BUCKLAND — What if, instead of four sparsely filled elementary schools, the Mohawk Trail Regional School District could educate elementary students in one building on the grounds of the Mohawk Trail Regional High School?
How much money would be saved — given that the school district’s enrollment has dropped by 40 percent over the last 16 years — if fewer teachers and administrators served the same number of schoolchildren all on one, central campus?
That’s one long-term idea the Mohawk BEST (Building Education, Sustainability and Trust) Committee is exploring as it examines ways to cut rising school costs without cutting education. Although it isn’t part of this year’s action plan — and it would require approval by all Mohawk towns — the committee would like to do an in-depth study of the financial feasibility of building a new elementary school or new addition on the Mohawk grounds, in case the district wants to pursue this option a few years from now. The committee would like to see this analysis completed by December 2017.
The BEST Committee recently released a one-page list of recommendations for potential ways to reduce district school costs, and will have a final report finished in early December.
On Dec. 12, the committee will host a public presentation at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School, beginning at 7 p.m. “We’re in the process of planning a series of public meetings, to get public feedback,” said Martha Thurber, chairwoman of the committee. “From there, we’ll schedule meetings in Ashfield, Plainfield, Heath and Colrain,” she said.
“The towns will vote on every single phase of this,” Thurber added. She described the recommendations as a progression of steps to be taken if there is support by the towns, town officials and school officials.
The earliest recommendation, to take place over the next school year, is to work with the Heath Education Initiative Task Force on a strategy for educating all its pre-K through Grade 6 students, so that the Heath Elementary School could be closed and returned to the town for municipal use.
This year, with an elementary school enrollment of 30, the Heath task force has been meeting with school officials from Colrain Central, Rowe and Hawlemont to discuss sharing school buildings and resources. The Heath committee has been meeting for a year, and Mohawk officials are waiting to see what Heath decides to do.
Phase 2, for the fiscal year that begins July 2018, would be to integrate all the Mohawk district’s sixth-graders into the Mohawk middle school. The hope is that this transition will make it easier for the students to acclimate to middle school and it will engage them earlier in Mohawk’s athletic, music, theater and after-school activities.
Phase 3, to take place about three years from now, is to work with member towns to consolidate pre-K through Grade 5 students into two school buildings: Sanderson Academy in Ashfield and the Buckland Shelburne Elementary School in Shelburne Falls.
Also, the group will continue to look for ways to reduce Mohawk’s $1 million transportation costs, especially after the current school bus transportation contract expires in July 2018.
The BEST Committee consists of School Committee, selectmen and school staff members. To make sure its recommendations are sound, the group plans to re-evaluate its process frequently, based on such changing factors as actual enrollment, finances and town assessments and the expanding educational opportunities. One hope, for instance, is that enrollment might increase after the towns are wired for broadband internet.
The committee also wants to work closely with the Massachusetts Rural Schools Coalition, to support legislation that addresses financial challenges faced by rural schools. In a presentation to establish a rural aid program within Chapter 70 funding, Superintendent Michael Buoniconti reported that Mohawk’s enrollment had declined 40 percent — from a total of 1,676 in 2000 to 1,005 last school year.
Another goal is to identify and find opportunities to share resources with neighboring districts, to further educational goals and increase efficiency. Last, the committee wants to create an alumni network to maintain enthusiasm for the school district and raise money for future initiatives.