Reporter’s Notebook: Goodbye Columbus. Farewell, athletic fees.

The School Committee got a jump on the rest of the town last week by authorizing the switch of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.

More than a dozen states and multiple communities and colleges across the country now celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in place of, or in some cases in addition to Columbus Day. Honoring Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of America is considered a sanitization of the resulting enslavement and exploitation of Native Americans. Westborough schools beat Grafton to the punch by a week.

Grafton RISE (Racial Inclusion and Social Equity) has a citizen’s petition on the June Town Meeting warrant asking that the town also switch from Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.

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In February 2020, the School Committee adopted athletic fees for the 2020-2021 school year, bowing to public pressure to find new revenue sources as a Proposition 2 1/2 override loomed. A few months later, they rescinded the plan, along with school bus fees, as COVID-19 forced a complete change of plan for the school year.

Those fees — about $100-$200 per student, depending on the sport — were laid to rest this week when the School Committee voted to maintain a fee-free athletic program, believing sports should be considered part of the curriculum. Athletic fees would have added $69,000-$139,000 to the school budget.

School bus fees, $200 per student for Grafton Middle School and Grafton High School students, remain, raising $162,000 per year.

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Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings got high marks for his performance during the past year in his annual evaluation. The final comments in the report unveiled Tuesday:

1. The Grafton Public School District is lucky to have such a hard-working, forward-looking and caring superintendent.
2. Last year has been unprecedented in world history. The pandemic came as a surprise to everyone and no one was ready for it. It engulfed the whole world at a pace no one had imagined. During that time, to manage the schools was a daunting task. The Grafton School District under the leadership Dr Jay Cummings did an excellent job not only in keeping the schools up and running, but also keeping students and teachers safe, all the while following medical guidelines. His team was quick to order laptops for students for remote learning. Air purifiers were taken from the state to be used in classrooms in a very timely manner. Families were contacted on a regular basis for feedbacks in regards to the ongoing instructions. Remote Learnings was very new and therefore extremely challenging. Managing in-class instructions at the same time was equally challenging, especially with students attending the classes in masks, and keeping the mandatory distance between desks. Dr Cummings and his team did a great job in handling these challenges. There were difficulties but they were dealt with in a very professional way. Continuous communication was maintained with families through webpages and facebook page. It was very appreciated by the parents. Concerns from the staff members were also handled very professionally.
3. Jay’s transparency has been above reproach throughout the school year. I could not imagine a better leader for our district during this year of uncertainty. When parents and staff had questions, and there were many, he was always quick to respond. He remained transparent of the district’s intentions, goals, and concerns. It was appreciated by the families, staff, and school committee. In a year with so much change and uncertainty, his constant communication and reassurance is what the school community needed. I feel there are areas that the district could grow by adding positions in student services and curriculum support. The budget often does not leave room for additional services, but Jay showed his commitment by adding a guidance counselor at the elementary school level. Although it was a great addition, it still isn’t at a level that I think is acceptable. He has added additional positions to next year’s budget and I look forward to seeing how the changes affect the district.
4. This year has been a challenge.  We had teacher, parents and students concerned about learning and safety. We essentially opened three new schools and we received very little guidance from the state. However, regardless of all of these challenges, Grafton schools still thrived because of our tremendous staff and Jay’s leadership. Jay led calmly, creatively, and respectfully. We are extremely lucky to have Jay leading our district. Our next few years will continue to challenge us as we help students with learning recovery, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have Jay leading us.
5. I continue to be impressed by Jay’s positive, “we’ll figure it out” attitude. He is respected and held in high regard, not only by his staff and families, but by the community at large. His calm and steady hand has provided great comfort and support to everyone during this incredibly difficult year. I can only hope he will continue to lead the district and the fantastic staff he has built here for many years to come.

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