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Lt. Gov. Shares Ideas with MANS&C at Annual Meeting

Instead of delivering a prepared speech at the MANS&C Annual Meeting, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito stepped away from the podium.


“I want to have a conversation with you,” she told MANS&C members and guests.  “I want to hear your challenges and your ideas.”

Polito noted that she and Governor Charlie Baker have a vision to build a stronger commonwealth at the grassroots level – by strengthening local communities.  As chair of the Community Compact Cabinet, she has visited all of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts to promote the sharing of best practices.

“There is no replacement for conversations,” she said.

Turning to the news concerning the acquisition of Mount Ida College by the University of Massachusetts, Polito noted that the State Board of Education has appointed a working group that will provide a report to the governor.  The state Senate also will be looking into the situation.

She emphasized the importance of protecting the students’ financial investment in a school or college.  This must be balanced with the need to create workable solutions, while not exposing the private issues of the institutions.

In closing, the Lieutenant Governor asked how colleges and universities felt about online learning.  She urged the audience to pass along to her any information on that issue or anything else that might be useful.

The Annual Meeting was held at the Fay School in Southborough.  The meeting opened with an a capella performance by the Fay School Chamber Singers, directed by Stephen Buck.



MANS&C Legislative Counsel John J. Spillane, President Gwen Pojasek,

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, MANS&C Clerk Dean Sidell,

and MANS&C Treasurer Alan Clarance of Fay School

 


MEMBER NEWS
Fay School is Committed to Community Service


Fay School Uper School 7th graders

on a service trip

 

At Fay School in Southborough, students in all three divisions are involved in community service.


Second graders spend a morning volunteering at Cradles to Crayons, grades 4 to 6 work closely with the Community Harvest Project and the Upper School (grades 7 to 9) goes on service trips—to name just a few of their projects.

Last fall, Lower and Upper School students coordinated a fundraiser and school supply drive to benefit disaster relief efforts through the American Red Cross and a school in Texas. Ninth graders built a playhouse for the children of a local veteran, and a large number of students also volunteered at Fay School’s farmers market.

Winter brings the "Candy Cane Gram" fundraiser, in which students buy candy canes to send to their friends for the holidays. The money raised is used to provide lunch for the teams competing in the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament, which Fay hosts in early March. Students, parents and faculty also volunteer at the event.

This spring, students in the Antler Club (the student service and philanthropy group) will be putting together a team for the New England Center for Children’s Annual 5k fundraiser in support of children with autism. Students also will conduct a hygiene product collection drive for a local organization that works with teenagers and will once again volunteer for the farmers market.



OTHER NEWS

Welcome New Board Members
MANS&C members elected officers and members of the board of directors for 2018-19 at the organization’s Annual Meeting May 10 at Fay School.  They are:


Officers

  • President – Gwen E. Pojasek, CFO at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School
  • Vice President – Jeanne Finlayson, Vice President for Finance at Stonehill College
  • Treasurer – Alan Clarance, Director of Finance and Operations at Fay School
  • Clerk – Dean Sidell, Associate Head of School and CFO at Tower School

Board Members

  • Kathleen Chery, Chief Financial Officer at The Cambridge School of Weston (new member)
  • James Curley, Director of State Relations at Boston University
  • Julaine McInnis, incoming CFO/COO at Thayer Academy
  • Jane Segale, Chief Financial Officer at Walnut Hill School for the Arts (new member)
  • Jonathan Wasserman, Director of Finance and Operations, Assistant Treasurer at the Rivers School (new member)
Spillane Stops Move to Regulate Building Projects
An attempt to increase local control over nonprofit school and college building projects has been stopped, thanks to the efforts of MANS&C Legislative Counsel John J. Spillane.

The wording, inserted into a House budget amendment, would have imposed a site plan review when Massachusetts nonprofit schools and colleges wanted to build recreational facilities.  Currently, site plan reviews are not required for any building projects by nonprofit institutions.  Communities may require only “reasonable regulations concerning the bulk and height of structures and determining yard sizes, lot area, setbacks, open space, parking and building coverage requirements.”

Spillane has been keeping a watchful eye on the House budget process and alerted legislative leaders to the negative consequences site plan reviews would have on MANS&C members.  As a result, the wording was removed from the amendment.

Call MANS&C
What did three schools do recently when their local community asked them to make payments in lieu of taxes?

They called an ally -- MANS&C!

The MANS&C Board and Legislative Counsel John J. Spillane are always ready to provide advice and counsel to members grappling with community issues.  We can tell you what other schools and colleges have done and help you set up a plan of action.

You can reach us at  president@mansac.org.





Send Us Your News
MANS&C is starting a Member News column for our website and newsletter that will highlight the ways our members benefit their communities.  Do your students volunteer or hold a fundraiser for a local charity?  Has your school or college donated equipment to a town department?  Do you offer your facilities to the community at a free or reduced rate? Let us know!

Or, if your institution has other news (no sports, please) that you’d like to share with your fellow MANS&C members, we’d like to hear that, too.

Please submit your news to communications@mansac.org  and visit our website regularly to catch up on member news.




About MANS&C


The Massachusetts Association of Nonprofit Schools and Colleges (MANS&C) is the voice of private, independent schools, colleges and universities at the State House.  MANS&C represents members’ interests and advocates on their behalf with lawmakers and state regulators.  It also informs members about bills that threaten their independence and economic security, and helps them create Community Impact Statements that showcase their many contributions to their local communities.

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