HAMPDEN – On Dec. 2 Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) Superintendent Al Ganem hosted a “coffee and donuts with the superintendent” questions, comments and answers session at the Hampden Town Hall in an effort to have casual conversation with concerned residents regarding the HWRSD.  Nearly 40 residents attended the meeting, with a few from Wilbraham, to voice their apprehension and ask questions in reference to future HWRSD plans.

At the start of the meeting Ganem offered background on himself, as this is his 31st year as an educator.  In the past he’s been a teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, has worked at the district level and is now a superintendent as well as a father of three.

Ganem stated he hoped the meeting would be the first of a series of meetings he will have over the course of the coming months.  He also noted he plans to have a similar format of meeting in Wilbraham following the holidays, which Hampden residents will be welcome to attend.  

“There’s going to be some things we might agree with and some things we might disagree with, but the one thing we do know is that everyone who is here, I truly believe, is here for the best interests of our children.  Know that each and every day, though you and I might not always get along or might disagree at one point or another, you know that I always have what’s best for the children and that’s always my thought with every decision that we make, so please, please, please know that,” Ganem said.

He continued to ask everyone to please be civil and reminded them that this is a casual conversation setting.  He noted that they’re all the moral examples for their children, and that he prides himself on being respectful at all times, and he asks that from everyone else as well.

“Please appreciate there are some questions I’m gonna know right away, and there’s going to be some other things that I don’t know that might not be directly in my lane.  If you’re asking me questions specifics number-wise, I don’t have my business guy here because I don’t want to set it up that we’re doing a presentation or anything like that,” Ganem continued.  “My time here is specifically to say what are your questions, what are your concerns, let me think about that, let me give you the feedback that I know.”

The meeting began with a perhaps uncivil turn, as resident John Niemi asked Ganem if a rumor he heard regarding a name that individuals who were against the merge were called at the most recent Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting were true, and continued to press Ganem through his protests.  

“I control myself, and what I say, and I’ve been in situations both in Hampden and Wilbraham where a conversation maybe didn’t go their way, but everyone is an adult here.  Part of my role as superintendent is absolutely to take care of the educational system of the children of Hampden and Wilbraham.  I can’t control all adult conversation,” Ganem said.

At this time, School Committee Chairman Bill Bontempi entered the meeting and asked Niemi why it was relevant for him to be asking about a rumor at a separate meeting.  Niemi stated that it was relevant because Ganem gave a speech about respect, and that respect should be “trickling down.”

Bontempi then interjected, and stated, “John, would you be upset if I called you a toolbag?”

Ganem regained control of the meeting and reminded attendees that, “that’s not what we’re here for.”

“John, ask me anything you want.  Ask me if I can control other people, I don't.  That’s not my job, that’s the adults.  If it’s a teacher in our district, if it’s a principal in our district, I can control that.  I’m trying to say, ask me questions about the education in this district.  I’ve asked you nicely, I’ve asked everyone nicely, let's move on, let's move forward,” Ganem stated.

Bontempi interjected and justified what he said by saying Niemi chose to move backward in conversation, and that his response to Niemi is “exactly the same thing as what he’s doing to Al, asking Al to answer something in the past.  We’re not here for that.”  Bontempi then apologized for what he said if it was offensive to Niemi.

“If we’re here to dig up skeletons and to create a bunch of turmoil and to argue, I’m gone,” Bontempi said.

The meeting continued on with few bumps, though most residents expressed feelings of concern for programming, teacher and faculty turnover, as well as the need for a more immediate plan of action instead of an overarching five-year plan.

Ganem shared with the residents that though TWB will be closing at the end of this school year, the building will be immediately turned over to the town, and it will then be up to the town to decide what to do with the building.

“We’re closing the school as an educational venue, but it’s town owned and can still be used.  It would be unfair for us to commandeer this building,” Bontempi said.

Following a comment Ganem made stating he doesn’t believe the towns are enticing new families, he told the group that the Wilbraham and Hampden preschool program will be moved entirely to Green Meadows Elementary School in Hampden.

“All of the preschool program will come into Hampden.  Every single preschool student from Wilbraham and Hampden will come here.  We have to heal this line, these cross town lines, and one of the things that was suggested and I think that it’s great is that every new parent that comes into our district whether it be Hampden or Wilbraham will come to Green Meadows,” Ganem said.  “They’ll have the opportunity to see just how great Hampden is, they’ll get their bagel at the Bagel Nook, be able to go to the [Village] Mart, get their coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and see how great of a community this is.  The parents that go in the preschool program have the opportunity later on if they want to stay to keep their child at Green Meadows.”

Ganem then ensured residents that in the five-year plan it states that eventually an additional school will close.  He said this would be a Wilbraham school, not a Hampden school.

“Once we start healing this, I”m hoping our enrollment will start increasing.  I can show each and every one of you the amount of phone calls that are recorded that we receive from parents that want to know what that means about ‘Saving Our School.’  You’re driving through town, your young kids in the car, and you’re looking and you’re saying huh, save our schools, what does that mean?  Guess what, they keep on driving, and that’s why our schools have declining enrollment.  Longmeadow’s increasing, East Longmeadow’s increasing, we’re decreasing until we figure this out,” Ganem said.

A resident challenged this, stating that as a realtor for 30 years she’s noticed no change in sales and that people aren’t fleeing the town.

“We’re not enticing new families.  Let’s be honest, we know things aren’t so well.  Even when I go to my superintendent’s meetings, everybody says ‘Oh, there’s a lot going on in your community.’ Everybody knows that, so we’ve got to try to heal this,” Ganem said.

Several residents told Ganem that they would like for there to be a more immediate, short-term plan moving forward.  A mother of a tenth grade student and seventh grade student expressed that she noticed the culture her tenth grader experienced when he attended TWB is not the same experience her seventh grader is having.  She asked for Ganem to make changes now, and said that looking at the big picture will not help what’s going on now.
Ganem commented, “Fair enough, fair enough.  I would be the first person to not disagree with you on that.  I can appreciate we’re all looking that close because that’s what we’ve got to worry about, our own homes and our own families, but I’ve got to look at the big picture.”

When questions of costs and budgets arrived, Ganem reminded residents that he didn’t have any figures in front of him, and that the financials aspect is not of his expertise.

One resident stated, “You’ve given us nothing, you’re touting savings but you haven’t given us a range of costs.”  

An additional resident added that the savings would be less than one percent of the budget and would truly be reallocated funds, stating there would not be a true savings.

“Costs exist.  We have skin in the game, I know, I pay it every quarter,” a resident said.

Bontempi said that “it comes down to Boston has a spending problem” and “it’s an ongoing issue.”

One of the most-mentioned concerns of the meeting was that the students at TWB are not receiving the same experience and opportunities as students in other district schools, which could eventually catch up to them when they arrive at Minnechaug Regional High School.

“It’s a huge issue when TWB students will enter Minnechaug not at the same standard, chorus was taken away, band was taken, art.  I worry about that more than equity.  This district continues to fail Hampden,” resident Lisa Sternberg said.

At the close of the meeting Ganem thanked the community for joining him, and he along with other School Committee members welcomed any residents who wanted to speak further to call their offices and set up a time to meet and to discuss plans and ideas they have for the children and the schools.