By Stephanie Miceli - July 19, 2010
In an effort to cut costs, many of
Massachusetts' smaller public school systems may move toward regionalization.
State officials say sharing costs could save tens of millions of dollars while
offering students more courses and programs.
Governor Deval Patrick's
administration has also been a proponent of district consolidation over the
past two years. More than one-third of the state's school districts have less
than 1,500 students. Last year, a study from the state Education Department revealed
that districts with fewer than 1,500 students spent about $1,000 more per
student than districts with between 1,500 and 3,000 students. Researchers found
that larger districts spend more per student. Statewide, about one in four
communities belong to a regional school district.
Statewide, just over 1 in 4
communities belong to a regional school district. Since 2008, Massachusetts has
also more generously reimbursed merged districts as far as construction and
renovation expenses. While some districts hope regionalization will result in
cost effectiveness and long-term stability, the Boston Globe reported that most
are succumbing to pressure from the state.
Though extremely small districts are
the simplest to consolidate, residents note consolidation may breed budget
fights. Either the neighborhood elementary school becomes a thing of the past,
or it becomes subject to tax and budget votes that sometimes come from miles
away.
Many parents have also expressed
reluctance to send their children out of town for school. For older residents,
regionalization raises a threat to nostalgia for their alma maters.
Among the districts that have
recently joined forces are Ayer and Shirley, Berkley and Somerset, and three
vocational schools north of Boston. Another three dozen districts are in talks
about consolidating, including the long-standing rivals Hull and Cohasset.
Daniel Durgin is superintendent of
the Tantasqua-Union 61 District in western Massachusetts, which includes
Holland and Wales, two small schools that voted on whether to merge. Durgin
said in an interview with WERS News though Holland overwhelmingly voted in
favor of combining, Wales voted down the measure.
"We ran a number of different
calculations and it'd actually bring in money, it wouldn't cost them any
additional revenue," he said. "No one loses in this deal. Teachers - it would
all level up. Insurance - everything else. It goes to the better of the two
town's plans."
Durgin said he feels a merger would
be the best thing educationally for the students. The proposal would have made
Wales a pre-K through 2 school and Holland a 3-6 school. For Wales,
regionalization would have brought the average class size to 16-18 students
instead, with three teachers at each level. Currently, there is one teacher per
grade level, and class sizes can be anywhere from 14 to 28 students.
According to Durgin, Holland has
about 240 students and Wales has about 150. Though he is concerned it is not
sustainable to have small schools that aren't able to share their resources, he
reiterated will respect the wishes of the community.
"Both communities are very similar
demographically, economically, and it's something that would have been, in my
mind, a real positive step in terms of education. But again, ultimately it comes
down to the citizens and their votes," he said. "There was a lot of educational
merit to regionalizing, but I said I would respect their vote."
Durgin said many towns want to keep
their autonomy, wary of what the state will do. Others worried their community
wouldn't be heard. And some at the meetings were vocal about their opinion.
"It was not the most pleasant
experience at the town meeting," Durgin said. "You know, there was some
hostility in terms of moving regionalization forward but I'll do whatever
they're looking. I'll do whatever they want for their kids."
In the meantime, Durgin said he will
take the proposal back to the full regional planning committee for Holland and
Wales and see if they want to bring the measure back.
WERS reporter Cat Viglienzoni
contributed to this report.
