By DIANE BRONCACCIO

Recorder Staff

ROWE — If the story of Rowe and the Mohawk Trail Regional School District were made into a romantic comedy, the plot would go like this: Mohawk and Rowe start off together. Mohawk asks Rowe to leave. Rowe becomes “just friends,” tuitioning high school students to Mohawk for 34 years. Rowe leaves the superintendent it shares with Mohawk, who makes a pitch for Rowe to rejoin the district a few years later.

How this story ends depends on how Rowe and the eight Mohawk towns vote at this year’s annual town meetings. If all nine approve, Rowe would become a secondary education Mohawk district member in July 2017. And district officials believe the “reunion” would save all the towns money.

During Wednesday night’s downpour, about 17 Rowe residents and officials watched Mohawk Superintendent Michael Buoniconti and School Committee Chairman Kirby “Lark” Thwing of Hawley give presentations on what rejoining Mohawk would mean for Rowe.

On the finance side, if Rowe were a grade 7 to 12 Mohawk member for the coming school year, the town would save about $15,000 in Fiscal Year 2017. But the savings to other Mohawk towns would total about $39,830, with a ninth town sharing high school costs, in proportion to each town’s five-year-average student enrollment. Also, Rowe’s secondary education state aid would go directly to Mohawk.

As a member, Rowe would save money because $64,429 of its bus costs would become part of the district’s regional transportation and would be eligible for state reimbursement.

Rowe would also have a voice and two votes on the Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee. It would also share in capital costs, starting with the capital projects that were approved by member towns last spring and are expected to start in fiscal year 2018. Rowe’s share of those capital costs is expected to be about $3,000 per year for five years.

Rowe was a founding member of the Mohawk district in 1967, but was asked to withdraw in 1982, because its high industrial property valuations for the Yankee Rowe Atomic Plant and the Bear Swamp hydroelectric facility resulted in lower state funding for the entire school district.

But the state funding formula for school districts has changed since then, with Chapter 70 state education funding calculated on a per-town — not a per-district basis.

The Rowe Elementary School would not become part of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District, and as a secondary education member, Rowe would not vote on any elementary education matters. Also, it would only pay costs related to the middle and high school. As a tuition-paying nonmember, Rowe is expected to pay an estimated $56,206 for charter school costs in the coming year, based on Rowe’s current per-pupil spending. But if Rowe joins Mohawk, Rowe’s charter school costs would drop to $35,718 because Mohawk’s per-student spending is less than Rowe’s. The entire district shares the charter school expenses in their respective town assessments.

For the coming year, Rowe is expected to send 28 students to Mohawk. Mohawk Business Manager Michael Kociela said district membership is more advantageous to Rowe than paying tuition per student if it has at least 20 students or more in the high school.

“If you had less than 20, the tuition model would be more advantageous to Rowe,” he said.

If Rowe joins the district and isn’t happy, would Rowe need a unanimous vote of approval by member towns to withdraw, asked Paul McLatchy III.

Buoniconti replied, if Mohawk adopts a regional agreement change proposed this year, Rowe’s withdrawal would only require a two-thirds majority vote from Mohawk member towns at annual town meeting. “If not, then Rowe can’t get out.”

As McLatchy looked surprised, Buoniconti added: “This is worse than getting married, Paul. It’s serious.”

Based on current population estimates, Rowe will have 20 or more students in Grades 7 through 12 through Fiscal Year 24. Selectboard Chairwoman Marilyn Wilson said a population decline in the town is one reason why building a broadband network is so important. She said young families are not moving into Rowe without it. “The last baby born here is now 2½ years old,” she said.

Buoniconti said broadband could be a real “game changer” for the population decline throughout the West County towns.

A future informational meeting for Mohawk member towns and for Rowe residents will be held at Mohawk next month.

You can reach Diane Broncaccio at: dbroncaccio@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 277