Becky Abate (left) and Jenn Jordan, shown protesting outside a School Committee meeting in January of 2023, were reelected president and vice president of the Hopkinton Teachers Association. FILE PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO
Hopkinton Middle School English teacher Becky Abate was reelected as president of the Hopkinton Teachers Association on Tuesday.
Abate, who has been HTA president since 2017, received 169 votes, while Hopkinton High School English teacher Michael Franchock received 146.
This was a makeup election. In the first one, held May 16, Abate prevailed by a count of 162-126. However, a complaint was lodged with the state teachers union because an HTA election committee was supposed to oversee the voting, which was not the case. The state union directed that a new election be held.
“We are happy to have the elections behind us so that the Hopkinton Teachers Association can focus our attention on the important work we do for Hopkinton students and educators,” Abate stated via email.
Hopkins School fifth grade teacher Jenn Jordan, who ran unopposed, was reelected as vice president. HHS science teacher Beth Spinks is the new secretary, and HMS guidance counselor Keith Verra was reelected as treasurer.
I don’t know how Hopkinton teachers can say that they care about the students and still elect this person. It’s interesting that the vote got closer the second time around. What happened? Did some yea hers change their mind after reading through the HopNews article and the comments on it or was the first election tampered with?
The first election was voided specifically because of the behavior of the union president. The fact that she even ran in the second election is an embarrassment for the teachers.
And notice how the Hopkinton Independent has never, at any point, uttered even ONE WORD about the Abate controversy. Heaven forbid! It wasn’t until HopNews came along that we have started to find out what is really happening in this town.
If you think hopnews is highlighting some unseen truth to this town you are as misinformed as Peter thomas’ usual rants and cranks. He’s no better than falcione was before. The only thing you learn from reading hopnews is what personal political agenda it’s owner and the tim brennan gang of bullies backs. Hopnews is a force of divisiveness and misinformation in this town.
Hopnews recently randomly accused a select board members wife of crimes without evidence, incorrectly stated the victim of a hit and run was dead when they hadn’t passed, and published a hit piece against a random payroll clerk. All while smearing anybody who politically campaigns for anything as an evil minion of Darlene Hayes, but stating that Brian Herr, our town’s chief professional politician, is some independent voice for good.
Even with this story, it’s not clear what was the actual misconduct or change as to the election other than that some people in town don’t like the head of the union, and a paperwork error required it be rerun?
I’m extremely thankful to HopNews for holding our political parties accountable. It’s not easy being held accountable when you were used to having a long leash, or no leash at all. But the chickens have come home to roost. It’s ok if you don’t like that, but times are changing. For the better. I hope that, if what dozens of students and parents are saying is true, that Ms Abate is also held to account as well. Talk about divisiveness….
I have no problem with people held to account. I have a problem when people spread misinformation, hold one side to a false double standard. HopNews has decidedly planted its feet as having an official stance on many issues, and has basically never researched anything that doesn’t confirm their priors.
I would like Tim Brennan held to account, I would like him to explain his own actions and why those actions justify not only demanding your job back but that we must topple all of town government for his sake (the recall petition is actually nowhere near the numbers it needs after half a year, but hopnews wont tell you that). I would like our political parties held to account, but how can we honestly trust brian herr to have our best interests when he rammed his way into select board chair, has already framed the tim brennan matter into a partisan political lens, and anybody with a memory older than a goldfish know he has aims in the republican party and national politics way beyond our town.
HopNews wont ask these questions cause its too busy writing free associating conspiracy theories, but i would appreciate it if they did. but peter is probably too busy hiring another lawyer to find out who i am so he can threaten to sue me for being mean to him. I would love for HopNews to be more like the comments here describe, but it isnt, because it suffers from audience capture and it should be cause for alarm for everyone in town that there is nobody to really push back on it’s frequent fabrications and misrepresentations of the truth.
This “news article” is almost funny if it were not so pathetic. The Indy has never printed even ONE sentence referencing the anger in the community about some of Abate’s past behavior and continuing concerns. Sometimes I feel like the Hopkinton Independent is nothing but an advertising flyer. It never seems inclined to report anything controversial in town. Very sad and disappointing in our “community newspaper”.