BUCKLAND — Although not all school board members were on board with moving sixth-graders out of the elementary schools and into the Mohawk Trail Regional High School, the Mohawk School Committee voted 10 to 1 in favor of putting the issue before annual town meeting voters this May.
If approved by all Mohawk member towns at annual town meeting, the warrant article would change the district’s regional agreement, to say that sixth-graders in member towns will go to Mohawk, and that Hawlemont and Rowe students “will be eligible” to attend sixth-grade at Mohawk, if they wish. All the Rowe and Mohawk students will still attend Grades 7 through 12 at the high school.
If the sixth-grade article is approved by the eight-member towns, school officials will prepare for this student move in time for the fall of 2019.
Mohawk Chairwoman Martha Thurber said the change could not be completed in less than 18 months, because it requires approval of all Mohawk towns, and had to be budgeted for. If any of the eight member towns — Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield or Shelburne — defeat the issue at annual town meeting, then sixth-graders will remain in their respective grade schools.
School business director Stephen Nembirkow said moving sixth-graders to Mohawk would have little effect on district school costs. He said towns’ assessments will still be based on each town’s five-year rolling enrollment average. Superintendent Michael Buoniconti said there could be some shared cost reductions, if fewer teachers are needed for the larger sixth-grade classes at Mohawk.