"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
"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
"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 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 Steve Willig of Egremont writes: “In what appears to be a weak attempt to save face, the Egremont Board of Selectmen announced plans to spend my tax dollars bringing a lawsuit against the district for violating the terms of the regional agreement.”
Clearly, consolidation did nothing to control taxes in Great Barrington. And, based on the Egremont In her letter to the editor, Susan Bachelder writes: "Finance Committee's evaluation of the SBRSD budget, closing the Egremont village school will have no effect at all on SBRSD escalating school taxes either."
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."
Beth Regulbuto is currently serving as the Associate Superintendent of Schools with the Hampden-Wilbraham School District. She will assume her new post in July.
In her letter to the editor, Michele Shalaby observes: "Many Selectmen continue to criticize the SBRSD administration and request very specific changes without an understanding of current operations or the ramifications."
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 threat that school districts face, and the fear which is driving some communication with districts and parents, is that of the possibility of state sanctions for low test participation rates.
