NORTHFIELD — With the Pioneer Valley Regional School District potentially seeing a freshman class of 19 students, the School Committee and administration are beginning conversations into why so many of the district’s eighth grade students are choosing to go elsewhere.
Superintendent Patricia Kinsella presented enrollment data for the district’s eighth grade students at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, which showed nearly two-thirds of students are choosing to transfer out of the district — the highest rate since the 2014 to 2015 school year.
“This is startling to me. I don’t know any other way to say this,” Kinsella said as she presented the data. “There is so much for us to investigate and there is so much to learn when looking at these numbers.”
Of the 53 eighth grade students enrolled in the district this school year, 31, or 64%, are transferring out of the district. Franklin County Technical School is receiving the majority of these students, with 31 of them accepted — two more students are on the waitlist and if accepted, Pioneer’s ninth grade class size would drop to 17 students. Additionally, Northfield Mount Hermon School is receiving three students, according to data presented by Kinsella.
Kinsella cautioned residents from sounding the alarm or making assumptions about why students are leaving the district at such a high rate because the matter needs to be investigated so a proper response can be made.
“We can assume many things and I caution us against making too many assumptions, about the numbers, about the reasons,” Kinsella said. “To me, what’s most important is we gather with each other multiple times and in multiple groupings and think about what we need to learn.”
Recently appointed School Committee member Stephen Martin agreed and said this is not a necessarily bad result because it means students are potentially pursuing the education they want to achieve their dreams.
“If each of these 31 children going to Tech have a calling for that school, then for those students that is a good outcome,” Martin said. “I’m cautioning us about this being right or wrong, bad or good, but have students found their place and fit for ninth grade?”
Later in the conversation, Martin raised the point and asked the committee and Kinsella to consider if students leaving is a result of Franklin Tech having a strong pull or if students are leaving Pioneer because it is inadequate.
“Is this a pull or a push? If it’s a pull, I think we have to not make peace with that, but understand what that is. If it’s a push, that is on us,” Martin said. “It takes effort to leave and apply. The question is why are people making that effort?”
Although startled by the data, School Committee members said seeing the data is a good start to addressing the problem. School Committee member Michele Giarusso floated the idea of possibly surveying students to provide feedback about why they are choosing other schools.
“Without data we cannot plan, we cannot ask the questions of what we need to do to change, to improve,” Giarusso said. “I’m just wondering if a survey should be done either at the beginning of school for those children that left or sometime this next year before those students are applying.”
Additionally, the district officially hired Kinsella as permanent superintendent in May and the district has brought on longtime educator John Carter as interim principal for Pioneer Valley Regional School, meaning this is a fresh chance for the district to start long-term planning.
“I’m very worried seeing 19 (students),” said School Committee member Melissa Gerry. “However, I’m really hopeful with a new interim principal and some really great ideas here, and if we can create a middle school kids love coming to every day, I think that will change.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.