TURNERS FALLS — Questions about the long-term viability of the Gill-Montague Regional School District were the main topic during the first of two civic discussions between the district and leaders from Montague and Gill.
Members of the district’s administration, School Committee, Gill and Montague finance committees and selectboards gathered Tuesday night in the Montague Senior Center to begin a process that participants hope can bring more clarity and consensus to problems in the district and how they may find solutions for them.
Many at the meeting shared an optimism and belief that the towns and the district can find solutions while striking a tone of concern about how to go forward.
The district, like several other regional districts in western Massachusetts, is struggling with a confluence of problems, including declining population, students choosing to go out of the district to neighboring schools or enrolling in charter schools, state aid shortfalls and the growing gap between district expenses and what the towns can afford to pay.
The meeting was organized due to existing fiscal concerns within the district that were expressed during this year’s budget process. It was moderated by Debbie Lynangale of the Mediation and Training Collaborative,
Superintendent Michael Sullivan presented information about the financial direction of the district and addressed areas of concern around position cuts over the past several years. Sullivan said it would be hard to continue to cut positions and maintain the current quality of education. He said that if the average six staff cuts per year continue, the schools will be hit with bigger class sizes, reductions in programs and courses.
Representatives from Gill and Montague also presented from their perspectives as well. Those from the towns expressed the biggest concerns around how they feel state funding formulas penalize rural districts.
Several attendees also questioned how they should advocate for a change in how charter schools are funded. Several people at Tuesday’s meeting said these schools have had a negative impact on the districts and are not living up to their initial promises. Under existing state regulations, home districts receive reimbursements for six years: 100 percent for the first year and 25 percent for the next five years.
Fred Bowman, who sits on the Montague Finance Committee, said that part of the issue is working with the state and also forcing those in Boston to realize there’s a problem with the amount of funding that goes to western Massachusetts schools.
“We need to get them to understand that Massachusetts doesn’t end at (Interstate) 495,” he said, referring to the highway that separates the Boston metropolitan area from the rest of the state.
Beyond the town and district presentations, the members also worked in small groups to develop priority issues and discuss positive things happening in the district as well as challenges.
“There are things we are doing very well for the students, but there are things we would like to do better,” said Ray Purington, town administrator in Gill.
In preparation for this meeting, he had re-read previous studies and documents surrounding concerns about school funding in Gill and that many of Tuesday night’s problems were not new.
“I found the very same topics churning about, decade after decade,” he said.
Montague town administrator Steve Ellis said that part of his long-term goal is to make Montague a place for young families in the Pioneer Valley, and improving the schools to attract those families, and incorporating those families into the district to increase its enrollment are goals that go hand in hand.
“We’ve done a fairly amazing job making due with what we have,” he said. “It’s a long history of dealing with these issues.”
There were ideas across the board, but much of the concern centered around state aid, and the lack of funding that western Mass. school districts get because of population declines, especially compared to the Boston Metro area schools. There was consensus between the district and the towns that both Gill and Montague are making contributions that exceed what they have to pay, but that it’s not enough when state aid falls short.
“The state has not lived up to its responsibility to fund education,” Montague Finance Committee member Michael Naughton said.
The meeting was an information sharing session, according to Lynangale, so everyone can get on the same page and all interested parties have accurate information about where the district’s situation stands.
Several of the group’s members, however, expressed an interest in not only continuing beyond those two meetings but finding and implementing some solution in the near future.
“There’s a real strong recognition that we need to do something differently,” Ellis said.
The next meeting will be Sept. 6 at the Montague Senior Center from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.