The recently approved Hampton Board of Education Budget for 2021-2022 has an increase of $13, 912 or 0.66%. The underlying assumption for this budget is that the costs associated with the pandemic will continue, especially in the cleaning and sanitizing of the building each evening and that our students — especially in Pre-K and Kindergarten — will be returning to in-person learning.

The Board of Education also reviewed the use of three buses to transport our students to both Parish Hill and Hampton Elementary School. We must budget for the full costs of student transportation regardless of where the students attend school. The board fully discussed the reduction of one bus. According to EastConn Transportation, that reduction of one bus will force the school’s opening and closing times to be moved about one half hour later and place some of our Pre-K to grade 6 students on a one and a half hour hour bus ride, arriving home in the dark during the winter months. The board also discussed the current operational practice of picking up each student at their homes at the end of their driveways since we have no sidewalks in Hampton. Although there are some exceptions where a child needs to be picked up at the end of their road, they must be accompanied by an adult for both pick-up and drop-off.

The board has approved a 2% increase in the salaries of all staff not subject to the teachers’ negotiated contracted, such as paraprofessionals, school secretary, custodian, and the administrative team not including the superintendent. In addition, the State has mandated that the minimum wage for all workers must be at or above the $1 per hour increase each year until the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour. The current minimum wage in this budget is $13 per hour. In addition, health insurance costs have risen by 4%. Our costs for heating oil, diesel fuel, and propane have risen in price and in the number of gallons used especially in heating oil; however, we are very concerned that back in December/January, when the budget was first developed, I did not take into account the huge increase in the use of oil. The fact is that we must keep our ventilation system operational 24/7 and therefore the oil usage has increased. This budget does not take into account this major change. This concern was discussed by board member Mark Becker during the board’s Special Budget meeting in March.

Our staffing has been reduced to the current teaching staff of one teacher in Pre-K, one teacher in Kindergarten, and one teacher for two grades that are organized as Teams. Team A has grades one and two with one teacher as do Teams B and C. We have reduced — over time — four positions into one. Our former positions: Reading/Scientific Research Based Intervention teacher, media specialist, distance learning teacher, and library coordinator are now being implemented by one certified teacher with experience in four areas of responsibilities.

In the board’s past budgets, monies have been placed into the Capital and Non-recurring account. These funds have been very effectively used to repave the back play area and the Finance and Operations Sub-Committee of the board is involved in the possible repaving of the front parking lot. None of these improvements are in this budget. We have a current in-school student population of 71 students. The students are slowly returning to in-person learning from distance learning. We anticipate that we will have 85 students attending in-person next year with two out placed students and three students attending STEM Magnet Schools for a total estimated student population of 90 students in the Pre-K to Grade 6 district who are included in this budget. Finally, if there is any parent who is thinking about having their child return to Hampton Elementary School, or registering for the first time for the 2021-22 academic year, please contact our school secretary Lisa at (860) 455-9409 and press “0”. She will be able to answer your questions and mail out the appropriate forms. We will continue to follow all appropriate Covid protocols during this upcoming school year. Our goal this year has been: “Every student, every day for 183 days” and we have been successful thus far.

Dr. Frank Olah, Superintendent

The Regional District #11 Board of Education has approved a 2021-2022 budget of $6,523,372, a 0.60% increase in the total cost of educating students at Parish Hill. This RD11 budget reflects continued fiscal responsibility, consistent with past budgets that were also very fiscally prudent. This responsible approach has led to an average increase of less than 1% per year during the last ten fiscal years.  The Superintendent and Board of Education were able to adopt a 0.60% budget increase by controlling spending, concentrating on efficiencies and economies of scale, and through efficient assignment of certified and non-certified personnel. As in past years, we have closely examined “actual” expenditures in all FY19-20 and FY20-21 budgetary line-items, leading to some notable line-item reductions. We have also effectively used federal/state grants to maximize efficiencies and to reduce the strain on our operating budget. Recent federal grants will be primarily used to reimburse COVID expenses, address the academic loss of learning during the pandemic, deal with social/emotional concerns, and prioritize facility upgrades related to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.  Furthermore, I am pleased to report that this budget has been kept at a 0.60% increase despite budgetary constraints due to staff contractual increases, magnet and Vo-Ag school tuition, magnet and Vo-Ag special education costs, and significant costs for outplaced students.  I am also particularly proud that we have continued to provide a high-quality education for all of our students while maintaining sound fiscal practices and fiscal constraints. During FY19-20, we were one of only a few districts in our area that stayed within our approved budget, even with additional Covid expenses.

The 0.60% budget also comes at a time when overall student outcomes have been impressive. Parish Hill has a 96.4% graduation rate and a negligible dropout rate. Student attendance is well above the state average, and overall student assessment outcomes continue to rise. Furthermore, we offer eleven AP courses to our students and a Fuel Ed distance learning program to address credit recovery and allow students to study Latin, German, and Mandarin.  On another note, our five year capital improvement plan is designed to significantly upgrade school facilities and infrastructure. This on-going effort is a pro-active measure to enhance school facilities and building safety. We welcome residents to view for themselves these facility improvements.

The annual tri-town budget hearing will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 3, at 6PM, followed by a referendum vote on May 4 from noon to 8PM.

Kenneth V. Henrici, Superintendent

RD#11is estimating an unaudited FY 20-21 fund balance of about $200,000 – $250,000.  Superintendent Henrici plans to recommend to the Board that it use a portion of this to offset town assessments after the budget is approved.

The polls will be open from noon to 8PM on May 4, 2021 in the Community Room at Town Hall to decide the question “Shall the sum of $6,523,372 be appropriated for the operation and maintenance of the Regional District #11 Public School System for the July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 fiscal year?” Registered voters and citizens owning at least $1000 worth of property are eligible to vote in the referendum.

The Governor’s Executive Order extends till May 19 for obtaining absentee ballots due to Covid, and the use of the secure deposit box located at the top of the ramp. Though Town Hall remains closed, absentee ballots are available up until the opening of the polls through the Office of the Town Clerk by calling 860-455-9132, ext. x201.

The safety protocols used during last year’s election will remain in place: six-foot distance markers, masks, sanitizer, and disposable pencils will be available at the entrance to the polling place. All election officials have been fully vaccinated, and the voting booths will be continuously sanitized.

Dayna Arriola & Mary Oliver

A committee of town and school officials from Hampton and Scotland has been formed to discuss possible collaborations between the town’s schools in response to rising concerns on the costs of operating the schools while student populations continue to dramatically decrease. Reportedly, Scotland has 88 students attending its elementary school, while Hampton has only 71.

Discussions at their first meeting included a range of possibilities, from sharing certified staff for art, music and physical education, to administrative services such as superintendent, principal, business coordinator, and director of special education. It was decided to hold another meeting after the school boards adopted their respective budgets for FY2021-2022, however the elementary school superintendents, Hampton’s Frank Olah and Scotland’s Frank Baron, met on March 9 to review educational and facility comparisons between the two schools. A tuition rate of $7,800 per Hampton student to attend school in Scotland was offered and sent to Hampton’s Board of Education Chairman Rose Bisson and First Selectman Al Cahill, who announced the tuition offer to the Boards of Selectmen and Finance, but at the next committee meeting on April 22, Scotland First Selectman Gary Greenburg suggested that tuitioning students should be a last resort if no meaningful savings could be found in collaborative efforts between the schools. Members concurred that operating a single school, with the two towns sharing the responsibility of educating the students under a cooperative agreement, would be a better option. To that end, the committee has decided to extend its membership to include school and community members from the two towns to conduct research with a two-pronged approach: mission and programming; and governance and finance.

The next meeting of the Committee for Inter-district Education Cost Sharing is on June 3; the meetings are open to the public, and time is allotted for public comment.

Homegrown Market

On Saturday, May 8, Fletcher Memorial Library will sponsor a market, a book & bake sale, and a music event from 10AM – 1PM outdoors on the library grounds. “Homegrown: A Celebration of Local Food Producers” is a one-time farmers market that features area vendors selling a variety of local products: produce, including fresh greens, herbs, and asparagus; a variety of maple syrup products; eggs, honey, homemade bread, jams and jellies and Pebble Brook Farm’s maple cotton candy. The library will be holding a book sale on the same day and the library’s well known bakers will have baked treats for sale. There will also be gift baskets available just in time for Mothers’ Day. Throughout the sale, live music will be provided by The Green Valley Pickers, featuring folk musicians Jamie Boss and Sue Way. “This is an opportunity to celebrate spring and showcase our local farms, food and crafts, listen to some great music and take home a book or two. Come support your library and take home some wonderful goodies,” says Anne Christie, event organizer.

For more information, or to participate as a vendor, contact Anne at annesgarden@aol.com or 860 455-1086.

Bach In the Garden

Starting May 5, Fletcher Memorial Library sponsors a new music program, Bach in the Garden, featuring noted Hampton classical guitarist and composer Mark Davis, who has performed several times at The Fletch and has concertized nationally and internationally. The free, one hour musical programs will be held in the library’s butterfly garden every Wednesday at 4PM, weather permitting. The programs will begin and end with Bach, but will also include other baroque, classical, and contemporary composers. Some Brazilian music is promised as well. Visitors are welcome to attend the entire performance, or to drop in for part of the program. Bring something to sit on and tea-time snacks, if desired.

Author Visit

Quiet Corner Reads is sponsoring a FREE Virtual Author Visit on Zoom on Wednesday, June 16^th,at 6:30PM with Elizabeth Letts, author of Finding Dorothy. Register at http://www.quietcornerreads.org. Copies of the book are available at the library. Call (860-455-1086) or email fletchermemoriallibrary@gmail.com to reserve your copy.

“Old age is always fifteen years older than I am.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes

Did you know?

In 2020 alone, American consumers lost at least $124 million to scammers asking to be paid in gift cards. Many senior folks are targeted in these schemes. If someone asks you to pay with a gift card, it’s a scam—a sign of fraud. Social Security numbers are the skeleton key to identity theft. Just today we received a call saying they were “from Social Security”. We know Social Security will never call and immediately hung up as the person began to push, also known as “phishing”, for information. Nearly half of Americans were targeted by a Social Security scam in the three months prior to November 2020. Social Security does not block or suspend numbers, ever. You might get a call from a supposed SSA representative bearing good news — say, a cost-of-living increase. To get the extra money, you just have to verify your name, date of birth, and SS number  — an actual SSA employee would not do this. Consumer Reports warns of another trick with an ironic twist: Fraudsters send out emails that appear to be from the SSA and instruct you to click a link to register for a free service that protects you from Social Security fraud! It is a phishing scam to take you to a fake government website that will steal your information.  With a little vigilance, Social Security scams are not difficult to identify and avoid.

We will be gathering outdoors at the new Pavilion next to Town Hall at noon for our May Senior’s Luncheon. We are offering a boxed lunch which will include a wrap, bag of chips, cookies and a soft drink/water. Choice of Vegetarian, Turkey or Ham at $5 for Hampton residents, and $8 for visitors. Rain or shine! Please RSVP by May 6th to hamptonseniorclub@gmail.com and indicate your choice of wrap (gluten free available upon request).  While we plan for our luncheon, know that if the status of the pandemic has an uptick we will reconsider, keeping your safety as our top priority. Masks required as per CDC guidelines. All Health Department Serve Safe procedures will be followed, however, if you prefer to brown bag it, that’s great too! For those of you wanting to stay a little longer, join the fun for some BINGO. We had to cancel the plans to the Wicked Tulips Flower Farm out of an abundance of caution.

For more information, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact:  Lisa Grady Co-Chair (860)-428-9565, or Janice Leitch

Co-Chair at hamptonseniorclub@gmail.com.

Andrea Kaye, Senior’s Vision Committee Member

Hello from the HCC, your “steward of open space” in Hampton. We maintain an inventory of the Town’s open space and significant tracts, and as an advisory body, we conduct reviews of subdivision applications to make suggestions regarding mandated set-asides. We assist with the periodic revision of the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, and we also investigate appropriate properties to acquire for open space and recreation and then bring these proposals to the Town for discussion and possible approval.

We have five members and two alternates, and what’s been taking up most of our time this past year is identifying and updating current open space in town, and developing fun and educational activities for residents that stress resource protection and appreciation.

Here’s a list of some of the things we’ve been working on this year–even through the pandemic (we sucked it up and joined the Zoom revolution, thanks to our friend Kathy Donahue):

On-line Open Space/Walking Brochure: Hampton has many beautiful areas that offer a variety of vistas, trails and wildlife that range from the easily accessible to the relatively obscure. Many are owned by the Town, some are as simple as abandoned roads, and others are areas maintained by land trusts and the State.  We wanted to put as many into one document as possible, and an online brochure allows us to do that, as well as include links to additional photos, maps, etc. Since the brochure is still a work in progress, expect it to be updated and refined in the coming weeks and months. Its first draft, however, should be on the Town’s webpage under Conservation Commission by the time you read this.

Trail ID and Marking: Plans are in progress to clear existing trails (like the Cohantic Ledges trail, damaged by several storms) and define new ones (in the Pudding Hill Preserve and hopefully near the Little River at the Hammond Hill Preserve). This takes a lot of work, and volunteers are always welcome!

Nefarious Knotweed: You’ve read in previous issues about this invasive pest and The HCC’s plan to “Nip the Knotweed” this year in several areas around town. This is a community-wide project—kind of like adopt-a-road, only with plant murder in your heart. We also need you to let us know where it’s growing; Knotweed Czar Marcia Kilpatrick is keeping a list—contact her at 860-455-1226 or Kalmia1234@gmail.com. The first day-o-destruction will be May 1—mark your calendars!

Arbor Day: The Conservation Commission and Boy Scouts joined The Hampton Board of Education/PTO and the Recreation Commission for this year’s Arbor Day Celebration held at the Hampton Elementary School on April 30. The BoE/PTO and the Rec Commission donated trees to be planted in a “grove” in the playground area, to provide some shade for students. Eversource also generously offered to donate an additional tree, as well as seedlings for students to take home.

Join us!  We meet the 3^rd Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm, either in person or via Zoom. Check the Town webpage for our upcoming agendas, which give you the Zoom link or physical location.

 Penny Newbury

Dear Readers,

Ever since our 2019 April Fools issue which featured humor as part of our 40^th anniversary celebration, due to popular demand the Gazette has pledged to include some measure of comic relief every April along with our cheery, though admittedly dry, reporting of the town’s somewhat less than hilarious news.

This month, contributors and columnists have come through with flying colors to deliver some comedy – the Reluctant Gardener, frequent humorist Angela Fichter, Cindy Bezanson and her chickens, a former resident’s humorous remembrance, and, of course, our beloved Auntie Mac. We thank them for sharing their much appreciated wit with us.

Enjoy,

The Gazette

All Connecticut municipalities are required by Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-30j to develop, every five years, a plan that “shall specify how the municipality intends to increase the number of affordable housing developments in the municipality.” The development of this Plan is mandatory, but each Town must determine the kinds of affordable housing it will encourage, and what policies and steps it will take to do so.

On Monday, April 26^th, at 7PM, the Planning & Zoning Commission will host a virtual presentation from the Town’s consulting planner on the required Plan, what affordable housing is (and what it isn’t) and some of the ways in which the Town can begin to address this important issue. The writing of this Plan is not complete, and all recommendations are preliminary at this point. The presentation on April 26th is to provide information and background to the community about the topic, the laws, and how they apply to Hampton’s conditions.

Hampton’s Arbor Day, April 30, 9:30-10:30 AM, will find elementary school students and community members celebrating with tree planting, stories and songs they have written, and goodie bags to enjoy. The Selectmen will read a special proclamation honoring the event. This year’s Arbor Day is especially important because it launches a yearlong national celebration leading to 2022 Arbor Day, the 150^th anniversary of the observation of the celebration.

Arbor Day actually began in Nebraska in 1872, when farmers moving west from forested areas of our country realized they needed trees on the open plains, for shade, for erosion control, and for beauty in the landscape.  Nebraska was the first state to make Arbor Day an official holiday. While the date of celebration may vary, depending on climate, the sentiments are the same – to beautify the community and to make young people aware of the value of trees in the landscape.

The Recreation Commission, Conservation Commission, the Hampton Board of Education, the HES PTO, Big Y, and the electric utility Eversource have joined forces to provide trees to be planted and goodies to be shared.  The community is invited to attend. This year’s ceremony represents a revival of a regular tradition in Hampton, commemorated in a 2018 column in the Hampton Gazette:

“Arbor Day was an important holiday at Hampton’s consolidated school (now Town Hall).  Every class was responsible for some form of reverence – pictures and posters, stories and reports. Someone would recite Joyce Kilmer’s poem, and, of course, the ceremony would always culminate with the planting of one. These were important concepts to instill in children – how to plant a tree and how to take care of it, along with all the lessons as to why – the scientific reasons and the personal ones. Whether you celebrate at a ceremony in a school, or a public place like a park, or your own yard, there’s almost always room for another tree. And time for all the lessons that accompany the planting.  Happy Arbor Day!”

For more information about Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Foundation headquarters at Arbor Day Farm, Nebraska City, Nebraska, see the website www.arborday.org. and the National Arbor Day Foundation page on Facebook. Or contact Bruce Spaman at

forestryct@outlook.com