BUCKLAND — Buckland town officials are reviewing how the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education calculates the town’s minimum required spending level for education – because the state is basing Buckland residents’ median income on that of residents within only one of four ZIP codes that serve this town of roughly 1,800 residents.
Now other Mohawk towns with multiple ZIP codes are wondering if their state-required spending levels reflect the true median income of their residents.
In Buckland, the town’s state-calculated spending requirement for education has been based on the town’s “aggregate wealth” – property valuations that come from the town assessors’ office, and residents’ median income, which was extrapolated from the 278 Buckland residents who use the 01338 ZIP code in Upper Buckland and who have a total income of $7,478,000.
Working with DESE School Finance Administrator Roger Hatch, Town Administrator Andrea Llamas recently sent Hatch a breakdown, by ZIP code, of the town’s 1,902 residents and their annual income, according to town tax rolls.
Llamas said the breakdown was sent to Hatch last week, and the town is waiting to hear back on how recalculating median income may affect state-required spending on education.
The issue was raised this week at the Mohawk Trail Regional School District Committee meeting because most of the eight rural hilltowns within the school district share ZIP codes with neighbors on each town border.
Hawley (population 320), shares Charlemont’s ZIP code, but so do portions of Buckland and Heath.
According to Llamas, Shelburne was credited with having about 4,000 residents, based on the 01370, but at least 1,400 of that count were “Shelburne Falls” village residents who live in Buckland.
Shelburne Town Clerk/Selectman Joseph Judd said nearly all Shelburne residents get mail through the 01370 ZIP code. “But when you get out to the borders of Colrain, Charlemont, Buckland and Conway it’s more likely they will get Shelburne ZIP codes,” he said.
“Last year, when Shelburne was hit with a $200,000 assessment increase, based on the state minimum required contribution, we checked with our Board of Assessors to see if anything had changed,” Judd said. “Nothing had.”
Heath’s 700 residents receive mail from five ZIP codes, according to Selectboard Chairwoman Sheila Litchfield: ZIP codes assigned to Heath, Charlemont, Colrain, Rowe and Shelburne Falls.
“The Selectboard is very concerned about this issue, and has already sent letters to our department heads, including the tax collector, assessors and the town clerk, to try to look at other issues in which the ZIP code may be problematic in their work – either creating more work for them in addresses they have to undo or correct.”
“I think it’s a bigger issue than just the DOR (Department of Revenue) data,” Litchfield said.
Colrain uses just one ZIP code, according to Colrain Town Clerk Robin Hartnett, but it’s shared with other towns’ residents on its Heath, Shelburne and Leyden town borders.
Mohawk School Committee Chairman Kirby “Lark” Thwing said the school committee should send a letter to the state education department, saying the school district is concerned about whether figures used to calculate town’s relative wealth are accurate.
When asked to comment, department of education spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis replied: “Since fiscal 2007, ESE has done annual estimates for income for four small towns (Buckland, Shelburne, Williamsburg and Tisbury) when the ratio of their household members on tax returns to total population is beyond a reasonable statistical range. In response to a request from Buckland, Roger Hatch has indicated that we are open to improving the estimates if the number of residents from that town within each ZIP code can be certified. At this point, we are waiting for Buckland to compile that data.”
You can reach
Diane Broncaccio at:
dbroncaccio@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 277