On May 28th, the Holliston School Committee presented its request for a Special Town Meeting and operational override to the Holliston Select Board. We are grateful for the discussion that ensued. A Special Town Meeting date of June 20th was discussed and tentatively agreed to with a June 25th backup date. While this date will likely not be confirmed until early next week, I wanted to communicate it to you now so that you can put it, and the backup date, on your calendar. Additionally, the contingent override ballot vote is tentatively scheduled to be held after Labor Day.
Please find attached the presentation we gave to the Select Board which includes details about the contract agreement, financial cost projections, details on the size of the override request as well as a discussion of what the implications of the increased instructional time and length of school day will have on start times. I am also including a link to the video of the meeting.
In the coming days and weeks, the Holliston School Committee will be working with the Select Board to create a Special Town Meeting and Override section of the Town’s website which will include an FAQ that our Communications subcommittee is currently working on. In the meantime, we have also scheduled two sets of in-person office hours in the coming weeks.
I want to personally thank you all in advance for your support as we continue to work to move our district forward in a positive direction. I believe that this new contract is Good for Teachers, Good for Students, Good for HPS and Good for Holliston. While requesting a tax increase is never easy, I can definitely state that this is a fiscally prudent opportunity for our Town and one that our kids will benefit from for years to come.
Office Hours
The Holliston School Committee will hold the following office hours:
Saturday June 8th from 9am – 10am at Coffee Haven
Wednesday June 12th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at the Holliston Public Library, Gilman Room
As always, please feel free to reach out to the Committee with any questions.
Interesting comment from the chair person of the School Committee.
“We are grateful for the discussion that ensued”
There was no discussion by residents allowed after your presentation. So it should be clear that the only comments/discussion were from the Select Board.
The Agenda stated no vote would be taken yet a date was discussed? Seems backward discussing a date but the meeting not yet approved.
When did the school committee team and the teachers start their negotiations for their new contract? When was this process started ? It should have been started long before the May town meeting so that the amount of money they wanted could be included in budget of the school year 2024-2025.
Carmen Chiango JR