At last, a major institution in America is standing up to the bullying and extortion that seems to characterize every action of the Trump administration.
"Once we started doing our work, a clear consensus evolved that the one-district option presented the best opportunities for education and improved financial sustainability for the school districts." --John Hockridge, chair of the Berkshire County Education Task Force
As part of its Last Mile initiative, MBI will provide Charter with a grant of more than $4.4 million to defray the costs of wiring the rural towns of Egremont, Tyringham, Hancock and Peru. State Rep. Pignatelli also noted that Egremont and perhaps Monterey will have a 1 Gbps connection through Fiber Connect, 12 times faster than what Charter offers in Great Barrington.
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.
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.
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.
Flynn, a former member of the Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee who has become embroiled in a battle over whether to keep the South Egremont School open, lost by more than anyone expected to McGurn, a retired business school dean who has never held elected office in the town, by a margin of 343-112.
"If I was ever going to run [again], I believe in letting voters know in advance. As if there isn't enough fake news."
-- Former Sheffield Selectman Rene Wood
In his letter to the editor, Ralph Noveck writes: “It has been shown that kids exposed to this kind of small, nurturing environment [in Egremont Village School] do better when they graduate to elementary and high school.”
The complaint further asks the court to consider the School Committee's action to be a "material breach" and to grant the town the authority to enter into "tuition agreements with another district or districts."
Charlie Flynn, who chairs both the town Technology Committee and the Board of Selectmen, said the committee is meeting on Thursday (April 6) at 5 p.m. in Town Hall and the selectmen are slated to decide on a plan on Monday, April 10, at their regular meeting.
After decades of living in the slow lane of dial-up, DSL and rickety satellite connections, Egremont now has more than one company vying for the right to slake the town's thirst for the modern age.
“We should be celebrating the fact that when they get to high school, our students are leading the pack. Teachers do above and beyond. It’s not about a damn test; it’s about the kids.”
--- Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee member Charlie Flynn
The Southern Berkshire Regional School District (SBRSD) School Committee resolves that neither parent who chooses to opt their children out of the PARCC, MCAS, MCAS 2.0, or any other high stakes standardized test nor students will not be subject to any negative consequences from the SBRSD administration or the SBRSD School Committee.
The Monterey School is one of three one-room schoolhouses remaining in Massachusetts: "It’s really simple. This is not a political decision, or even financial. It’s purely an educational decision."
-- Carl Stewart, chairman of the Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee, on the proposed closing of the Monterey Village School.
“This is such a mess that I can’t even begin to understand what’s right and wrong...It’s such a disaster.”
-- Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee member Arthur Battachi Jr. of Sheffield
