Hello Hanover residents and South Shore Times readers. Many thanks to the South Shore Times team for extending the opportunity for me to introduce myself to our local community. My name is Hanley Scott, I am a South Shore native, seven-year Hanover resident, and one of your candidates for the 2026-2029 Hanover School Committee term.
My time in Hanover started quietly. I was a newly single parent with a young toddler, and had made the decision to settle here for two reasons: Hanover’s small, close-knit community, and the excellent schools. Although it was a financial stretch, I invested in Hanover knowing that the return on that investment would be tenfold.
I became more engaged with town budgeting and school operations during the spring of 2023 when projected financial shortfalls were rumored. I tuned into Select Board and School Committee meetings, learned about the structure of our town government, and began putting the pieces together to better understand how our department budgets are funded.
When the opportunity presented itself to volunteer with Invest in Hanover, I was curious to learn more about what an override would mean for our community. My mortgage is the first bill paid every month, and as a single-earner household, my income is fixed. Advocating for an increase to my non-discretionary spending was not something that I took lightly. However, thinking back to the original logic used when I moved to Hanover in 2019, I quickly realized that my choice to make an increased investment in our community would yield an immediate return – not just for our schools, but for our town as a whole. I am thrilled to see the return of many positions needed in Hanover Schools, which lower the burden on classroom teachers, and better support the needs of our students.
Some of my goals for a term on the Hanover School Committee include:
Dynamic educational opportunities – creating academic programming that entices families to stay in-district and prepares students for both college and non-college post graduate paths.
Strategic long-term planning – developing fiscally-sound policy for long term project planning to ensure we maximize access to grants and state aid and reduce cost burden on Hanover residents.
Community centered outreach – exploring ways to engage students in the Hanover community, including establishing volunteer programs that encourage collaboration between HPS students, the town, local businesses, and non-profits.
What I commit to Hanover residents if elected:
To be an informed and engaged representative.
To listen to the concerns of residents and the HPS community, and address them to the best of my ability.
To establish collaborative working relationships with other town departments, committees, and officials.
To approach school issues in a practical and problem-solving manner, knowing many residents, like me, care deeply about education as well as how far their incomes can stretch.
To be an advocate for our schools, students, teachers, administrators, and town.
I know that with a solutions-focused mindset, we can achieve great things for HPS and the extended Hanover community. I would be grateful for your vote on May 16th to make these goals a reality. To learn more about my campaign and how to engage with me leading into the election, please follow “Hanley for Hanover School Committee” on Facebook.
Lastly, I would like to give a moment of recognition and share my deep thanks to the teachers, counselors, coaches, staff, administrators, and family volunteers who make Hanover Public Schools a district to be envied. I always say raising a child takes a village, and I am so grateful that you are all part of ours.
Go Hawks!
Hanley Scott