About 20 people attended Tuesday’s forum for the Elementary School Building Committee, with a few neighbors of potential sites voicing concerns that existing traffic problems will get worse. Before a question-and-answer period, Project Manager Jeff D’Amico explained...
Featured: Education
HMS team selected to advance in NASA competition
A team from Hopkinton Middle School was selected as one of 60 winners in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge. Members of the team are Aditi Khiste, Dharshna Karthick, Sahasra Ramabhotla and Sanya Bhagat. The team’s experiment was titled “Corrosion of Metal in Outer...
Early dismissal, no post-school activities due to weather
The district announced Monday morning that all Hopkinton schools would have an early dismissal and there would be no afternoon or evening activities due to the weather. About 4 inches of a wintry mix is expected during the day, with early rain followed by snow until...
School Committee approves $60 million proposed budget
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnGKoPiDFd8&list=PL8WekT6kxX1B3xlP6fIr3QmhJButK4GkU&index=1 The School Committee on Thursday voted 4-1 to approve a fiscal year 2024 budget totaling $60,172,752, a slight change from the proposal members had been working with...
Site, floor plan options reviewed by Elmwood replacement committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksTQEpNN05E Members of the Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday saw a number of possible site and floor plan designs and also heard about potential mechanical design options. Perkins Eastman Senior Project Architect Dawn...
School Committee listening session evokes questions on grade configurations, budget
The Hopkinton School Committee’s Listening Session via Zoom on Sunday night was intended to focus on possible grade configurations related to the Elmwood School project. However, comments related to the overall budget as well as the restoration of therapy service...
School Committee restores SPED hours to budget following protests
Following sometimes tearful presentations from parents and educators, the School Committee instructed Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh to eliminate a proposed cut in occupational therapy services. The original plan for reductions had speech and physical therapy services...
Photos: Teachers rally against SPED cuts
Hopkinton teachers and supporters rallied Thursday prior to the School Committee meeting in the Hopkinton High School auditorium. The teachers oppose cuts to the special education staff. Check back Friday for a recap of the meeting.
Study: Work on existing schools expected to cost at least $280 million to accommodate student growth
Whether the Hopkinton School Committee chooses to make the proposed Elmwood School house Grades 2-3 or Grades 2-3-4, it would cost between $280 million and $302 million for work on the other schools to handle population growth — so says a system-wide study conducted...
Some therapy reductions restored in revised school budget proposal
During a budget discussion on Thursday, Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh notified the Hopkinton School Committee that proposed cuts to physical, occupational and speech therapy services had been revised. The initial plan to cut 0.8 of a staff position from physical...
Teachers union questions superintendent’s special education presentation
[Editor's note: The following is an open letter from the Hopkinton Teachers Association to the Hopkinton School Committee.] At the December 15th School Committee meeting, you heard from Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh as she cited concerns in an attempt to justify...
Dharbanga wins Hopkinton Lions Youth Speech Contest
At the Hopkinton Lions Club’s annual High School Speech Contest on Dec. 6, Hopkinton High School senior Ryan Dharbanga took first place, with HHS junior Eva Bennet the runner-up. The topic was “Environmental Crisis: Fact or Fiction?” Contestants were judged on...
School Committee roundup: Grant funding could offset capital costs, cover SPED roles
Continued discussion about the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget and a presentation about a climate action strategy were topics at the School Committee’s last meeting of 2022 on Thursday. Director of Finance Susan Rothermich talked once again about a proposed FY24 net...
HHS composting program boosts awareness for town-wide options
This fall, a trio of students at Hopkinton High School launched a composting program to address the problem of food waste in the school cafeteria. Now others are hoping it could be the impetus toward more town-wide awareness. Interest in the idea by Alice Potapov,...
School Committee meeting centers on FY24 budget, capital requests
The proposed fiscal year 2024 budget and capital plan dominated Thursday’s School Committee meeting, held jointly with the Select Board and Appropriation Committee. Director of Finance Susan Rothermich led a presentation about a proposed $60 million school operating...
Photos: Teachers protest proposed special education budget cuts
The Hopkinton Teachers Association organized a rally outside HCAM studios prior to the start of Thursday's School Committee meeting. The teachers are protesting proposed cuts to the special education (SPED) budget. Check back Friday for a recap of the meeting.
`Disconnect’ continues regarding proposed therapy services cuts at schools
Once again, Thursday’s School Committee meeting featured a public comment period when several speakers expressed concern about proposed reductions in occupational, physical and speech and language therapies. It was followed by a presentation in which Superintendent...
Teachers union statement on proposed SPED cuts: ‘Data was ignored’
Editor's note: The Hopkinton Teachers Association on Thursday released the following statement regarding proposed cuts in special education staffing at Hopkinton schools. Hopkinton Public Schools are at a crossroad. At [Thursday's] School Committee meeting, Director...
Grade configurations, budget requests among School Committee topics
One of the pending decisions by the School Committee is whether to have a new Elmwood School cover Grades 2-3 or Grades 2-4. A presentation on Thursday included diagrams showing configurations until 2032. Projected enrollment for a two-grade facility is 774 students,...
Superintendent: Middle school student struck by car but walks away
Hopkinton Public Schools Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh reached out to the schools community Monday to share that a middle school student had been struck by a car in the morning. The student was in the crosswalk of the high school driveway, Cavanaugh stated, and the...