“We are not doing justice by our current students. We're being irresponsible by sitting here today and saying we're not improving our high school for four years."
--- Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee member Rich Dohoney
In addition to the Simon's Rock students, the protest included approximately 300 other people, including students from Berkshire Country Day, the Berkshire Waldorf School and Monument Mountain Regional High School.
The Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee voted unanimously to send a letter to Southern Berkshire and its five member towns asking to establish a planning group to explore consolidation for grades 9-12
The idea is to bring foreign students to enrich the experiences of current students at Mount Everett and, in the process, provide needed revenue to the school district and ultimately help boost district enrollments which have been dropping throughout the county.
This will be the third try since 2013 to get state aid for the ailing high school. BHRSD Superintendent Peter Dillon noted that “constructing a new high school is actually less expensive than renovating and adding to the new building.”
"While our state’s educational system is highly regarded throughout the country, our analysis found that the processes governing school regionalization and its funding are antiquated, and have not kept pace with the modern challenges facing communities."
-- State Auditor Suzanne Bump
Rex told a panel of Monument educators and community leaders she had become an administrator after years of teaching because "I was frustrated with the decisions administrators were making or the way they interacted with the faculty and the kids."
"I just wanted to get my viewpoint out. I believe it'll raise my taxes — maybe not immediately — but it'll happen."
-- Wilson Wright of Stockbridge, owner of the truck and sign urging voters to reject an amended regional school district pact
“Marianne has stepped into challenging issues including heated conversations about drug and substance use and abuse, race, gender identity and equity. She’s made room for her students, colleagues, parents and community to discuss, reflect and grow.”
-- BHRSD Superintendent Peter Dillon
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.
