Forum on youth, parent survey

The results of Ashland's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a poll of 1,000 high school and middle school students regarding drug and alcohol use and other risky behaviors, as well as the just-completed Ashland Parent Survey on their perception of those behaviors, will be presented and discussed in the Ashland High School auditorium on Monday at 7 p.m. The evening's keynote speaker will be Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone. The principals of both schools, as well as the town's police chief and high school students, will be present for the discussion. Free refreshments and child care will be provided. - Rachel Lebeaux

GOING-AWAY PAY FOR SCHOOLS CHIEF - The school district must pay its outgoing superintendent, T.C. Mattocks, $44,833 for his unused sick-leave and vacation time, the School Committee learned last week. Under the terms of his contract, Mattocks will receive $15,600 for sick time and $29,233 for vacation time that will go unused. His annual salary is $140,000. "As we weren't anticipating that he was going to retire, we hadn't budgeted for this," said School Committee chairman Michael O'Herron. The School Committee will take the next couple of months to find the money, which must come from the current year's operating budget. O'Herron said he hopes the district will be able to realize savings on utilities or supply purchases this spring. Mattocks caught the School Committee off guard when he submitted his retirement, effective June 30, to the board at the end of December. Mattocks has not commented publicly on his reasons for retiring two years before the end of his contract. - Rachel Lebeaux

NEW SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT - The Dover-Sherborn regional district's school committees unanimously voted last week to appoint Valerie Spriggs as its superintendent. Spriggs, the Southern Berkshire Regional Schools District superintendent, was offered the position on Jan. 29, with her tenure to start before September. Robert Couture is serving as the district's interim superintendent for this school year. - Anna Fiorentino

OFF TO CHINA - An exchange group from Dover-Sherborn High School departed for China on Tuesday. This year's program has four seniors taking part in the eight-week trip. They will visit major historical and cultural landmarks, sit in on classrooms in Hangzhou, and even teach English to students. The students are chronicling their trip on an Internet site, dschinaexchange.blogspot.com. - Anna Fiorentino

REVISING SCHOOL DONATION POLICY - The School Committee is scheduled to discuss a proposal to revise its policy on donations to the district during its meeting on Tuesday. The policy came under examination after a parent group last spring provided $27,000 to finance the operating costs of the historic one-room Brick School, which houses a kindergarten classroom, for this school year. "When the fund-raising turns to an academic, rather than extracurricular, program, many public school educators feel the line has been crossed as to what is acceptable," School Committee chairman Jeffrey Roy wrote on its blog, franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com. "Without a policy such as this, advocates for particular disciplines can go out and raise money, while other disciplines, which are no less worthy, don't get supported because they don't have wealthy benefactors." The School Committee began reassessing the policy at its Jan. 22 meeting. The revision would encourage donations that supplement, rather than supplant, the operating budget, Roy wrote. The new policy is slated for a second reading and discussion at next week's meeting. - Rachel Lebeaux

FINAL BUDGET REVIEWS ON AGENDA - The Board of Selectmen expect to wrap up budget reviews for the 2009 fiscal year at their Monday meeting. The board will hear from the treasurer/collector's office, the town accountant, and the Fire Department, which includes emergency medical services. The town's Finance Committee has asked department heads to reduce their budgets by 4.5 percent for the fiscal year that starts July 1, in hopes of covering a shortfall of $1.2 million to $1.4 million. Selectmen hear budget presentations from the departments that report directly to the board. Departments with their own elected officials, such as the library, school district, and the town clerk's office, make their budget presentations to the Finance Committee. - Calvin Hennick

RAISE FOR TOWN MANAGER - Town Manager Anthony Troiano achieved high marks for his first year on the job, resulting in a 10 percent pay raise from his salary last year. The Board of Selectmen voted, 3-1, last week to approve a 3.01 percent cost-of-living increase plus a 7 percent performance-based raise. Troiano signed a three-year contract in November 2006 for a $100,000 annual salary, with the understanding that he would be eligible for a raise after one year based on performance. However, Selectman Brian Herr had reservations about the merit raise and review. "Due to a very unfortunate accident last spring, Mr. Troiano has only been active on the job for about eight months. I felt we needed some more time to gather additional data points before offering any increase," Herr, who voted against the raise, said in an e-mail. He also said that the raise "sends a mixed message to other employees and the taxpayers of Hopkinton during a difficult fiscal period." Troiano was out on medical leave for four months after being injured in an automobile accident in May. - David Cogger

SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL BUDGET INCREASE - School Committee members voted unanimously last week to accept Superintendent Robert Maguire's recommendation to increase the school system's budget by 4.86 percent for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. In recommending the $26.1 million budget, Maguire said the increase is primarily due to contractual pay raises and rising costs for special education, transportation, and utilities. The School Committee will meet with the Warrant Committee on Tuesday to discuss the budget. - Calvin Hennick

CELLPHONES IN GRADE SCHOOL - The town's elementary schools have been seeing an increasing number of children in grades 3 and 4 carrying cellphones to school, Burke Memorial Elementary principal Leigh Becker announced last month. In a notice on the school's website, found at medwayschools.org, Becker noted that the district's handbook discourages the practice of elementary students bringing cellphones to school, while stating that if parents feel it's important that they do, the child should keep the phone turned off and put away for the duration of the school day. Other electronic devices, such as music players and handheld games, are permitted aboard school buses and at recess, at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Parents with questions should contact Becker at 508-533-3265. - Rachel Lebeaux

DEMOCRATS TO ELECT DELEGATES - The Milford Democratic Caucus will convene Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Rise and Shine Academy, at 375 Fortune Boulevard. At the event, hosted by the Milford Democratic Town Committee and open to all registered party members in Milford, 14 delegates and two alternates will be elected to represent the town at this summer's Massachusetts Democratic Convention, to be held June 7 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. - Anna Fiorentino

SESSION ON FOREST ROAD PROJECT - Selectmen are planning a public informational meeting and hearing Monday on a reconstruction project for Forest Road. Town Administrator Charles Aspinwall said the project would be completed in three phases. During the first phase, which will cost about $230,000, the section of the road near Birch Street will be reconstructed. The $80,000 second phase would see work done on the section from Birch Street to Village Street. Aspinwall said the cost estimates for the third phase, covering the remaining stretch of Forest Road to the Medfield line, are incomplete. The work would be covered by state highway funds if the town's allotment is large enough, he said. - Calvin Hennick

CANDIDATES FORUM - The League of Women Voters is planning a public forum for candidates for the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Morse Institute Library. Candidates John Connolly, John Moran, Jeffrey Phillips, and incumbents Carol Gloff and Charles Hughes will be offered the opportunity to discuss their positions on town issues and answer questions from residents. A preliminary election to narrow the field for two seats on the board will be held on Feb. 26; the top four finishers will be on the March 25 town election ballot. Town bylaws require a preliminary vote when the slate of candidates amounts to more than twice the number of open seats. Next week's event is free and open to the public, and the library, at 14 East Central St., is fully accessible. The forum will be rebroadcast on Natick Pegasus, the local cable-access television channel for municipal events. - Michele Morgan Bolton

APPEALS BOARD MEMBER RESIGNS - Bruce Simpson, the Zoning Board of Appeals member who was forced to shut down his home-based masonry business in December over zoning violations, has stepped down from the board. Simpson, who has served on the zoning board since 1984, cited health concerns and what he called the "viciousness" of the people who brought the zoning complaints against him in his decision to resign, effective Jan. 30. Simpson said he will continue to pursue his appeal of the zoning violations, which is set to be heard by the board on March 19. Building Inspector Robert Bullock ruled in December that Simpson violated zoning bylaws by maintaining a commercial barn, storing more than one commercial vehicle, and allowing more than one employee to work at his residence. - Calvin Hennick

SCHOOL BUDGET INCREASE - Superintendent David Raiche made a pitch for a 6.3 percent budget increase for the 2009 fiscal year in his initial spending request submitted to Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes last week. The additional $400,000 or so would bring the total budget for the K-6 school system to about $6.8 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Raiche said he has already trimmed the school principals' requests, but acknowledged that the budget may have to come down even more as the town faces a projected shortfall of around $1.2 million. Raiche will make a budget presentation to the School Committee on Feb. 26. - Calvin Hennick

NEW WATER RATES - Selectmen last week approved Department of Public Works director Stephen Soma's recommendation to increase water rates. Under the old rates, residents were charged $1.96 per thousand gallons, up to 20,000 gallons per twice-yearly billing cycle. Between 20,000 gallons and 50,000 gallons, water used to cost $2.66 per thousand gallons, and $3.60 per thousand gallons over that. Water will now cost $2.60 per thousand gallons up to 15,000 gallons, $3.50 per thousand gallons between 15,000 and 40,000 gallons, and $5 per gallon after that. Soma said the new rates, which are being applied to all current and future meter readings, are designed to promote responsible water use and offset departmental costs. - Calvin Hennick

SELECTMAN NOT RUNNING - Selectman George Labonte said this week that he will not seek reelection this spring, in an effort to have more time for home projects. Planning Board member George R. Smith has already pulled nomination papers to run for the position in the town's April 7 election. With nomination papers due Feb. 19, no contested races had taken shape as of early this week, Town Clerk Carol Mollica said. The 14 positions up for grabs include the town moderator position, the seat on the Board of Selectmen, and slots on the local and regional school committees. - Calvin Hennick

BENEFIT FOR INJURED WOMAN - Helping Sweet Carolyne, a fund-raising event to benefit Marlborough natives Gary and Carolyne Mutti, is planned for Feb. 16 at the Moose Lodge on Fitchburg Street. In late October, Carolyne Mutti bumped her head in a fall at home, dropped into a deep coma, and was on life support for three weeks. After treatment for severe trauma to her brain, she emerged from the coma. Her intense rehabilitation continues with physical and occupational therapy and assistance from visiting nurses, and she still faces additional surgeries, friends and supporters say. The benefit dinner, to be held from 7 p.m. to midnight, will feature an Italian feast buffet, live entertainment from the band Help, live and silent auctions and a 50-50 raffle. Dinner tickets are $20. Contact Joan Mutti Scerra at nonnajls@comcast.net, or Kathy Mutti O'Leary at okathy@msn.com or 508-414-7217 for more information. - Craig Larson

COLLECTING FOR PET SHELTER - Girl Scout Troop 2501 is conducting a donation drive for the Buddy Dog Humane Society this month. Collection boxes will be stationed throughout town, including at Stow's two elementary schools, the Hale Middle School, and other area community buildings and businesses. Some items needed for the Sudbury-based organization include cat food, litter, collars, leashes, and dog biscuits. - Matt Gunderson

"ROOTS" STAR TO REVISIT MINISERIES - Actor LeVar Burton, who was among the stars of the famed 1977 television miniseries "Roots," will speak at Wellesley College on Feb. 20 as part of the school's celebration of Black History Month. Burton, who is also known for his role as Geordi in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series and movie spinoffs, will talk about "The Making of Roots" during his talk, which is to begin at 7 p.m. in the Collins Cinema on campus. Also scheduled for the school's monthlong observance is a former Black Panther Party leader, Elaine Brown, as the featured speaker for "Quintessence Day" at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Collins Cinema. - Lisa Keen