Greenfield Notebook: Jan. 13, 2024

CHRISTINE DEBARGE

CHRISTINE DEBARGE

Published: 01-12-2024 11:49 AM

Virtual talk focusing on retirement planning

GREENFIELD — In partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium, the Greenfield Public Library invites residents to learn how to avoid the hidden traps in retirement planning advice during a virtual talk with elder law attorney and best-selling author Rajiv Nagaich on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m.

Over his 20-plus years of experience in United States elder law, Nagaich has developed a step-by-step guide to retirement planning. In this free webinar, he will explain why “retirement plan failure” happens and how local residents can prevent it from happening to them.

For more information or to register, visit libraryc.org/greenfieldpubliclibrary.

Superintendent explains delay, snow day decisions

GREENFIELD — Superintendent Christine DeBarge used some of her time at this month’s regular School Committee meeting to explain the rationale behind delaying school or calling a snow day during inclement weather.

DeBarge called a two-hour delay on Jan. 8, when Greenfield was blanketed with 8.3 inches of snow Sunday into Monday, so Department of Public Works employees would have time to make the roads safer. DeBarge said she recognizes that some families are not pleased with delays or snow closures because it disrupts work and child-care arrangements, but the decision was necessary to ensure increased safety.

“The primary factor anytime I make a decision about changing the school schedule is, 100%, safety — students and staff,” she explained. “That does not mean there are not other impacts. Anytime we change the school schedule for anything, there are impacts. And I appreciate that. But I also need to just share with folks that there are many factors that go into the decisions we make about how to adjust to a changed school schedule, and they may not be known until the morning we are changing the schedule.”

DeBarge said to get as many perspectives as possible, school superintendents consult with one another as well as meteorologists whenever a storm is in the forecast. She also talks with DPW Director Marlo Warner II.

She mentioned she does her best to make a decision the night before the affected school day, to give families as much time as possible to coordinate plans. In the most recent case, a decision to delay school openings was made at 4:30 a.m. and families were alerted shortly after that.

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DeBarge also said parents and guardians are allowed to keep their students home if they feel the commute to school would be too dangerous. However, they are asked to call the school to alert the administrative office.