The trustees spent a substantial portion of the meeting refining the scholarship rubric and application process. The working group recommended a rubric that requires two qualifying criteria (applicant residency in Hubbardston and timely submission). The rubric assigns greater weight to two primary criterialibrary use and interactions with Hubbardston Public Library staffwhich are weighted at three times other rubric items. Other elements (use of other libraries, impact of libraries on applicants' lives, career/education goals and style/presentation) carry smaller weights.

The trustees discussed giving a 5-point bonus if the applicant holds a Hubbardston or CW MARS library card; the group agreed to treat the bonus as optional and to allow trustees to revisit it after a review year. Committee members recommended using an online form for submissions, with an explicit accommodation instructing applicants who cannot submit online to contact the library for help or paper copies. Trustees agreed to distribute the scholarship request after the New Year and to share the rubric publicly for transparency.

Speaker 2 said the intent is to increase scoring variation and avoid tied scores by using a wider numeric scale and multipliers. The trustees asked that the rubric and application be available online and that the library offer in-person assistance or printed copies for applicants unable to use the Google Form.