NORTHFIELD — Residents concerned about the state of the Pioneer Valley Regional School District need to get together and turn their ideas into actions, said Pioneer Valley Regional School social studies teacher Ken Mullen.
Mullen and other teachers will be hosting a help desk outside the Pioneer Valley Regional School library on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. until the School Committee meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. They want to share information about how residents can petition the various levels of government that determine how the school district is run.
“I feel like it is my job as a social studies educator to help all of these people that are attending these school committee meetings to realize how many levels of government have failed the students of this school,” Mullen said. “If there are people who want to bring about change, we need to direct them to the place where they can best bring about change.”
Inadequate funding from the state government, Mullen said, has forced the Pioneer Valley Regional School District to carry a larger financial burden than it had ever planned for. When the four towns regionalized their school systems in 1991, the state promised to pay a certain portion of the costs for bus services. This financial support has never been provided to the extent promised, Mullen said.
Superintendent Ruth Miller has also cited transportation costs as a major factor in the district’s financial problem. Moreover, Mullen said, the state’s formula for reimbursing the district’s per-student costs has not changed since 1993, creating an increasingly large gap in the district’s finances.
“Several costs have gone up since 1993,” Mullen said.
He also cited dysfunction within the School Committee as a problem for the district.
“I think what we’re lacking is connection,” Mullen said. “I think all we’re getting in this district is conflict. We need to start exchanging ideas, making connections, coming up with solutions, instead of pointing out problems.
“Change is going to happen,” he said. “It’s just gonna be, who’s making the decisions? Is it gonna be the towns … or is it gonna be the state? If we don’t act now, we are gonna lose some decision-making power, and I don’t want that.”
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ext. 261.