Regional School Committee last night
Unlike the strong skepticism expressed at their meeting two weeks ago, perhaps brought on by the mad rush to seek approval in time for this year's Town Meeting season, last night the Amherst Pelham
Regional
School
Committee expressed optimism over the prospect of regionalizing the current grades 7-12 all the way down to preK through 6th grade.
Amherst School Committee member Rick Hood started off the one-hour discussion saying they should "keep working" on the project (after more than three years of committee work culminating with the
Regional
Agreement
Working
Group final report) especially if it allows a future "on ramp" for any town, like Shutesbury, who is not yet ready to make the leap.
In order for the educational expansion to happen
all four towns via their Town Meeting must approve amending the current 60-year-old Regional Agreement but then one or two could vote not to join at the current time.
RAWG member Kip Fronsh appeared at Public Comment period to lobby for Regionalization
Mr. Hood cited the $600,000 savings figure saying, "It's a big deal, if it's real." A sentiment echoed later by other committee members. Although Shutesbury member Steve Sullivan pointed out that financial projection "was old" and a study should be done for fresher figures.
Governance is still a major stumbling block with members expressing skepticism over a 13 member supersized
Regional
School
Committee (7 from Amherst and 2 from each of the hilltowns). Rick Hood suggested a RSC of seven member, four from Amherst and one each from Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury.
But other members thought that would be too much work and pressure on a lone town representative to the powerful new committee.
RSC Chair from Pelham Trevor Baptiste said bringing financial sustainability to the Pelham Elementary School was his main objective but it was "debatable" if the money savings was worth it. He liked the idea of district wide elections to the new super-committee because it would "reduce factionalism."
Amilcar Shabazz attending his final meeting via "remote participation" said confidently from Rick Hood's Mac computer: "This can be done."
Committee Chair Baptiste then suggested for RSC meetings over the next year a major bullet point from the Regional Agreement Working Group report be put on the agenda for a 20 minute or so discussion.
And in the near future all three hilltown School Committees be invited in for a discussion.
Marylou Theilman pointed out from the audience that it had been a good, long-overdue discussion but it was shame Amherst Media was not there to cover it, especially since a major criticism of the project has been the lack of public outreach.
The Chair, who has previously touted his respect for "transparency", responded that maybe the reason the conversation/discussion went so well is because officials felt more comfortable without the cameras running.
Hmm ...