Stormy weather prompts me to run around and gather cut flowers that might be pummeled in a heavy rainstorm. Peony and poppy flowers often shatter in heavy rain.
School districts are working with a cohort of community partners to address the growing need for support of families with young children during this unexpected break from school.
The devil, however, was in the details, as panelists debated the pros and cons of building a brand-new new school or stripping the old one down to its core, constructing an addition and adding sprinkler systems and new infrastructure.
If the Berkshire Hills Regional School District could increase the number of towns that are formally members of the district, it could be leveraged to have a significant effect on the reimbursement rate for a potential project from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Tabakin asked the school committee to delay its vote to approve or reject the proposed budget because she would like the school committee to meet first with Great Barrington’s selectmen and finance committee.
Great Barrington's assessment will rise a projected 6.7 percent to about $16.4 million, in part because of an increase in the town's state-mandated minimum local contribution, which determines a minimum each town should pay based on the wealth of the community.
The vote by Berkshire Health Group, the school district's joint health insurance-purchasing entity, to keep rates flat for next year surprised district officials, but they're not complaining.
The towns will pay for future improvements or building projects for the district’s three schools based on what the state calls “equalized value [EQV],” defined as the “full and fair cash value” of all taxable property in a town.
In order to avoid too big an increase to taxpayers, the school committee has to cut between $400,000 to $600,000 this year. Still, Great Barrington will see an almost 7 percent increase, Stockbridge will see a 9 percent increase, and West Stockbridge, a 3 percent increase.
