NORTHFIELD — Despite some dissension, Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee has taken another step toward possibly closing two of its elementary schools
The committee Tuesday officially gave notice to its host towns that it may discontinue using Warwick Community School and/or Leyden’s Pearl Rhodes Elementary School next year, although a binding decision on school closures is likely still two months away.
The votes on Tuesday were to give Leyden and Warwick 180 days’ notice from Sept. 1 that the school district may not use the buildings for the 2019-2020 school year. Each town owns its elementary school building, and the school district is a tenant.
Coming into January, the School Committee had been under the belief that the district would be required to give the towns at least 180 days’ advance notice if the leases were not going to be renewed.
Then it turned out that there are no leases. Apparently the documents were drafted at some point, but they were never signed, the district’s lawyer Russell Dupere said.
Dupere guessed that, legally, the district is probably a month-to-month tenant in the towns’ buildings. If that is the case, the district really only has to give one month’s notice if it is to vacate the buildings.
Still, Dupere advised the School Committee to give the towns the full 180 days’ notice, in case, somehow, someone produces a signed lease.
School Committee members also felt that it was ethically better to honor the unsigned leases.
“We’re doing our due diligence to be fair to all parties involved,” said committee member Mike Townsley. “If the vote comes down to closing the schools, everything’s been done and we’re doing it right.”
Motions to give the 180 days’ notice to the two towns both passed, but not unanimously. Abigail Pratt, who lives in Leyden, voted against the Leyden decision; and voting against the Warwick decision were Pratt, Jim Bell of Bernardston and Jessica Marshall of Warwick.
“This is a detriment to our district to make this decision,” Marshall said.
The votes on Monday do not mean that either school will definitely be closed, but they leave the School Committee’s window for a decision open.
Previously, when it was believed that the towns had valid leases, the School Committee had planned to make final decisions on school closures by the end of January.
But that final vote was pushed back indefinitely, when district administrators found that the committee was not yet legally able to close schools. There is special state legislation meant to help the district through the financial problems that surfaced last spring, and in that legislation the School Committee has special authority to close schools if doing so will help to make the district financially sustainable.
But as it turns out, the special authority granted by the legislation doesn’t start until the district borrows money to cover its $450,000 deficit. Pioneer Finance Director Tanya Gaylord expects the loan to be finalized at some point in March. At that point the committee will revisit the school closure questions, probably.
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ex 261.