WARWICK — The Selectboard has approved and posted its warrant for a Special Town Meeting, with two out of the four articles related to the Warwick Community School’s pending future.
The meeting will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
After nearly a year of back and forth discussion, the Pioneer Valley Regional School District School Committee voted 7 to 5 in January to recommend the Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley close Warwick Community School. The closure, pending action from Riley, would be effective June 30, 2020. Town officials and the Warwick Education Committee have pursued options for keeping the elementary school open with increased zeal since the vote.
Thus, the first article seeks the town’s permission to continue exploring options for elementary education.
“Article 1 asks the community, ‘Are you committed to keeping our school open, especially in light of the treatment we’ve endured in the Pioneer Valley (Regional School District)?” said Selectboard Chair Lawrence “Doc” Pruyne.
The wording of the article itself alludes to the regional agreement with the Pioneer school district, in which it states that students in kindergarten through sixth grade are to be educated at elementary schools within each member town. Students in grades seven through 12 are bussed to the regional middle and high school.
“It was not part of the regional contract agreement for the other member towns or district to decide the future of elementary education in Warwick,” Article 1 reads. “In light of this breach of commitment and contract, shall the voters of Warwick withdraw K-6 elementary education for Warwick children from involvement with the (Pioneer school district) agreement and engage in an agreement that aligns with Warwick’s commitment to educating Warwick children in its Warwick elementary school …?”
Likewise, the third article, Pruyne said, “authorizes the Selectboard to spend money to keep the school open.” This article asks residents’ permission to transfer $40,000 — to be under the control of the Selectboard — to help cover operating expenses at the school for fiscal year 2021.
Article 2 requests a transfer of $12,349 to help cover Warwick’s fiscal year 2020 assessment to the Pioneer school district.
“Article 2 is not an additional levy,” Pruyne clarified, as Warwick’s portion of the current Pioneer budget was allocated during last year’s Annual Town Meeting. “It fulfills our commitment to pay our 10 percent of the superintendent’s contract.”
A fourth article, unrelated to the Warwick Community School, asks the town to pay $526 of prior fiscal year bills from vendor C2.Energy.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.