Latest MCAS results show both progress toward goals and challenges to be addressed

By Carol Britton Meyer

While Hull Public Schools is making significant progress toward achieving its improvement goals – as evidenced by the results of the 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam administered to students in grades 3 to 8 and 10 – there is room for improvement, administrators told the school committee this week

Overall, students’ post-pandemic performance is showing signs of recovery, with further work needed to accelerate their progress, according to Director of Curriculum and Assessment Christine Cappadona.

The year 2023 represents a return to the full state accountability system aimed at improving student performance at all levels since 2019, due to learning losses from the COVID19 pandemic restrictions and school closures.

“The HPS district does not require assistance or intervention, since it is making substantial progress toward meeting its improvement goals,” Cappadona said.

Participation in MCAS exams has increased, and the percentage of students scoring in the Meeting or Exceeding Expectations categories in math increased by 2 points in grades 3 to 8, compared to 2022. The percentage of students who scored Meeting or Exceeding Expectations in Grade 10 math decreased by 6 points, but is still above the state results by 21 percentage points.

Compared to 2022, the percentage of students scoring Meeting or Exceeding Expectations in ELA increased by 7 percentage points in grades 3 to 8. The percentage of students who scored Meeting or Exceeding Expectations in Grade 10 decreased by 8 points, but is still above the state results by 24 percentage points.

According to the state, Grade 3 data results were flat due to developmental reading and math time lost during the pandemic. That said, Hull third-grade students scored 18% above the state in English Language Arts and 19% above the state in math.

Districtwide, ELA performance in general increased over 2022 levels and exceeded the state accountability targets. Math performance increased across several grades, but continues to fall below the state’s accountability targets. In general, science exam achievement also increased over 2022 performance levels.

At the same time, while scores on the Grades 3 to 8 ELA and math exams increased above, or met, respectively, the district’s accountability target, they are still below the proficiency level.

While grade 10 ELA performance increased and exceeded the district’s accountability target, Grade 10 math performance decreased and fell below the accountability target.

“Our students are working their way back, and what we are putting in place [to improve scores]” will make an impact,” Hull High School Principal Michael Knybel said. “Our target is for 75% of our students to be enrolled in an AP [Advanced Placement] course.”

Memorial School Principal Anthony Hrivnak said MCAS results for middle school students showed improvement in six out of seven subjects.

Jacobs Principal Kyle Shaw said there are reasons for both celebration – including higher attendance rates among elementary students – and improvement in response to the MCAS results, noting, however, that they don’t represent the efforts and hard work put in by staff and students every day.

“There is greatness going on here. We’re just missing an ingredient that we need to uncover leading to better exam results,” Shaw said. He described planned action steps and said he is optimistic scores will improve in the next round of MCAS exams.

In response to the overall results, each school has strategies and action steps for improvement, as is also the case district-wide, including providing MCAS tutoring.

“As you can see, we’ve made progress. There are also challenges in all three buildings that we are addressing,” Cappadona said. “We’re going to stay the course and continue with what we are doing and looking at the data to help support our students. The principals are taking a proactive approach and looking at MCAS as the baseline. We realize the critical need for collaborative efforts among our teachers.”

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Select Board to begin process of reviewing applications to sell retail marijuana in town

By Carol Britton Meyer 

The select board soon will begin the process of reviewing proposals by as many as three businesses for approval to sell retail marijuana in Hull.

The Alternative Compassion Services medical marijuana dispensary on George Washington Boulevard and another Hull business – Skarr Inc., owned by Mambo’s restaurant’s Anthony Ghosn – have submitted applications requesting a Host Community Agreement with the town to sell retail marijuana. According to Town Counsel James Lampke, a third application also may be submitted.

Hull will have the ability to issue two recreational marijuana licenses following special town meeting approval this past summer to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in Hull – subject to approval by the Attorney General within 90 days, or Dec. 18, unless an extension is requested pending receipt of further information.

Following a lengthy discussion at this week’s select board meeting, the decision was made to schedule a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at which time Lampke will bring the board up to date on the current status of Hull’s marijuana regulations and provide a brief history of the process and for the board to begin an initial review of these rules and regulations. The meeting will be open for public comment.

Irwin Nesoff, who led the meeting as chair in Greg Grey’s absence, said ACS submitted its application to the select board but members haven’t yet seen the other application.

At a future date, the select board will review the applications in public session to ensure they have received all required information.

“We wouldn’t be approving anything at that time,” Nesoff said.

Concerns were expressed by some board members that they don’t yet have enough information to respond to questions from the applicants and the public. The Dec. 13 meeting is a step in that direction.

“This is a highly regulated industry, and we have to be careful during this transitional period, because there are so many open questions and we don’t want any information to be [unintentionally] miscommunicated,” select board member Jason McCann said.

“We expect to be fully involved in the process from beginning to end,” said select board member Jerry Taverna.

At one point, there was a discussion about possibly limiting public comment – as allowed under certain circumstances in the select board’s new policy – until the board is thoroughly prepared to answer questions in order to allow a basic review of the applications in public to ensure they are complete, but the Dec. 13 meeting was scheduled instead for that purpose.

“We shouldn’t cut off public discussion at any point,” Taverna said. “If that were to happen, I might decide to join the public [in the audience] as a protest.”

Because the discussion took place under select board updates and was not referenced on the meeting’s published agenda, Lampke advised the board that the conversation should continue in a separate meeting as a posted agenda item.

He also noted that the board “has to be careful to not give any appearance of favoring one business over the other, because full presentations [by the applicants] haven’t been made yet.”

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Superintendent screening committee to begin review of at least 15 applications

By Carol Britton Meyer

At least 15 applicants are in the running to become Hull’s next superintendent of schools. Following Monday’s deadline for submitting applications for the position, the newly-created screening committee is scheduled to meet for the first time tonight [Thursday] to begin its work.

Superintendent of Schools Judith Kuehn is retiring at the end of the current school year. The final selection is expected to be made by Jan. 22, with an anticipated start date of July 1.

“There’s been a huge response – it’s very positive,” school committee member Kyle Conley reported this week. “The screening committee, comprised of volunteers, will have a heavy lift sifting through all the applications and doing the initial interviews. They will use the candidate profile resulting from input provided from the Oct. 19 focus groups as the criteria to move forward with certain [ones].”

At least 15 completed applications had been received before Thanksgiving, with several other candidates who needed to submit additional information by this week’s deadline in order to be considered.

Conley said she’s “very confident we will find a very great next superintendent” and in moving forward with the process under the leadership of the New England School Development Council, which was hired to facilitate the search. NESDEC consultant Dr. Margaret Frieswyk will provide the screening committee with an orientation to start off the process at the first meeting.

After NESDEC reviews the applications that have been received, the screening committee will conduct preliminary interviews of the selected candidates between Dec. 11 and 15. The finalists are expected to be announced at the Dec. 18 school committee meeting. (The committee’s planned Dec. 11 meeting has been canceled.) The school committee will conduct the finalist interviews between Jan. 10 and 19.

NESDEC will set up the interviews and notify candidates of the status for both the screening committee and school committee interviews.

In other business at the meeting, Kuehn said a draft memorandum of understanding between the school department and the town for use of the Memorial Middle School after the school consolidation process is complete is “in progress,” and that the process has been “very successful” so far. An agreement would be required to move some municipal services into that building, which will remain under the control of the schools.

At the conclusion of Monday’s meeting, the school committee met in executive session to prepare for negotiations with the superintendent, and held a joint executive session with the select board to discuss legal strategy related to former Superintendent Michael Devine’s wrongful termination lawsuit.

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Planning Board hearing on Paragon Dunes special permit set for Dec. 6

By Christopher Haraden

The latest plans to build a multi-story, mixed-use development on the Paragon Boardwalk site will be the subject of an upcoming planning board hearing.

ALONG THE BOULEVARD. The proposed four-story Paragon Dunes project features three floors of residential units above retail and parking at ground level. This rendering shows what the building would look like along George Washington Boulevard [the Paragon Carousel and DCR building are shown in the distance].

On Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., the board will consider The Procopio Companies’ proposal for a 40-foot-tall, 132-unit building on the property, which stretches from the miniature golf course south to the now-closed Dalat restaurant at 181 Nantasket Ave. Because of the expected attendance – a previous meeting on Oct. 19 with the Design Review Board was standing-room-only at town hall – next month’s hearing will be held at Hull High School.

Procopio’s plans for the Paragon Dunes include almost 7,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor of the building, which would contain 81 one-bedroom units, 44 two-bedrooms, six studios, and one three-bedroom unit, along with 177 parking spaces under the building and along the former railroad bed that runs behind the property. Parking for the commercial units in the development would use existing street parking, according to the application.

Four months ago, the developer withdrew a request for a variance to build a 75-foot building at 183-197 Nantasket Ave. The Nantasket Beach Overlay District limits building heights to 40 feet.

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Click below to read developer’s documents submitted to the planning board:

Project Narrative

Site plans and renderings of the proposed building (split into two files because of large file size): Pages 1 - 19 and Pages 20 - 43

Nantasket Beach Overlay District Application

Traffic Study and Appendix (two separate links/documents)

Stormwater Management Report

If you have any trouble with the above links, try clicking here.

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This time, the developer’s special permit seeks approval of the mixed uses (required under the overlay district bylaw), permission to build the new building as close to the sidewalk as the current structure, and approval for a flat roof, which is permissible but “discouraged” under the bylaw.

According to the special permit application, the developer has “incorporated design features that minimize the box shape of the building,” namely, a step-back of the top floor by 10 feet and “inset balconies” along George Washington Boulevard.

The project submissions, available for public inspection at town hall and on the planning board’s page on the town’s website – as well as on hulltimes.com – include a traffic study conducted by Boston Traffic Data, with vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle counts conducted on two days more than a year ago – Thursday, October 27, 2022 and Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, although the report indicates that the counts were adjusted to reflect estimated volumes during the summer.

The traffic study concluded that “the proposed redevelopment is estimated to generate approximately 114 new vehicle trips (48 entering vehicles and 66 exiting vehicles) during the weekday morning peak hour, 88 new vehicle trips during the weekday afternoon peak hour (57 entering vehicles and 31 exiting vehicles), and 97 new vehicle trips during the Saturday midday peak hour (50 entering vehicles and 47 exiting vehicles).”

In addition to a private pool and two private courtyards, the Paragon Dunes proposal includes publicly accessible open space to comply with the NBOD requirements – two pocket parks facing Nantasket Avenue of 1,600 square feet and 2,500 square feet, as well as an open corridor that connects to the Art Walk that runs behind the site on land owned by the neighboring Horizons condominium complex.

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Wellspring seeking applications, donations for holiday gift program

Wellspring Multi-Service Center is now accepting applications for its annual holiday gift program for families in Hull. This program ensures that every child in need receives a gift this season. Gift donations are welcome. The program ensures that every child receives a warm hat, gloves, socks, toys, and gift certificates for the parents to shop for the needs of their children.

Please call Pat Martin, 781-925-3211, x112 to either apply for assistance from the program or to become a donor.

Applications for the holiday gift program also can be picked up at the Wellspring office no later than Dec.6.

Crowds enjoy annual Thanksgiving bonfire on HRA land

Despite 4.3% rate reduction, rising values mean higher property tax bills this year

By Carol Britton Meyer

In keeping with tradition, the select board voted to maintain a single tax rate for residential and commercial properties during this week’s tax classification hearing for FY24, following the recommendation of the Board of Assessors.

The average residential property owner can expect a 3.4%, or $237.52, increase in his or her fiscal 2024 taxes, while the tax on commercial properties is expected to increase by 4.5%, or $366.51.

This is because while the single tax rate for Fiscal 2024 is 4.3% lower than the FY23 rate ($11.65 per $1,000 of assessed value compared with $12.17), the average value of single-family homes has increased by 8%, from $573,800 in FY23 to $619,800 in FY24.

For the full tax rate presentation (and other select board info) click here.

In FY23, the value of commercial properties increased by far less of a percentage than single-family homes, and the average tax bill decreased by $2, or -0.02%, based on the single tax rate at that time.

The scenario is far different for FY24, with the average value of commercial properties increasing by 9.1%, from $666,300 to $727,500.

At the new tax rate, the average tax bill for a single-family home will be $7,220.67, while the average tax bill for commercial properties will be $8,475.38.

Because nearly 96% of the properties in town are residential, and Hull has a small commercial base of 2.57%, maintaining the single tax rate means that most of the tax burden falls on residential property owners.

If the tax rate were split, homeowners would see relatively little savings, while the average commercial property owner would see his or her tax burden greatly increase, depending on the percentage of the split.

At the conclusion of the joint meeting between the select board of the board of assessors, acting chair Irwin Nesoff continued the tax classification hearing to a later date, but did not specify the reason for the move.

Hull ranks 16th from among 27 other local communities in a comparison of the average single-family tax bill.

A small portion of the property tax, 1.5%, applies to personal property. This tax includes tangible property that is not real property, such as furniture in second homes or business equipment.

The select board also voted not to adopt residential (for lower-valued, owner-occupied parcels) nor small business exemptions, also upon the recommendation of the board of assessors.

According to a chart listing the current range of values for Hull’s single-family homes, none are valued below $100,000 or between $100,000 and $200,000, and only 73 are valued between $200,000 and $300,000. There are 570 homes between $300,000 to $400,000, 997 in the $400,000 to $500,000 category, 699 valued between $500,000 and $600,000, and 19 valued at more than $2 million, up from 14 last year.

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HRA to extend temporary zoning freeze to ‘maintain options’ for future land use

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

After ample discussion at its recent meetings, the Hull Redevelopment Authority decided not to move forward with a definitive subdivision application to freeze zoning on its land for eight years. Instead, the HRA will submit another preliminary subdivision, holding the current zoning in place for seven months while the board continues to review the citizens’ submissions regarding uses of the land.

THE HULL REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY’s SUBDIVISION PLAN ESTABLISHES BOUNDARY LINES BETWEEN THE PARCELS.

According to Town Planner Chris DiIorio, if the board did nothing, the preliminary subdivision would become “null and void” and the zoning freeze would end. In order to be effective, the subdivision must be in place before any notice of public hearings on potential zoning changes.

“Last time it was tight…if late, you lose the freeze,” said DiIorio, who told the Times on Nov. 15 that surveyors are working on the final plans to submit to the planning board. “It shouldn’t be a heavy lift” because they have surveyed the land before, he said.

DiIorio said the members want to “maintain options and the NBOD (Nantasket Beach Overlay District) zoning gives a wider array of things you can do on the site… really, the subdivision is just moving lines on a page.”

“It would be shortsighted not to protect the zoning of the HRA land until we get through the URP (Urban Renewal Process),” said longtime HRA member Bartley Kelly. “We must protect the property…no matter what you do, always protect the value of an asset.”

“We need to be careful of our language,” HRA Clerk Adrienne Paquin said. “We are talking about protecting the land, but what are we protecting it from? The townspeople?”

“The language makes us look defensive when we are trying to build relationships with the town,” she said. “Protecting ourselves from what the townspeople want is not the kind of rapport I want us to have with the town.”

Kelly, however, said “being defensive” is necessary because the original preliminary subdivision was submitted in response to a zoning change filing that specified “nothing can be built there.”

HRA Chair Dennis Zaia said they would be “shooting themselves in the foot” if the lack of a preliminary subdivision precludes having any structure on the land, like a community or art center, which have been proposed by citizens.

“A subdivision is just property lines,” said Zaia. “It is not saying there will be a building or anything specific there…don’t want a bigger rift in the community over a procedural thing that shouldn’t be dividing.”

The property’s boundary lines need to be changed so it is a “bona fide” change.

“We are moving forward with the subdivision lines as they have existed for years and years,” said Zaia, adding that the preliminary subdivision plan as a “temporary fix” to allow more time going forward while not “eliminating potential.”

HRA Vice Chair Dan Kernan disagreed with filing the definitive subdivision plan, saying the original subdivision was “a direct statement opposed to open space… the goal is to protect the asset for the community, not from them. We are just locking zoning down, like some developer who does not want to allow affordable housing.”

Paquin agreed with Kernan.

“We as a board do not have a definitive plan; therefore, I am not in favor of a definitive plan,” she said.

Shannon Chiba, presenter of the open space/beach shell concept for the property, said “the people of Hull want open space. They voted as such, and most recently have shown that majority view in their presentations…we hope the HRA will listen and move forward with the town’s majority wishes.”

Zaia assured the group he is not saying “anything about what the town wants,” but rather as guardians of the HRA property, the board needs to be sure the zoning “stays flexible for the duration of the work we are doing.”

Kelly made a motion “to authorize Chris DiIorio to use the map that was presented to submit for a preliminary subdivision plan after it is cleaned up by our surveyors.”

Zaia, Kelly, Joan Senatore, and Paquin voted yes, while Kernan abstained because he is “uncomfortable with the whole thing.”

“This decision allows things to percolate from all the good work people are doing…putting things in a holding pattern to allow us to continue working the way we are, making sure our zoning is going to be available to us to use in all different ways,” said Zaia.

Senatore said she does not see a down side to submitting a subsequent preliminary subdivision plan because the board is “in the midst of going through all the options.”

“Hopefully down the road in seven months we can do a definitive plan,” Senatore said.

In response to a comment in the Zoom chat saying the plan could lock in an undesirable plan, Paquin replied: “By doing the subdivision, we are actually doing the opposite. We are keeping ourselves open to any options on the land as opposed to locking ourselves into something... I really want to state it over again. It gives us maximum flexibility for what we do. We are not locking ourselves into anything.”

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Rained out this summer, Hull PorchFest to come alive at Sunday’s ‘revival’

By Kathleen McKenna

Twenty inches of rain made the summer of 2023 one of the wettest on record, resulting in a dismal Fourth of July weekend, a slew of sodden Saturdays, and one washed-out Hull PorchFest. 

Disappointment over the event’s cancellation compelled HPF committee members to find another way to bring the one-day, once-a-year tradition of free music – played on porches from Nantasket to Beach Avenues, between Revere and Kenberma Streets – back to life. 

They found it in The Hull PorchFest ’23 Revival, a music extravaganza happening this Sunday at the C-Note from 2 to 7 p.m., rain or shine. 

Just like PorchFest, the Revival is open to all ages, although kids must be accompanied by adults. 

And it’s free of charge, although donations will be welcomed by the Hull High School choral and jazz bands. Music director Ian Barkon said the band is working hard to re-build post-pandemic, and that any money raised at Sunday’s event will be put toward transporting student musicians to both state and national competitions, where in the past they’ve achieved two gold ratings and one silver.

Merchandise from past PorchFests, including T-shirts and baseball caps, will be given away to Revival attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.

More than 30 musical acts were scheduled to play at a dozen or so Kenberma homes for PorchFest ’23, and four of those are donating their time and talents to the Revival: Seawitch, Redbeerd, The Pitfalls, and the Assisted Living Band. 

“Dancing is most definitely encouraged and expected,” said Sue Lynch of Revere Street, who’s taken over the reins of HPF since the organization’s founder and president, Tom Hardey, left Hull for his native Texas in October.

Lynch, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1987, became a JAG attorney in 2000, and was promoted to colonel last year, said she was drawn to PorchFest because she “really loves to throw a party.” She’s been hosting bands on her Revere Street porch since HPF’s inception.

“I’ll never forget the day in summer of 2018 when Trish Hardey knocked on my door to ask if I’d like to host on my porch,” she said. “I’d just moved to town and I’d been looking for ways to get involved, so I immediately agreed.”

At the Revival on Sunday, she and other members of the Porchfest team hope to enlist volunteers to help plan and execute future PorchFests and related events, including fundraisers whose proceeds go toward town organizations like the HHS Band Program and the Anne M. Scully Senior Center, a past beneficiary of HPF donations.

“While most experience HPF as a fun-filled afternoon, it’s actually a year-long effort that brings together a dedicated team of people who fundraise in support of local causes, as well as plan and organize the actual event,” Lynch said. “Our vision going forward is to continue bringing Hull a vibrant family event, and to expand by welcoming new committee members, porch hosts, and bands, to collaborate with the town and with local businesses, and most importantly, to have fun.”

A rain date, she said with a smile, will also be incorporated. 

For more information, visit www.hullporchfest.org.

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Rotary Club seeks donations to sustain tradition of serving 800+ Thanksgiving meals

Volunteers from the Nantasket-Hull Rotary Club plan to maintain the fall tradition that grew out of the pandemic – serving up hot meals on Thanksgiving morning to residents up and down the peninsula.

Typically, 800 turkey dinners and bags of donated groceries are distributed by a growing network of volunteers. Participants can either pick up the food at Daddy’s Beach Club, 280 Nantasket Ave., eat on-site, or have it delivered to their homes.

“Every year our extended family comes together at Thanksgiving to make sure that everyone receives a hot meal,” said Craig Wolfe, one of the volunteer coordinators.

The only difference this year is that more help is needed, and the group asking the public for donations to keep the program going. Each meal costs about $25, and food donations are more difficult to obtain this year.

Volunteers arrive at Daddy’s at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning to unload the supplies and prepare the kitchen for cooking. Plating of the food and filling of grocery bags begins around 9 a.m., so that meals are ready for pickup or delivery by 10 a.m. The assembly line puts together the food for each destination, whether an in-person pickup or a volunteer road trip through each of Hull’s neighborhoods.

Wolfe said volunteers are always welcome to assist, but the program needs monetary donations this year more than ever.
The Rotary Club will accept checks by mail at PO Box 38, Hull, MA 02045, or by Venmo using the QR code (earmark the donation for this program by noting “Thanksgiving”).

Anyone who would like to register for a meal or to volunteer to assist on Thanksgiving morning can contact Wolfe directly at 781-771-6416 or 89edge@comcast.net.

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