Regional school board broaches regionalization idea

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on December 19, 2008

The Regional School Committee will explore the pros and cons of folding Leverett and Shutesbury into the district as well as possibly Wendell and New Salem, despite strong reservations among some would-be members about changing the constitution of their districts.

The Massachusetts Department of Education is urging districts statewide to consider regionalizing with nearby districts to streamline services, arguing that having 372 separate districts is probably not the most efficient model.

The state has suggested that no district should have fewer than 5,000 students and is offering school districts $25,000 grants to begin discussions with other districts.

Hatfield and Hadley are among local districts exploring scenarios.

What School Committee members said they do not know for sure is whether by discussing regionalizing with nearby districts, they will signal to the state that they are in favor of a merger.

"In Leverett, we're very, very happy with what we've got," said Leverett School Committee member Michael Katz, who is the town's representative to the Regional School Committee. "We don't want people to think we're very interested in doing this."

But if they do not even entertain the idea of it, School Committee members said, they fear their could be financial repercussions, because state government is clearly promoting regionalization.

Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury each have their own elementary schools now and send middle and high school students to Amherst Regional High School.

But while Pelham belongs to the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, Leverett and Shutesbury belong to Union 28, which also includes Wendell, New Salem and Erving.

State Sen. Stanley Rosenberg has suggested that Wendell and New Salem might be good additions to the Amherst-Pelham district.

But Union 28 has a century-old history, having been formed in 1901, Farshid Hajir, chairman of the Leverett School Committee, noted at Tuesday's Regional School Committee.

Disbanding it, so that the Leverett and Shutesbury schools could join the Amherst-based regional district would be a significant undertaking, he said.

Moreover, he said, "My own impression is that any regionalization would cost us more money.

Interim Co-superintendent Helen Vivian assured School Committee members that just forming a committee to explore potential regionalization scenarios is unlikely to lock the district into anything.

The deadline for applying for the $25,000 has passed, but if the district can still get the grant, it can pay for a consultant to gather data that will help it ascertain whether a merger would be educationally and financially beneficial, Vivian said.

"You may find out that it means nothing but trouble," Interim Co-superintendent Alton Sprague said.

Michael DeChiara, of the Shutesbury School Committee, said his impression is the state wants districts to at least explore options. "I see this more as a first step in a process that's going to take several years, if it happens at all."

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net.