Six Town Regionalization Planning Board

The Six Town Regionalization Planning Board (STRPB) was formed under the provisions of Chapter 71, Section 14A and 14B whereby, two or more towns may join together to form a Regional School District Planning Board. The STRPB is comprised of 18 members (3 from each Town), representing the towns of Bernardston, Gill, Leyden, Montague, Northfield, and Warwick. Its purpose is to study the fiscal and educational advisability of establishing a new Regional School District. Once the STRPB finishes its comprehensive study, which will likely be a two to three-year process, it will make recommendations for all six towns to consider.

The underlying task of the board's study is to explore potential opportunities to expand present learning activities and project learning designs, by offering a robust curriculum for all High School and Middle School students attending the Pioneer Valley Regional School District (PVRSD) and the Gill-Montague Regional School District(GMRSD) in a manner that is both affordable and sustainable.

 

Six Town Regionalization Planning Board (STRPB) Draft Subcommittee Purposes

EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE

The purpose of the Education Subcommittee is to gather information (ideas, concepts, suggestions, and data), both qualitative and quantitative, from teachers, staff, students, parents, town officials, business leaders, residents, and other interested parties within the six communities. The committee will use this information to make recommendations that would address the different possibilities of the reconfiguration of the school districts at the middle and high school levels. These recommendations would further enhance student learning that would eventually lead to rewarding employment opportunities or college readiness.

The fundamental objective in realizing the above will be to create a first-class educational school district that is designed to promote educational excellence for all students and is embraced and supported by all communities.

 


FINANCE / TRANSPORTATION / FACILITIES (FTF) SUBCOMMITTEE

The purpose of the FTF Subcommittee is to work closely with Central Office Personnel, STRPB Consultants, DESE, Selectmen, Finance and School Committees, and other interested parties in gathering and analyzing data and use this information to make recommendations pursuant to (1) Chapter 70 funding, districts’ operational and capital budgets, E & D and other reserves, investments, assets/liabilities, and other financial information; (2) The most efficient bus routes and alternative transportation opportunities pertaining to various reconfigurations of student population; (3) A cost benefit analysis of school facilities including, maintenance, age, design and capacity, future capital plans/investments of facilities, (4) Locations, number of acres, utility access, expandability, potential uses, and (5) Other considerations that would support the towns efforts to financially sustain a viable school district.

 


PUBLIC RELATIONS (PR) SUBCOMMITTEE

The purpose of the PR subcommittee is to create and promote ongoing, transparent, bidirectional, timely, communication engagement with the public, whereby, people feel comfortable seeking information and providing input, have easy access to information as it becomes available, and a system to exchange information with the PR subcommittee on behalf of the STRPB.

 


PLANNING / ORGANIZATIONAL / LOGISTICS / ADMINISTRATION / GOVERNANCE

The purpose of this subcommittee is threefold; (1) Organizing the logistics of meetings and ensuring the follow through of action items, arranging for key personnel to address the STRPB, deciding the best times to have the consultants present to the STRPB other tasks; (2) Working with Central Office Administration to identify and determine the best utilization of personnel in reorganizing the structure, duties and responsibilities of staff and creating a new Organizational Chain of Command Chart; *(3) Examine other aspects relating to the formation of a new district, i.e., school committee policies, school committee composition/representation, etcetera.

*It should be noted that this subcommittee will be expanded significantly if and when there is a need to begin to examine the organization structure of a new school district.