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Ethan Guo leads Panthers to gutsy playoff win
HUDSON | 31
In Hudson schools, Civics isn’t just a course – it’s a lifestyle
MARLBOROUGH | 29
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Marlborough Hudson An edition of the Community Advocate
Vol. 52 | No. 10 | March 6, 2026
Marlborough schools raise substitute pay
Freezin’ for a reason
By Leighah Beausoleil Assistant Editor
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor
MARLBOROUGH — With a decline in substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, Marlborough Public Schools raised the per day rates from $115 to $135, and from $90 to $110, respectively. According to Human Resources Director Patricia Brown, the hope is the increased rates will bring in a higher quantity of applicants. The last raise occurred in March 2023. The district currently has 33 substitute teachers. However, 18 of those are college students available only during college breaks. Five of the district’s eight substitute paraprofessionals are also college students. Ideally, the district would like to see 28 total teacher substitutes and eight paraprofessionals who are not college students, bringing its total to 46 and 13, respectively, with the students included. “The college students are wonderful substitutes, many of them are education majors or majoring in subjects that are helpful to our classrooms,” Brown said. “The challenge is their limited availability throughout the school year, and to resolve that, we need subs who are local and available on a more regular basis.” Although there aren’t many applicants this year, Brown says this isn’t the worst the district has seen. In the 2020-21 academic year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, many
MARLBOROUGH – It was another New England winter morning. Snowflakes fell, a film of ice formed atop a nearby 4-foot-deep pool of water, and the outdoors – benches, stairs, and rooftops – was covered in a layer of sleet. But even in these frigid conditions, Marlborough community members refused to bundle up. At the Special Olympics headquarters on Forest Street, hundreds gathered in summer garb: flip-flops, T-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits. These people weren’t crazy – they were simply that passionate about making a difference. On March 1, hundreds participated in a Polar Plunge, raising more than $21,000 for Special Olympics Massachusetts in the process.
On snowy day, Marlborough community raises over $20,000 by jumping into icy water
Substitutes | 8
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Polar Plunge | 9
Marlborough High School was the top fundraising team at the 2026 Polar Plunge. (Photo/Evan Walsh)
Hudson hires new director of Public Works By Paul Hopkins Reporter HUDSON – Hudson has a new Director of Public Works. The Select Board appointed Daniel Nason, currently the town administrator in Harvard, to succeed Eric Ryder. Nason was Public Works Director in nearby Sudbury for eight years, from 2016 to 2024, ex-
perience he cited in his application for the job. He said he developed “solid relationships” with his team, town boards and committees, and the community. Nason will oversee budgets similar in size to those he managed in Sudbury a decade ago. Hudson’s DPW proposed operating budget for the next fiscal year is about $4.4 million,
March Move-in Specials Beat the Spring Rush — Call to Learn More! AN ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY
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