GILL — The Six Town Regionalization Planning Board is heading back to the towns to spread the word in advance of the Oct. 6 special election to decide the fate of the proposed plans for five-town or six-town school regionalization.
The round of community discussions that is now underway represents the second time the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board has conducted public information sessions. Last fall, Chair Alan Genovese and Vice Chair Greg Snedeker visited all six towns to present what was then only a plan for a six-town regional school district, which garnered mixed reactions from residents, town officials and school administrators.
The idea for the creation of a new Great River Regional School District would merge the Gill-Montague Regional School District and the Pioneer Valley Regional School District. Warwick Community School could also be part of this new district if the six-town regional agreement is approved by voters, but without it, a five-town option is still possible.
Special election
A portion of an initial information session on Sept. 3 in Gill was dedicated to detailing the logistics of the Oct. 6 special election.
The proposed “super-regional” district would see high school students educated at Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School. Middle schoolers would occupy Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield and elementary schoolers would remain in their current buildings. The regionalization plan calls for no reduction in educators, but consolidation of the central office. The estimated enrollment for the new district across all grade levels would be just under 1,400 students.
The selectboards of all six towns voted on Monday, Aug. 31, to set the election for Oct. 6, Snedeker said, which coincides with the Franklin County Technical School vote on borrowing $236.6 million to construct a new 21,000-square-foot building. This means that voters in Montague, Gill, Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield and Warwick will have a dual election on that Tuesday, while the remaining Franklin Tech member towns will only be voting on whether to authorize borrowing for the new vocational school building.
Snedeker noted there was discussion between the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board and the town clerks regarding when would be best to hold the regional agreement vote. He said the town clerks suggested the vote be held the same day as the Franklin Tech vote, given the number of elections this fall.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m., aligning with the time set for the Franklin Tech vote. This means that in towns participating in both the Franklin Tech vote and the school regionalization vote, there will be two separate ballots, requiring voters to check in for both elections separately, Snedeker explained. Voters are allowed to check in for just one election and not the other, if they so choose.
The way the vote language is written means voters only need to vote “yes” or “no” to the question. For the six-town district to move forward, there must be a simple majority of voters in each of the six towns voting “yes.” For the five-town district, if a majority of voters in Warwick vote “no” to the six-town agreement while the remaining five towns vote “yes,” then the five-town district is formed.
Snedeker clarified this is different than the Franklin Tech vote, as for the borrowing authority to be approved, there must be a simple majority of overall voters across the 19 member towns, whereas for regionalization, if voters in one town that is not Warwick votes a majority “no” on the question, then the proposal fails and no new district is formed.
On top of discussing the logistics of the vote, the Sept. 3 presentation highlighted specifically what would come of the vote, and the impact on students, staff and the larger school communities in the six towns.
The presentation declared that the central finding of the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board is “more students equals more opportunities,” especially in high school, as declining enrollment at both Gill-Montague and Pioneer has curtailed student opportunities while creating financial difficulties for the towns.
When asked to describe the biggest points voters should take away from the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board heading into the Oct. 6 vote, Genovese, in a statement, shared several takeaways. Those include reiterating the financial benefits of creating a larger tax base to support the district, greater student opportunities, assurance of the regional agreements being reviewed and approved by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and that “super-regionalization” doesn’t mean the district will be large by state standards, but instead distinguishes the unique nature of regionalization of two regional districts and a municipal school, referring to Warwick.
Taking the temperature
While not an evening designed for debate, those in attendance at the Sept. 3 information session still had a chance to ask questions regarding the proposal.
One question, from Gill resident Patricia Crosby, related to language within the regional agreement regarding school closures. Genovese clarified there are no plans to close any of the elementary schools, and the current configuration of the elementary schools would remain in effect, allowing for a “smooth transition.”
Jumping off that point was Tupper Brown, noting previous discussions over where Gill Elementary School stands in this process, given that the school offers sixth grade, which is considered to be part of the middle school level elsewhere. Brown asked if the new school committee that would be created as part of the merger would have the authority to eliminate sixth grade in Gill, given that middle schoolers would be going to Pioneer. Genovese said the parents would be the ones to make the decision about whether a student stays at Gill Elementary School for sixth grade, with the regional agreement stating that Gill students “shall have the option of beginning middle school in the seventh grade.”
“Anything we can do to allow our kids to have that broader choice, too, is a good thing,” Crosby said at the end of the discussion while noting her appreciation for the chance to have expanded offerings for students. “I think this would be really good for students and for teachers.”
In the coming weeks, the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board will host additional information sessions in the remaining communities. The next information session is Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. at the Leyden Town Offices.
The remaining sessions will be Monday, Sept. 21, at Dickinson Memorial Library in Northfield; Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Turners Falls High School auditorium; Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Bernardston Senior Center, and Thursday, Sept. 24, at Warwick Town Hall. All of these sessions are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
