GILL — Attendees at the first of several information sessions on the proposed Great River Regional School District balanced their appreciation of potential growth of student opportunities with pragmatism over the long-term, unknown impacts of regionalization.
Around 40 educators, town officials and residents gathered inside Gill Town Hall on Monday to hear from members of the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board about plans for a “super-regional” district.
The proposal would see students in preschool through 12th grade from Bernardston, Gill, Leyden, Montague, Northfield and Warwick be educated in one regional district. The regional agreement to establish a new district, merging the existing Gill-Montague and Pioneer Valley regional school districts, is expected to go to all six towns for a vote during fall Special Town Meetings. A ballot question is planned in Montague.
High school students from these six towns would be educated at the existing Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School. Middle schoolers would occupy Pioneer Valley Regional School and elementary students would remain in their current buildings.
Over the summer, the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board worked with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to finalize a regional agreement, which also includes the process of closing a school within the proposed district. Board Chair Alan Genovese said during a Sept. 9 meeting that the language is “comprehensive” and considers the implications of a school closure in a rural setting.
During Monday’s information session, board members took questions from residents after a presentation led by Vice Chair Greg Snedeker. Key elements of the discussion emphasized how the decline in enrollment between the districts has been steady since the 1990s, how it impacts student education and social interactions, how regionalization is not centered on finances and that the decision will come down to residents of the six towns.
“The primary incentive to this work is to ensure we offer our students the highest quality education, opportunities, services and experiences,” Snedeker said. “This is about doing what’s best for our students, and while we consider sustainability and affordability for our towns, the main and top priority is the educational experience.”
The presentation included research done since the board’s formation in 2019, with the charge to study the feasibility of regionalization, which was recommended in January 2024.
Enrollment data shows a decline. Research from the New England School Development Council and DESE shows a 49% combined enrollment decrease for the two districts since 1998. Gill-Montague enrolled 1,635 students in 1998 and this year it has 858 students, whereas Pioneer enrolled 1,229 students in 1998 and it now has 581. Warwick, having separated from Pioneer to form an independent district, enrolls 27 students.
Projections show more enrollment decline in the future, with a 2.5% drop over the next three years for Pioneer and 1.5% drop for Gill-Montague. Snedeker said while the assumption may be that increasing money to schools would provide relief, the “structural declines” in population, families moving to the region and people with school-aged children would remain the issue for the schools. With state aid through Chapter 70 remaining flat while operational costs and local contributions increase, Snedeker said these “fiscal realities” come from enrollment.
“That’s where you see the opportunities start to disappear. You start to see the teams go away, the clubs go away, your electives go away, entire subject areas go away,” he said in relation to middle school and high school programming specifically.
The presentation explained that a merger would allow these classes and clubs to return with increased participation, allow educational space to be used for middle and high school students while protecting elementary schools from closure, and offer more social connections for students. Teachers benefit from teaching specific subjects and populations based on their training, and staff can collaborate more easily for best practices.
Assessment of cost was also touched on, with the preferred model — a five-year rolling average — explained to attendees in the presentation. The model reduces fluctuation in the amount each town has to contribute to the district as enrollment changes. The model demonstrates some decreases for Montague, Gill, Bernardston and Warwick, and increases for Leyden and Northfield based on increased enrollment at Pioneer.
‘We’re living it every day’
After the presentation, audience members were able to ask questions, with Melissa Delorenzo, Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School guidance administrative assistant, sharing that the challenges facing students as a result of enrollment are not “conjecture.” She said AP courses often have two or three students, and some students run out of electives to take before graduation.
“We’re living it every day,” Delorenzo said. “I think this could provide some amazing opportunities for kids.”
Speaking to the student experience, Anne Wiley, a retired Greenfield Community College professor of 48 years, said some students will take courses through GCC to fill schedules, even if the classes they take aren’t necessarily appropriate for their post-graduation goals.
While some expressed optimism over the future opportunities for students, audience members also spoke pragmatically about risks, especially in relation to the elementary schools with the possibility of closure, and equity for student education.
“I want to know how it’ll impact elementary schools, because I’m seeing huge benefits for middle school and high school, but teachers have been wondering for a few years now, in coming to some of these presentations, how will it impact us?” Gill Elementary School teacher Jenay Hall said.
Responding to Hall, Genovese said the elementary schools are important for developing skills for middle and high school success, so a “demand” is put onto the schools. Snedeker added that the board’s thought was that elementary schools would remain how they are. Staff cuts were not discussed, he said, and the board’s intention is to understand how to preserve these schools that are important to the communities they serve.
For more information on regionalization and the presentation shown on Monday, visit 6towns.org. The next information session will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. at Dickinson Memorial Library in Northfield.