For the past three years, the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board (STRPB) has been investigating the possible effects of combining the Gill-Montague Regional School District (GMRSD) and the Pioneer Valley Regional School District (PVRSD) into one larger district. Our process is governed by state law, and it is important to emphasize that although we are called a “planning” board, our first task is to decide whether forming a new region is actually a good idea. I am a member of the STRPB, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
The STRPB has hired several consultants, who have produced various reports, and we are now beginning to share our findings with town leaders and the general public. We have not yet reached a decision as to whether forming a new larger region would be a good thing. Our goal is to get feedback, including comments, questions, and concerns, and to use those, along with our findings, to decide whether to proceed. Note that deciding to proceed would not mean that a new region would form; it would simply mean that the STRPB would take the next step of drafting a proposed regional agreement. The final decision would be made by the towns at town meetings.
Our first presentation will be to the Montague and Gill Selectboards on Monday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. It will be a Zoom meeting, and the link and other information can be found on Montague’s town website (montague-ma.gov). Other presentations will be done during the coming weeks. The presentation (slides with voice-over narration) will be available on the STRPB website (sites.google.com/view/strpb/home).
I hope that as many people as possible will attend one or more of these presentations, and/or watch the recordings afterward, and share their reactions. I also hope that some people, especially town officials, will look more deeply into the consultants’ reports and other information on the STRPB website. The slides are a general overview of what we’ve found, and I think it’s important that more people than just those on the STRPB become familiar with the documentation that the slides are based on.
One question that might be asked is why combining these regions is being considered. Each district has experienced declining enrollment over the past decade, and those declines have threatened both educational quality and financial sustainability. There are actually two types of enrollment: attending enrollment (the number of students at the school, including choice-in), which affects educational offerings; and foundation enrollment (the number of students that the district is responsible for, including choice-out) which is used to calculate state aid. Both districts’ enrollments have been declining in both categories, although in different ways.
A combined district would increase the number of attending students, which would offer increased educational possibilities: more students can mean more flexibility in scheduling, more course offerings, more participation in athletics and extra-curricular activities, etc. Would fewer students leave, or more students choice in? Or vice versa? We on the STRPB have theories and opinions, but we don’t have actual data to support answers.
On the other hand, a combined district would likely continue to experience declining foundation enrollment, and it would begin its life in a “hold harmless” state aid condition (as PVRSD is now, and GMRSD has been). That would mean minimal state Chapter 70 aid increases (rural aid may augment this), and typically districts in this situation either have looked to member towns to increase assessments or have reduced educational offerings (or both). GMRSD got out of “hold harmless” and received a significant Chapter 70 increase in FY23; would gaining more students but losing state aid increases be a good move? Would educational gains from increased attendance be sustainable?
When the data don’t point to a clear direction, people usually rely on their gut to help them decide. In this case I think that means that it’s important that as many people as possible become familiar with the data that does exist, and then share their reactions, so the STRPB can get a broad-based idea of how the communities feel. This is an important decision, and whichever way we go will have long-term implications for the education of our children.
Mike Naughton lives in Millers Falls and is a Montague member of the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board.