Graduate School
Harvard Graduate School of Education

Placement
Hingham, MA

Supervisors
Michelle Monsegur, Hingham Assistant Town Administrator

Project Description
Sam Brobeck and Hillary Anderson worked in the Hingham Town Administrator’s office this summer on two primary projects: (1) evaluating Hingham’s capital planning process and (2) supporting Hingham Schools in creating a safe school reopening plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While evaluating Hingham’s capital program, they analyzed the town’s past and present capital spending, financial policies, and conducted a series of 1:1 interviews with town elected officials, committee/board members, and town staff to better understand the town’s capital planning process. They then conducted similar reviews of capital programs in nine benchmark communities. Using this analysis, they were able to compare Hingham’s capital program to similar municipalities, identify the strengths and growth areas of Hingham’s capital planning process, and provide the town with a menu of policy options to consider implementing in the future. As a part of their work with Hingham Schools, they served on the Facilities, Operations, and Finance task-force (assembled by the Director of Business and Support Services, John Ferris) and met with local teachers, principals, nurses, district staff, and community members to determine the best approach to utilizing building space, transporting students safely to school, and acquiring and distributing PPE to staff members and students. They then synthesized the taskforce’s recommendations in an easily digestible communications tool that can be distributed to parents and students before the start of the school year.