Hingham School Committee approves $500,000 boost to emergency repair fund

HINGHAM -- January 12, 2026, Hingham School Committee unanimously approved a warrant article Monday seeking $500,000 more for its extraordinary capital repair fund, which would bring the total to $1 million ahead of town meeting. Director of Facilities Matthew Mann detailed emergency boiler repairs at Hingham High School, where cracked fire tubes in the 27-year-old units forced mid-60s building temperatures in late October, and mold remediation at East Elementary, where air quality testing found spore counts well below actionable thresholds. Superintendent Katie Roberts presented a new New England School Development Council enrollment study projecting a net increase of 417 K-12 students, an 11.8 percent rise, by the 2035-36 school year, with the bulk of growth at the elementary level. A parent, identified as Hilly Newton of Chamberlain Run, pressed administrators on a lack of communication during the fall, prompting a commitment from Mann and Roberts to post facilities updates publicly on the district website. The committee also approved second-read updates to three student health policies and left open for a January 15 special Zoom meeting the question of whether to place a second warrant article before town meeting to authorize a fund balance transfer for out-of-district special education costs.