Michael Wise recently presented a thoroughly researched and thoughtful proposal tying a residential exemption from local property taxes to the proposed renovation of Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS). Mr. Wise explains that the vast majority of Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD) residents would face no additional property taxes to fund renovation if each town implemented the exemption. And this column previously addressed (here and here) the cost to taxpayers to renovate the school without an exemption. These columns focused solely on the financial costs, ignoring the real cost to our students, and our community, if we do not improve MMRHS.
I asked BHRSD Superintendent Dr. Peter Dillon what it would mean if we failed to rehabilitate MMRHS. He responded with a Winston Churchill quote: “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” Dr. Dillon said that Mr. Churchill’s observation is consistent with contemporary research reflecting that the condition of school buildings influences student learning and their later achievement. Dr. Dillon suggested that I spend some time digging into research on school-building conditions to understand the correlation between school facilities and student performance, and so I have.
I reviewed scientific papers and various abstracts so you won’t have to. Let me share some of the conclusions that jumped out:
- School infrastructure “has a serious impact on student learning and achievement.”
- Improving school infrastructure “should be considered and recommended for all schools to optimize student achievement and teacher delivery.”
- “[L]ow level of education is due to inadequate level of physical facilities. Physical facilities provide students with adequate atmosphere conducive to learning. Modern physical facilities are important and have positive effects on student learning and performance.”
It is not news that students in smaller classes perform better and are more likely to attend college. But I thought it surprising that students in higher quality classrooms “have higher earnings, college attendance rates, and other outcomes,” including saving more for retirement and living in better neighborhoods. Also surprising was that while the test-score gains that students reflect in higher quality classrooms “fade out … gains in non-cognitive measures persist.”
Studies that tracked students from kindergarten forward conclude that one’s life trajectory improves with a community’s investment in schools, sometimes dramatically. I was skeptical whether it was possible to isolate one factor, the state of school facilities, to draw a line to long-term achievement. Having now reviewed the research, I must acknowledge the consistent conclusion that schools with better facilities tend to have students with higher academic achievement, and the converse is true as well; that is, students at schools with substandard conditions struggle more.
It certainly takes more than new whiteboards and computers to achieve. It is likely the case that schools with substandard facilities have trouble retaining experienced teachers (most highly correlated to student achievement) and attracting quality teachers in the first place. (Note to self: Research correlation of the availability of affordable housing to student achievement.) Perhaps teachers look at the state of a school and extrapolate what it means for the community’s overall educational investment.
It may also be the case that students have higher achievement in better facilities due to the implicit message to students that the community cares enough to invest in the school and them. The sense of pride that a quality facility engenders may drive student motivation.
It is fair to assume that if school facilities are neglected, other areas critical to student achievement are neglected as well. You cannot escape the conclusion that facilities matter. After teachers, investment in school facilities is among the most critical determiners of students’ long-term achievement.
Consider that MMRHS is the only unrenovated high school in Berkshire County. We may revere old, but appreciation for antiquities is misplaced in a facility that lacks new technologies and modern labs. We have heard much about MMRHS’s failing HVAC system. Perhaps students at MMRHS concentrate on whether it is too hot or too cold rather than the lesson being taught.
Much like the weather, everyone complains about the state of MMRHS, but many have been unwilling to do anything about it. One would think all the MMRHS graduates, and their families, would want to step up and fight to save the school. Mr. Wise did not attend MMRHS, but he plainly understands it is critical to the community. And now we know a renovated school is critical to students’ lifetime achievement.
Since Dr. Dillon brought up Mr. Churchill, let’s consider something else he allegedly said: that Americans will always do the right thing, but only after they have tried everything else.
Well, stop me if you have heard this one. A town needs to renovate a failing high school facility, but when the time comes to vote on the $55 million renovation, town voters say “no.” Shortly thereafter, voters are presented with a $51 million renovation plan, yielding the same answer. A decade later, the voters are asked to approve a $135 million renovation plan, but this time coupled with a residential exemption for local property taxes. It is at that point, having spent decades trying everything else, the towns of BHRSD did the right thing.
Survey Monkey Questions
Here is a link to the following Survey Monkey poll: “Do you support your town’s select board implementing the residential exemption for local property taxes to reduce for most residents the costs associated with renovating Monument Mountain Regional High School?”
Survey Monkey Results
A recent column asked the following survey question: “Do you believe it was shameful for Stockbridge to denounce the appeal seeking to reverse the DPU’s Order approving HWW’s rate petition?”
As of publication, 71.88 percent of respondents said “yes.”
Days Great Barrington has held Community Access Fees hostage: 187
