings.

This purchase will be an electric vehicle, she said. When a second van gets replaced in a few years, it also would be with an electric vehicle.

Rothermich said these are not the vehicles that take SPED students to out-of-district placements.

Further, she said, the van cost includes the charging station.

Bishop noted that Marathon School has an electric vehicle charging station and Charleswood School will as well.

Rowland said adoption of the policy would move Hopkinton a step closer to becoming a Climate Leader Community, which is above its current Green Community status. Other factors also determine that ranking.

Simpson added there are only 25-30 communities with the higher distinction, so “there is not that huge a pool for competition on grants they are offering,” which can total up to $1.5 million.