BUCKLAND — After nearly 20 years of service on the Mohawk Trail Regional District School Committee, this year Heath representative Bob Gruen decided it was time for someone else to volunteer.
But no one stepped up to fill Gruen’s position. And while in previous years a vacancy may have compelled him to run again, this year he drew the line.
“I’m 72 years old, I should have a rest,” Gruen said. And anyway, he’d only be able to run again, he quipped, “if you want to attend my funeral, because my wife will kill me in my sleep.”
Though the role was time-consuming, Gruen said it came with many rewards, including a sense of satisfaction in giving back to the town, plus getting to know the “wonderful people” on the committee.
“We always felt like we were doing a good job, we were doing something that needed doing,” Gruen said.
And while he admits there have been times the committee has fallen short, he said he has always welcomed critics to volunteer.
“If you have a better solution, then please, be part of the solution, instead of just complaining,” Gruen said.
Gruen hasn’t completely retired from municipal service, remaining on two town boards: the Zoning Board of Appeals plus a working group tasked with overseeing the merger between Heath and Hawlemont Regional School District.
It is no secret that finding people to fill seats on Mohawk Trail School Committee is tough. The job is unpaid and time-consuming, requiring four or more meetings a month. And if Mohawk Trail’s contentious mascot meeting last week is any indication, the job can also yield some scrutiny from the public.
As this year’s elections approach, several towns did not have a candidate for School Committee, including Heath, Ashfield, Charlemont, Hawley and Colrain. One of Charlemont’s seats has been vacant for a year, leaving the town with one less vote on school issues. Towns are now waiting to see whether various residents written into the ballot will accept their nominations.
School Committee Chairwoman Martha Thurber of Buckland said she expects the committee will have 15 of 16 places filled after election season is over.
Gruen said it has become increasingly difficult to solicit volunteers for town boards in the 40 years he’s lived in Heath. He attributes this to a declining interest in volunteering.
“Where’s the spirit of volunteerism?” Gruen said. “How will towns survive?”
In Heath, Budge Litchfield is now the town’s lone member. Another resident elected as a write-in candidate at this month’s election is now mulling over assuming the open seat.
Litchfield accepted a place on the School Committee shortly after he retired as principal of Sanderson Academy. In the 1980s and 1990s, Litchfield was a member of the former Heath School Committee though he was unable to participate in Mohawk Trail’s committee as Sanderson is part of that district.
“It is a pretty good time commitment,” Litchfield said.
Litchfield suggested that the general reluctance to become involved in town government may be partly a result of the current political climate.
“A big chunk of the population are pretty darn negative about this thing called government,” Litchfield said.
Brad Walker of Shelburne, appointed to the School Committee in February after a position became vacant, said the role is important to him as both his children are enrolled in Buckland-Shelburne Elementary. However, he admitted the role consumes numerous evenings, meaning he misses out on putting his kids to bed those nights.
“It’s a broad time commitment — there’s no sugar coating it,” Walker said. “It’s not the kind of thing where you can just go to … you can’t skip half the meetings.”
However, Walker admitted he is open to continuing onto a second term, if he secures this one at Shelburne’s Annual Election today. (Given the role is uncontested, it’s likely he’ll succeed). He said by that time, one of his children will have moved to Mohawk Trail Regional School, so he’d like to contribute to its success.
Thurber said she joined the committee in 2013 as a way to “give back to the town.” While Thurber admitted it is difficult to recruit residents to the School Committee, she said this issue is common in every town board.
“It’s hard. You want local control over these things,” Thurber said. “Towns cannot afford people to do these jobs. I don’t know what the answer is.”
A focus on civics in schools may be one answer to the problem, Thurber said, as educating kids about the government may encourage them to become involved in town politics.
Over in Hawley, Hussain Hamdan “grudgingly” accepted a write-in nomination for the Mohawk Trail School Committee despite already holding several town positions: Selectboard Chair, Hawlemont Regional District School Committee member and a volunteer on the Fire Department.
According to Hamdan, it is “extremely difficult to recruit people” to the committee. Some hurdles, he said, include its significant time commitment plus “terrible” stipends of $100 a year for Hawley representatives. Stipends range from town to town — some, for example Buckland, offer no money at all, Thurber said.
“The stipend literally doesn’t even pay for what it costs to be a member in terms of travel and supplies,” Hamdan said. “I’d like to see that change.”
Hamdan added that some candidates do not understand why the role is relevant if they do not have children in the system themselves.
“On the other hand, it’s one of our biggest expenses in rural towns,” Hamdan said. “In short, it’s very sad. It’s also risky, because where the School Committee role is one largely ignored by the community in some of the smaller towns, there is very little guarantee that the committee members will feel obligated to do what the community wants.”
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.