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Elementary School Building Committee - Volunteers Needed

By Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer

Selectmen voted to approve the charter of the Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) and appointed Vice Chairman John Mosher as their designee to the committee at their November 13 meeting. As approved, the mission of the committee is to facilitate the development of a proposed solution to the operational and educational constraints of Center School that will be supported by the voters of Hopkinton, as well as the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

In addition to a representative from the Board of Selectmen, the ESBC will also include the following members, all appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

  • 1 Selectman – Voting Member
  • Town Manager – Non Voting Member
  • 1 School Committee Member – Voting Member
  • 1 Alternate School Committee Member – Voting Member only in absence of other member
  • Superintendent of Schools – Non Voting Member
  • Town Engineer – Non-Voting Member
  • Principal, Center School – Non-Voting Member
  • 1 Member of the community knowledgeable in educational mission and function of facility – Voting Member
  • 1 At Large Member of the Community – Voting Member
  • 1 Appropriations Committee member – Voting Member
  • 1 or more members of community with architecture, engineering and/or construction experience -Voting Member
  • 1 member of the community with Communications/PR/Marketing or Facilitator experience – Voting Member
  • School Director of Finance – Non-Voting Member

Selectmen Chairman Ben Palleiko made it clear that by approving the charter and voting to establish the committee, it did not mean that a new school would be built.

“It [the committee] is not committed towards building a new elementary school,” said Palleiko. “What they are really looking towards is putting a solution in place for Center School which could be a new school or a major refit of the existing school. It is absolutely a blank sheet of paper and the charge makes that clear.”

One of the differences in this new committee, in relation to previous building committees, is the emphasis on including voting community members. While several town professionals are members, including the Superintendent, the Town Manager, the Town Engineer and the School Finance Director, they are not voting members.

“What I see here is a lot more community members with a yes vote,” said Selectman Brian Herr. “I think this is a much more volunteer, community driven elementary school building committee than what we saw originally and I am much more comfortable with that.”

Palleiko agreed and said that he thought that the finalized charter is much more reflective of the needs and desires of the community than the standard cookie cutter charter.

“This is not a charter that lets the tail wag the dog,” said Palleiko. “I can’t say enough good things about how well the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen worked on this together.”

Residents who are interested in becoming members of the Elementary School Building Committee should fill out a Volunteer Resource Form. Applications may also be downloaded and mailed to:

Hopkinton Elementary School Building Committee Application
Attn: Assistant to the Superintendent
89 Hayden Rowe Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, December 18, 2012. All applicants will be notified of their application status in early January. If you have further questions about the application process please contact 508-417-9360.

Applications will be reviewed by the Town Manager and the School Superintendent, who will also consult with School Committee members. Recommended finalists will be moved forward to the Board of Selectmen for appointment. Membership is for the life of the project and committee members will need to be available beginning in January 2013 to eventually participate in weekly or bi-weekly meetings throughout the life of the process of developing and completing a project - from Eligibility Phase to Project Completion. In addition, according to its charge, the Elementary School Building Committee will be expected to make presentations of its progress and recommendations to join meetings of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee when requested.