To the Editor:

Two dozen Berkshire County Education Task Force (BCETF) volunteers have been meeting every third Saturday morning for the past 18+ months. These prominent educators, administrators, school committee chairs and planning officials have attended more than 25 meetings to-date. Why?

They have persisted because — facing rapidly declining enrollments — Berkshire education is at a critical state. Alongside, teachers and programs have been reduced significantly due to program losses including “foreign languages, instructional technology, curricula development.” Worse yet, voids are not being addressed. South County still has no Vo-Tech school while North County specialized schools are growing with more than 630 students. It became a concern as while I attended these meetings as a concerned citizen.

These mismatches and declines result in many schools operating at two-thirds capacity. Rising costs (27 percent over 10 years), affected by inflation, health care benefits, special education services and crumbling infrastructures have stressed funding. The concomitant rise in taxes (47 percent) has pushed most towns against levy limits as they approach their maximums.

The stakes are high: education affects how we interact with others, employment, service quality, leadership and management and the financial health of individuals, families and communities.

So where are we? At the conclusion of the Phase I report, Task Force groups accomplished a formidable task. They met with nearly every Selectboard and School Committee up and down the County totaling more than 45 presentations this winter. They recognized this is every town’s problem and opportunity.

The findings “shout out,” what improvements should be made? At what cost? And who should pay?

Scenarios are being explored through a Phase II study. At the BCETF August meeting, Governor Baker recognized the County had unique challenges with its declining enrollment and rising costs. Through BCETF’s advocacy, the State approved $150,000 to explore alternatives. This work will be a unique resource.

How will towns and schools use this information due in June? Who will initiate discussions? The earlier we are involved and acknowledge the issues, the better we will understand our options. Don’t we owe this strategic planning to our young people and their futures?

To get started, I have submitted a citizen’s petition for consideration at Great Barrington Town Meeting in May (see a copy of the petition below). The petition requests that our Select Board and School Committee take the necessary steps to create a formal delegation of citizens, town officials and school committee members to open discussions with other towns in order to create an expanded regional high school district.

The goals are to increase programs using funds from duplicate functions for South County towns that wish to participate. By expanding the district, we would have the necessary enrollment to support academic courses, arts and music programs which are typically vulnerable to budget cuts. Specialized programs including potential Vo-Tech facilities, wherever located, would be accessible to all district students.

I call on voters from other towns to introduce similar citizen proposals to their school boards such as the Southern Berkshire Regional School District (Sheffield, Egremont, Monterey, New Marlborough, Alford) as well as nearby Lee. Richmond, Otis and Sandisfield which are NOT district members could do the same. With this expansion, choice-in or tuition-in programs would no longer be needed since all students would come from towns in the expanded district. This way, an equitable financial base for schools like Monument Mountain Regional High School could be addressed within a new, to-be-determined context.

If we do not resolve strategic issues, we defer precious time in planning a better future for our students. When we engage in upcoming budget discussions, the urgent need for an expanded high school district will become evident.

Please voice your concerns to focus on our high schools to School Committees and Select Boards. Introduce a citizen’s petition to promote broad-based collaboration in support of our students, our economic development, our financial sustainability and the general health of the County.

Next week, I will present the specific demographics in South County that highlight the need for strategic planning.

Sharon Gregory

Great Barrington

CITIZEN PETITION FOR VOTERS IN GREAT BARRINGTON

Petition to the Great Barrington Select Board and Berkshire Hills Regional District School Committee:

We, the people of Great Barrington are submitting this petition for a vote at the next Town Meeting.

WHEREAS:

Public school enrollment has steadily declined over the past 15 years and is projected to continue to do so,

Students no longer have access to a full complement of courses needed to prepare for their careers,

Further, there is no vocational school within reasonable proximity of South County

Yet expenses continue to increase due to many factors.

BE IT RESOLVED: The School Committee and the Select Board take necessary steps to create a formal delegation of school committee members, town officials and citizens to open discussion with other School Districts and towns to create an expanded regional high school.

The goals are to increase the education curriculum while reducing overhead costs across the South County for towns that wish to participate. The aim is to expand Vo-Tech options and academic courses which have disappeared.

We believe this is a necessary step to “right-size” our high school. Expanding our high school district would eliminate the need for, and inequitable tax impact of, choice-in and tuition-in programs that generate administrative work and financial imbalances. On the positive side, district expansion should stabilize educational support for our participating communities.

Signed:

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