Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 22, 2024 Election 2024 in-Person Early Voting begins tomorrow – also last day to register to vote in March 5 Presidential Primary T he Saugus Public Library will open its doors tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 24) for the first day of In-Person Early voting for the March 5 Presidential Primary Election. Registered voters can stop by the library’s Community Room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to cast their ballots. Tomorrow is also the last day to register to vote in the primary. Here is the rest of the schedule for In-Person Early Voting: · Monday, February 26, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. · Tuesday, February 27, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. · Wednesday, February 28, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. · Thursday, February 29, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. · Friday, March 1, 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Town Clerk Ellen Schena said she is still looking for residents who are interested in filling paid positions to help staff the town’s polling locations for the March 5 Presidential Primary Election. As in past elections over the years, the Clerk’s Office TOWN MEETING | FROM PAGE 1 Parlante said. “We have drugs in our schools, which we all know by now, that it’s not just the students,” he said, referring to the arrest of Roxanne Plaskon, a seventh grade Science teacher, who allegedly brought fentanyl into a faculty bathroom and into her classroom at the Middle School. “You guys have been Celebrating Our 52nd Year Dan - 1972 We Sell Cigars & Accessories! ALL MAJOR BRANDS Singles * Tins * Bundles * Boxes * Travel Humidors * Desk Top Humidors * Many Types of Lighters * Ash Trays * Juuls * Vapes * Glass Pipes * Rewards Program * CBD Infused Products * GIFTS UNDER $30 - GIFT CERTIFICATES WINTER STORE HOURS: OPEN DAILY 7 DAYS A WEEK, 9AM - 6PM President’s Day Clearance! 20% Off All Boxes of Cigars! R.Y.O. TOBACCO & TUBES ON SALE! WE MAKE HOUSE KEYS! Green Label Cigar Sale! Buy 2 Cigars, Get One FREE! A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 Chris 2024 will also be recruiting Saugus High School juniors and seniors to work for money or credit for Community Service hours. Students who are 16 years old can work part-time shifts of six to eight hours. Seventeen and 18 year olds can work full shifts of eight to 12 hours. The town clerk said her office is willing to accommodate any student talking for two years. Talking. We need action,” Parlante declared as a heated argument ensued between him and School Committee ViceChair Tom Whittredge. “You know damn well that I’m not against an SRO,” a visibly irate Whittredge responded to Parlante’s comments. A warrant article vs. a budget line item School Committee Member John Hatch took umbrage with Parlante’s characterization of the School Committee not being committed to getting an SRO in the Saugus Middle-High School.Hatch noted that the School Department was involved in applying for a grant and has been working with the police chief on ways to get an SRO. “I don’t think it’s right for anyone to interpret our actions as against an SRO,” Hatch said. Whittredge and other School Committee members tried to explain their fiscal logistics to Parlante – that the SRO had a better chance of getting funded through the warrant article than the School Department budget. “If we put it on the warrant, it’s got a better chance of getting passed,” Whittredge said. “We can all guarantee that if it’s in the budget, it gets cut,” he said. Parlante called on the School Committee to “make SROs a priority now” by adding it to the budget. School Committee Member Ryan Fisher said passage of the School Committee article would enable school officials to draw from the school stabilization fund money that is earmarked for an SRO. “We have a real chance of doing it this time,” Fisher said. School Committee Chair Vincent Serino also took umbrage to Parlante’s contention that the School Committee doesn’t consider an credit hours, which help to enhance college applications and resumes. For more information about paid and volunteer poll worker jobs, please contact Andrew DePatto, the Saugus Election Coordinator, at 781-231-4102 or stop by the Town Clerk’s Office on the main floor of Saugus Town Hall. SRO a priority. “At the end of the day, we all give a crap about this town immensely,” Serino said. “We want the SRO,” he said. “Some serious issues within our schools” Former School Committee Member Elizabeth Marchese called on people in the audience who want to see an SRO to lobby Town Meeting members to support the School Committee article. “We have some serious issues within our schools with regard to discipline and safety. Some of the things I’ve seen this year – I know why we can’t attract teachers,” Marchese said. “I don’t want to sit in a class and have a pencil thrown in my face or be called b****… an f-ing b****,” she said. Marchese said that finally getting an SRO could only succeed through a community effort. “This has to be all of us working together for a common cause. Right now, we all know it is a priority,” she said. First term School Committee Member Stephanie Mastrocola declared, “We need an SRO more than anything.” But Mastrocola also noted that other problems exist that need to be addressed – like parents seeking more communication with teachers and school officials. “We need to start holding people who run these buildings accountable,” Mastrocola said. In an interview later, Fisher echoed Mastrocola’s comments about accountability. “Listen to the parents who spoke at the meeting,” Fisher said. “They’re asking for better communication, more teachers and more support staff. We have a lot of balls in the air and we need to be creative and collaborative to get this done,” he said.
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