Norton Patch VIP of the Week: Beth McManus

Beth McManus has devoted much of her 18 years living in Norton to making the town a better place to live.

McManus is in her second term on the School Committee and also worked on the town manager search committee to find a replacement for Jim Purcell, who is retiring. She also is an integral part of the Norton Tricentennial Committee.

McManus said that the greatest challenge the School Committee is facing is the planned renovation of the high school. The project will be brought before voters at the spring Town Meeting, which would require a debt exclusion override, something the town has never supported.

She is proud of the fact that Norton students scored in the top 15 percent in the state on the MCAS exams.

“The MCAS test is the test that determines what kids learn and what’s being taught,” McManus said. “We’re happy with the results. I’d like to see it go even higher.”

McManus was also an education assistant at the J.C. Solmonese School for three years and was on the parent’s board for 12 years.

School budget funding has always been a struggle for Bay State communities, and Norton is no different.

“Funding is an issue,” McManus said. “Each year the budget goes down. We’ve been cutting and cutting and cutting and now we’re down to bare bones.”

But despite the financial pressure, the schools manage to do the best with what they’ve got.

“I’ve enjoyed living in the town,” she said. “I like the camaraderie. Norton has a good school system and I’ve enjoyed it with my kids.”

Her efforts with the town manager search committee are vital as the town looks to fill Jim Purcell’s role. Purcell retired last month, but is working a few days a week until the town finds a replacement.

“I have a lot of respect for Jim,” McManus said. “He’s worked very well with the School Committee. I want to find someone I respect as much as I do Jim and someone who has the dedication he has.”

McManus has spent a lot of time helping to organize some of the social events in town, including the First Night festivities. She helped run the talent show held at the high school during the celebration.

“We had 22 acts,” she said. “Not all of the acts were high school students. I was a little nervous about who was in the show, and if they’d be good, but in rehearsal, Steve (Bishop, who was the emcee) and I couldn’t believe it. There wasn’t one bad act.”

The town will celebrate its tricentennial June 12. There will be a ball commemorating the event April 2, which McManus is also helping out with.

McManus also said that she made new friends on the First Night Committee and became close with many, close enough for the friends to get together on Feb. 26 at the VFW for their own celebration.

“The whole time I’ve been here in Norton, I’ve worked with the schools, so working with the 300 year celebration committee gave me a chance to meet other people in town, which was nice.”