Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | FROM PAGE 17 For more information, contact the Saugus Public Library at 295 Central Street, Saugus or call 781231-4168 or check out sauguspubliclibrary.org. Want to be a Knight? The Knights of Columbus is looking for new members to join. If you are interested in becoming a member of this local organization, please call 781-233-9858. Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus (Editor’s Note: The following info is from an announcement submitted by Julie Cicolini, a member of the Board of Directors for Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus.) Who we are: Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus (HS2) is a nonprofit group of volunteers who are helping to offset food insecurity in households. HS2 provides students/families that enroll in the program a supply of nutritious food for when school lunches and breakfasts are unavailable to them on weekends. How HS2 can help you: HS2 bags are distributed at school on Fridays to take home. Bags include such items as peanut butter, jelly, a loaf of bread, canned meals/soups/tuna/vegetables, pasta/sauce, fruit cups, cereal, oatmeal, goldfish, pretzels and granola bars. To sign up go here to complete online form: https://forms.gle/gmMGguycSHBdziuE9. Want to partner with us: HS2 relies on donations to create take-home bags for a weekend full of meals. All food is provided to children free of charge. It is our hope these resources will support the health, behavior and achievement of every student who participates. We would love to partner with organizations, youth groups, PTOs, businesses and individuals to assist in feeding students of Saugus. To learn more about how you can partner with us, visit the Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus Facebook page or email us at HS2Saugus@gmail.com. Checks can also be sent directly to: Salem Five C/O Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, 855-5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906. Online donations can also be made at: https://givebutter.com/HealthySaugus. Food Pantry still open The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry continues to remain open on Fridays between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. despite concerns over the Coronavirus. They have made adjustments to protect their core of volunteers and the needy people who receive the food. For the protection of volunteers & clients, and to limit personal contact and crowding/gathering, the food SCHOOL | FROM PAGE 8 year. We have focused on acceleration (teaching on grade level rather than remediation) and developing a sense of belonging for students and staff . Providing both academic and social emotional support for students is critical as Saugus students and staff returned to in-person school, with schools consolidating (four elementary schools to two, PreK- 1st grade and 2nd -5th grade), in new buildings. Unfortunately, a number of things have created even greater fi nancial challenges over the course of this school year, including: * Continued COVID costs * A 45% increase in out-ofdistrict tuition pantry has been distributing pre-bagged groceries. Even though clients may receive items they don’t want or need, food pantry organizers feel this is the best course of action to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Those in need, even for short-term or one-time assistance, are encouraged to come. The food pantry is located in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church at 50 Essex St. in Saugus. Clarifying some veterans’ issues Jay Pinette, the Veterans Service Officer for the Town of Saugus, wanted to pass along a few words to promote a better understanding of how his office works. “Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) are not VA employees and do not have direct access to VA systems or information,” Jay wrote in an email to us. “Local VSOs are employees of their respective cities and towns. VSOs are generally able to assist veterans and eligible dependents with VA-related claims and benefits activities. “One of the primary duties of the VSOs is to administer a program for veterans and eligible dependents that is referred to as ‘Chapter 115’. Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. CH. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of financial assistance for low income veterans and their dependents. Qualified veterans and their dependents who meet the income and asset eligibility criteria may receive monthly financial benefits that are intended to assist the veteran with housing and living expenses. “If local Veterans wish to enroll in VA healthcare and/or obtain a VA ID card, representatives from the VA Bedford will be on-site at the Lynn VA Clinic twice a month. The on-site enrollment will be held on the 1 st and 3 rd Tuesday of each month from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Appointments are advised and the dates and times are subject to change. The Lynn VA Clinic is located at 225 Boston Street, Suite 107. For more information or to schedule an appointment for enrollment, call 781-687-3348 or e-mail vabedoutreach@va.gov. “The Veterans Services Offices of Saugus and other surrounding communities have partnered with the Greater Boston Food Bank to hold monthly mobile food markets for veterans. With the closure of the Saugus Senior Center during the pandemic, the food market was moved to Melrose. We have now moved the food market back to the Saugus Senior Center. The veterans mobile food market is held on the third Wednesday of each month. Veterans and eligible dependents must sign up with the Saugus Veterans Service Office to deter* An increase in costs for both special education and regular transportation We are legally obligated to provide tuition and transportation to all students who cannot be served by the Saugus Public Schools. And while the district has received federal funding to help off set the impacts of COVID, the grants expire in two years, which means it is not fi nancially responsible to use that money for ongoing expenses such as salaries and students’ tuition that we could potentially pay for over the next decade. As a result of these challenges, the district is facing more than $1.5 million budget gap, in addition to enrollment decline, driven largely by a jump in out-of-district tuition for special needs students (more than $800K), personnel contractual obligations (pay for teachers, clerks and paraprofessionals) and a reserve for union negotiations, as well as vendor contracts. Proposal for 2023 For those reasons, the Saugus School Committee proposed a $31,330,073 budget for Fiscal Year 2023 that would ensure Saugus Public Schools has appropriate staff - ing to meet the educational and emotional needs of our students and funds our required obligations. At the same time, it would allow us to pursue our goal of moving Saugus from the bottom 10 percent of Massachusetts districts to the top ten in fi ve years. mine eligibility. VSO Jay Pinette can be reached at 781-231-4010 or at jpinette@saugus-ma.gov. Or on the first floor of Saugus Town Hall at 298 Central Street, Saugus MA 01906.” Attention Veterans and Surviving Spouses Q: What is Chapter 115? A: Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. Ch. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of financial and medical assistance for veterans and their dependents. Qualifying veterans and their dependents receive necessary financial assistance in accordance with a formula that considers the number of dependents and income from all sources. Q: How do I find out if I’m eligible? A: By contacting the Veterans Services Officer in the town you live in. Here in Saugus, the Veterans’ Services Office is located at the Saugus Town Hall and may be reached at 781-2314010. Eligible veterans and/or their family members must meet certain income criteria, and their military experience must meet the Commonwealth’s requirements. The Current Income Limit for single people is $2,147.00 – and $2,904.00 for married people. The Current Asset Limit for single people is $8,400.00 – and $16,600.00 for married people. Assets do not include your home or vehicle Q: Are these benefits taxable? A: Chapter 115 benefits are not taxable income. You must report this income when applying for or renewing subsidized housing applications, Section 8 applications and SNAP applications. Let’s hear it! Got an idea, passing thought or gripe you would like to share with The Saugus Advocate? I’m always interested in your feedback. It’s been six years since I began work at The Saugus Advocate. I’m always interested in hearing readers’ suggestions for possible stories or good candidates for “The Advocate Asks” interview of the week. Feel free to email me at mvoge@comcast.net. Do you have some interesting views on an issue that you want to express to the community? Submit your idea. If I like it, we can meet for a 15to 20-minute interview over a hot drink at a local coffee shop. And I’ll buy the coffee or tea. Or, if you prefer to continue practicing social distancing and be interviewed from the safety of your home on the phone or via email, I will provide that option to you as the nation recovers from the Coronavirus crisis. If it’s a nice day and the temperature is 50 degrees or better, my preferred site for a coffee and interview would be the picnic area of the Saugus Iron Works. We understand the Town of Saugus is also facing signifi cant fi nancial constraints, which will require town leaders to make difficult decisions. Our goal is to work together so that town services are not working against each other but instead, lay out the facts about how potential cuts would impact the School Department. The current proposed allocation for the School Department is $400,000, leaving a projected defi cit of $1,054,823. Potential Impact If the School Committee’s proposed budget is not adopted, the district may be forced to cut as many as 32 positions, in addition to the planned reduction of twelve positions based on enrollment decline. This would include administrators, paraprofessionals and all teachers – classroom teachers, special education teachers, and teachers of specials. The impact on our district and children would be signifi cant. I know this is worrisome and I don’t communicate this message to scare our community but rather to prepare you for the challenging times that may lie ahead. Know that I will continue to keep you updated as the town budget process moves forward. We look forward to continuing to work with our town and community partners as we rise out of the state’s bottom 10 percent. Still, Onward and Upward, Erin
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