The most recent edition of the Bold Eagle, the student newspaper for Mount Everett Regional School, ran a front-page news story and an editorial on the controversy surrounding two administrators and the school committee.
It was that kind of night. Indeed, the atmosphere was tense enough that two Sheffield police officers were called to observe the school committee meeting lest things get out of control.
For a variety of technical reasons, four Sheffield candidates were on the ballot for three seats. But voters were instructed to "vote for not more than two,” and those two with the most support were automatically re-elected.
It does appear that a generational challenge is in the offing for the Nov. 6 elections. A flyer distributed throughout the district refers to a "clean slate for SBRSD school committee" and flatly states that "the candidates support the right of all the towns to have their elementary schools."
"I think the best way to ensure safety is around building relationships and making sure kids are known and connected to multiple adults.” --Peter Dillon, Berkshire Hille Regional School District superintendent
"It [the Egremont School] is the heart of the community. While it gives the kind of educational experience that is so important these days, it is also a unique institution, located as it is in the center of town."
-- Ellen Maggio
At its regular meeting Thursday night, the Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee voted to form a subcommittee whose title would be "The Future of Education in Southern Berkshire County."
"It's time we start talking with our neighbors. I'm certainly willing to talk to anyone who wants to talk about moving forward with Berkshire Hills or even Farmington River and Richmond."
-- Egremont Selectboard Chairman Bruce Turner
"The real question is whether thoughtful creative educators are thinking creatively about the consolidation and how to make the most of this [potential] change."
-- Susan Engel, director of the Program in Teaching at Williams College, and a former member ot the Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee
After meeting separately in closed-door sessions on Monday, the Egremont Board of Selectmen and the regional school committee agreed to a settlement that would suspend operations at the South Egremont School for 2017-18.
"We have a potential settlement agreement. Both parties will be voting on it next week. If both parties agree, we will not go forward with our suit."
-- Bruce Turner, chairman of the Egremont Board of Selectmen
The latest move by the school committee was to hold a closed-door meeting of invited guests Tuesday morning in the Eagle's Loft meeting room at Mount Everett Regional School.
Quite apart from getting the budget passed before July 1 is the question of how to find the extra $52,000 to restore transportation to New Marlborough Central School for next year.
The School Committee has insisted the Monterey and Egremont schools were not closed, but that their operations were temporarily suspended or put "on hiatus." But others see the busing policy as a tactic to cripple enrollment at New Marlborough Central in order to close it.
If district taxpayers refuse to authorize spending for the school district, the state has an elaborate system to ensure the district's continued operation.
