The School Committee on Thursday honored vice chair Susan Stephenson, who was attending her final meeting as a member. She is not running in the May 18 Annual Town Election.

Superintendent Evan Bishop, on behalf of the administration, staff and students, presented Stephenson with flowers and gifts, thanking her for her “dedication, care and support of our schools and community.”

“We’re grateful for the time, thoughtfulness and energy you’ve brought to this role,” Bishop noted.

Chair Kyla McSweeney also gave Stephenson gifts on behalf of the School Committee.

McSweeney said the board valued her insight, especially as a former teacher.

Chromebooks vote continued

Member Chris Masters asked that a vote to lease 1,300 Chromebooks for elementary school students be held off pending more information about past costs for the technology.

On the table was a bid from American Capital to lease the equipment for three years for a total of $664,300. The first-year payment in fiscal year 2027 of $212,500 would come out of the technology budget, noted Assistant Superintendent Jeff LaBroad.

While three vendors reached out with questions, American Capital was the only bidder.

Once the three years finish, Bishop explained, the district returns the Chromebooks to the distributors to repurpose or recycle.

The district retains 100 Chromebooks to make them accessible for children who need them outside of school, the superintendent added.

“It doesn’t seem like an insignificant amount of money,” Masters said, noting he would prefer to vote at the next meeting once he could compare the cost with previous years.

The School Committee did approve a contract of $325,000 with Poulin Construction for the high school tray wash installation project.

The project includes the renovation of a single dry storage room to accommodate a new tableware washing machine for the high school’s café operations.

The other proposals were from Northern Contracting Corporation at $358,100 and Moore Painting & Contracting at $567,888.

The designer of the project is Perkins Eastman, which reviewed the bid submissions.

‘Growing Together’ presentation highlighted

Jennifer Cuker, director of English learning acquisition, equity and access, spoke to the committee about the new “Growing Together” initiative.

She said the effort was accomplished thanks to Namrata Mathur and Smitha Ram from the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton.

Noting that the district has a significant South Asian population, Cuker said the idea is to build cross-cultural understanding in town, help families navigate the U.S. school system and support students’ sense of belonging.

“We have so much to learn about each other,” Cuker said.

Noting that Mathur is a certified life coach and a “wise and compelling speaker,” Cuker added, “Anybody can benefit from her wisdom.”

Two sessions were held (open to pre-K to Grade 12 families), with the final one scheduled via Zoom on June 4, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The themes include adaptability and “building skills to be stronger parents and raise stronger children,” Cuker added.

School choice again not offered

In other business, the committee voted not to have school choice in Hopkinton. Member Jamie Wronka noted that, as in the past, the schools have “tight space and are overstuffed, and it doesn’t make sense to welcome kids from outside of Hopkinton.”

McSweeney concurred, adding that class sizes are large and the budget is tight as well. The Hopkins School and Charleswood School projects are underway to help ease the overcrowding situation in the future.

The School Committee also approved travel to the Invention Convention national competition from June 5-9 in Dearborn, Michigan. Nine students and three chaperones will make the trip.

And the committee accepted a donation from Williams College totaling $5,000. The donation is part of the George Olmsted Junior Class of 1924 Award for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching, Bishop said.

This year’s recipient is Kristen Murphy, who teaches chemistry at Hopkinton High School. She was nominated by a former student and is herself a graduate of Williams College, Bishop said.

The money will go to the Science Department, the superintendent added.