Some updates from UHS this week:

The Memory Project
The Memory Project delivered portraits and identity art from students in Ms. Struppa's classes, to  children in Cambodia, and we hope you will enjoy the video below!

As you'll see right at the start, the kids live in an area that is extremely high in financial poverty. The area is organized around a huge garbage dump that was closed years ago, but many people still earn money by picking and sorting items from the trash. However, as you will also see very quickly, the kids have a wealth of social connections and a strong sense of community. They were completely overjoyed to receive the gifts that UHS students created for them, and they cheered wholeheartedly for each of their friends. At times, they were nearly bouncing off the walls. The time, care, and attention given to the students through this artwork made them feel very special and important, and their smiles will show everyone how deeply they were touched.

Staff vs Staff Basketball Game Fundraiser
Attend the first annual staff versus staff basketball game fundraiser to see who earns the title of best team on the court! This fundraiser event benefits our students and the Uxbridge Teachers Association scholarship fund.  It's tonight at 6:00 p.m. 

The cost is $5 per person, with a $10 cap for families!

Student Government Day

On Friday, Mr. Grady, our AP Student Government Teacher, attended the Student Government Day with senior Aidan Arsenault, our student representative. It was a great day of learning and participating in the civic process! Aidan interns with Representative Soter and is no stranger to the State House!

Budget and Capital Updates

This week's updates from the high school take a bit of a different perspective, as they will give some people some additional insight on the forthcoming town meeting this spring, and some of our needs. I share these updates solely to provide context and information, with the hope that many will clear their calendars for the May 12 Town Meeting.

First, the capital committee declined to fund the engineering study for the track and the turf. I respect their decision, as it is not my decision to make, nor do I have any perceived entitlement to town resources. There seems to be some misunderstanding about the requirement of an engineering study and going to bid. I did share a document, which I attached here, with the superintendent for explanation at last week’s Capital Committee meeting, which I personally was not able to attend. If you happen to have a minute, it explains the justification for the turf study and why we would support a deliberate process.

The primary issue, regardless of your opinion on a study or whether or not that should happen, is that the turf is at the end of its lifespan and the track is falling into disrepair. We have rips in the surface, seams coming apart, sinkholes that occurred when the ground shifted, mostly after the drilling for the light fixtures, and additional wear and tear that has occurred because of additional use in evenings and weekends over the past couple of years. As the principal, I mentioned the need for the turf to be coming into a replacement cycle as far back in my notes as 2021, when significant rain led to a rock slide that compromised the front straightaway of the track itself. I receive requests to use our facility several times a week. Some of them we approve of, and some of them we do not. Unfortunately, given the state of disrepair that things are starting to fall into, we are already finding that we need to limit and cancel events that are planned for turf use.

Another consideration that we are hearing is that some individuals would prefer that we look into a grass field in place of the turf surface. Again, I respect the position but can list many reasons why turf is a more practical approach. Putting in a grass field requires significant upkeep and, moreover, will limit our ability to use it during times of even the slightest inclement weather. For some of our sports, such as field hockey or even football, it will render late season games unplayable, and from a scheduling standpoint, anything involving rain, frost, or conditions that could ruin grass make playing more difficult. There are benefits to grass, for certain, but there are reasons why most of the surrounding communities have moved away from it.

Finally, last night, the select board voted unfavorably on the school budget. The town requested that the school department meet its needs without exceeding a 2.5% increase to the school department. Fixed costs extended us beyond that number before we even started looking at needs. The school committee and our school administration worked collaboratively to examine the use of revolving funds and other sources of revenue to ensure that needs were met and that we could meet the increased level of services for our students, without adding many positions or taking into account making significant reductions to programs. We also heard from some members of the public, including some at our School Council, that we should ask for what we need - even if that requires an override - because the community has a number of people who would support it. Ultimately, we proposed a budget that we felt was fair, maintained programs, and limited fiscal cliffs moving forward. Our team at UHS conducted exhaustive research and extensive study into the benefits of School Choice programs, both in terms of how the program benefits our community and how the program does not necessarily “take away” from Uxbridge students. (The report I compiled was 30 pages long and was shared with the School Committee two months ago, if anyone is interested)!

Two years ago, on town meeting floor, the town voted against supporting the school budget, and the resultant impact was a special town meeting in late June, the scrambling of school leaders at the closure of a school year to redo an entire budget cycle in about 3 weeks’ time, and layoff notices being given to every member of the School District staff. Concerns from the state were brought relative to town certification if the legal obligation to fund public education was not met. We lost good staff members, and the trust between public entities and employees has not been easily repaired. We have worked to ensure that it would never again be replicated.

This year, we have held subcommittee meetings, school committee meetings, public hearings, debates and discussions about needs and requirements, and opportunities for feedback to be provided. We final numbers provided to the Town within the required deadlines. We will once again be sharpening our pencils and trying to do right by the community and our students, knowing full well that we are already facing challenging circumstances. I also share this information with the respect and deference to anyone who serves in an elected or appointed capacity on behalf of the town, and that there is nothing intended other than to provide some clarification on behalf of the high school administration with respect to the process we took to develop a budget and advocate for our school.

It is my hope that many will be there in May, at the town meeting, to have your voices heard and counted, particularly as those for whom decisions related facilities, operations, and future planning impact the greatest. We will continue to do our best to put our students and staff in the best possible position, with an eye and ear toward both respectful discourse and collaborative problem solving. In that spirit, we thank you for your support and consideration.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Rubin