To the editor:
Monument Mountain Regional High School holds a special place in my heart. I spent my 34-year career there, including the final five as principal, and my children are proud alumni. I know this building. I know its strengths, and I know its limits.
I served on the building committee a decade ago and campaigned for that project. At the time, I heard the concerns: inequity of capital cost distribution within the regional agreement, low tuition rates for school choice students, questions about enrollment and potential southern Berkshire regionalization, and the need for stronger career pathways. After that vote failed, the district went to work. Tuition agreements were renegotiated. The regional agreement was amended to more fairly distribute capital costs. A feasibility study and community vote on regionalization were completed. Career and technical programming was strengthened. This is what progress looks like.
All of my experiences give me a unique perspective on what is at stake and how much progress we have already made to get to this moment. A moment when it is clear that a new high school must be built.
It is true that a new high school costs more than anyone imagined 10 years ago. No one predicted a global pandemic and its economic ripple effects. It is also true that the building’s needs have grown more urgent. That is not because the district neglected the school. Every budget included targeted maintenance for the high school. Labs and classrooms were refreshed, whiteboards and lighting upgraded, new lockers installed, common areas carved out, and accessibility and vocational updates made wherever possible.
Still, patchwork investments cannot fix the core problems of a 50-year-old facility. Windows and doors fall short of modern energy and safety standards. The boiler and heating system are past their prime. ADA access is limited for students and visitors. There is no fire suppression. Natural light is inadequate. Classrooms are too cold or too hot for concentration. Most importantly, many learning spaces, especially vocational areas, are outdated and cannot deliver the tools and flexibility students need for the 21st century.
In recent weeks, I have heard several recurring arguments against the new school proposal. I would group them into two categories: the “I wish we could” arguments and the “what if” arguments. I want to address each directly.
1. “I wish we could renovate the old school over time and spread out the cost.”
State law makes this impossible. Any attempt to update major systems such as heating, fire suppression, or security automatically triggers other mandatory code upgrades. In short, you cannot fix one piece without being required by law to fix them all.
The feasibility study examined a “renovate-only” path, estimating $90 million in expenses with no MSBA reimbursement because that work adds no educational value. It is also the most disruptive option, stretching timelines, escalating costs, and forcing programs like automotive, advanced manufacturing, and science into temporary spaces. The horticulture program remains in an old fox farm building with no accessible entry. Wishing “renovate only” is viable does not make it so.
2. “I wish we could build a smaller school—just for the three towns.”
That is not how Massachusetts funds school construction. The MSBA uses their decades of expertise to determine the right sizing based on enrollment trends, population data, and the district’s educational programs to ensure that the investment, both the community’s and the state’s, meets long-term needs. Plans must meet, not exceed, those program needs and must follow specific square-footage standards. Adhering to this process brings a $60 million state investment back to our community. This is, quite literally, your tax dollars coming back to the community to support its future. Ignoring that process would mean forfeiting those funds entirely.
3. “What if Berkshire Hills didn’t take so many school-choice students?”
This argument ignores the law and the reality of our district. Once a student enrolls through school choice, they are legally entitled to stay until graduation. They are Berkshire Hills students, full stop. Even if the district ended school choice tomorrow, the effects would take years to flow through the grades and would disrupt families and staff.
Muddy Brook and DuBois were built for higher enrollments. Without choice students, those buildings would operate under capacity. Lost tuition revenue would force program cuts, especially in vocational education, shrinking opportunity rather than expanding it. In the long term, that would hurt not only students but the community at large. It is difficult to attract new families, educators, and businesses to a region where the schools are underfunded and opportunities are narrowing.
“I wish we could” and “what if” are natural sentiments. But they do not reflect the legal, financial, or educational reality we face. The real decision before us is simple: Do we continue patching a failing building with no educational improvement, or do we invest in a new, state-supported school designed to serve students for the next 50 years?
This vote is not about nostalgia or frustration. It is about the kind of community we want to be. It is about whether the young people of Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge will learn in a building that reflects who we are and what we believe they deserve.
It is easy to sit on the sidelines and second-guess the process. It is easy to get swept up in rumors or the endless chatter online. But our students need us to look deeper. Read the plans. Review the committee minutes. Talk to those who have done the work.
On November 4, the choice is clear. We can build a new Monument Mountain, safe, energy-efficient, and ready for the 21st century, or we can spend nearly the same amount to prolong the life of a building that can no longer serve our students well. The next generation is watching us. They are counting on us to choose progress over postponement, courage over comfort, and truth over talk.
My hope, and my heartfelt plea, is that we rise to this moment together and vote for the future our students deserve.
Kristina Farina
Former Monument Mountain Regional High School principal and educator
Lee
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