Gateway Regional School District Food and Nutrition Director Wendy McCaul provides an update on the National School Lunch Program to members of the school committee during last night’s meeting in the school library. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
HUNTINGTON – “Keep calm and carry on.”
Gateway Regional School Committee member Mary Ann Laurie uttered that famous British motivational slogan last night to sum up the committee’s decision to create a new education plan based upon the current one next month.
Legislation was signed by Governor Deval L. Patrick earlier this month allowing the town of Worthington to withdraw from the Gateway Regional School District.
Whether or not the town will be allowed to actually leave the district hinges on the approval of the seperate education plans that both the town and the district must submit to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) within 60 days of the bill going into law, which the committee last night confirmed will be early next month.
“One of the questions we asked Russell (Dupere, district legal counsel) that he didn’t have an answer for last time was when does the legislation take effect?” said Gateway School Committee Chair Gretchen Eliason of Worthington. “His answer was, because it was a special bill, it takes effect in 30 days, starting the day after the Governor signed it.”
Members of the Gateway Regional School District listen as Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson, seated center, provided an update on the school’s technology. Hopson reported that the district is in an experimentation stage which could phase out the Apple computers that are presently in use. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Eliason stated that Gateway Regional Superintendent Dr. David Hopson had spoken with DESE earlier yesterday via conference call, and that by their count, the legislation becomes effective on June 6.
Barring one abstention, the committee’s vote to model the district’s new plan after the current one passed unanimously, placing the ball firmly in Worthington’s court. The town will have until August 6 to come up with a plan of their own from scratch, which the DESE may or may not approve.
Ellen Caputo, of Food Services, Cindy Roberts, a nurse for the Littleville School, Peter DelMastro, a special educator at the Littleville School, and Steve Estelle, a seventh-grade educator of Social Studies, all members of the members of the Gateway Regional School District, were recognized last night by staff and facility during a ceremony in the school lobby. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
“Steph (Fisk, district business and finance officer) has pointed out, in the past and to the DESE, that we’ve lost 40 students in any given year and haven’t changed the basic plan for what we’re doing,” said Hopson, urging committee members to proceed forward with a similar plan. “With 40 students, you’re only talking about a couple of students per grade level.”
Hopson added that, following the submission of the education plans, a reorganization needs conference will be held with the DESE which will address the needs of both Worthington and the district, and which may result in there being a need for changes in the current education plan.
“If you in fact want to absorb $630,000 in lost funding, that would mean structural changes, and we don’t know what those are going to be,” he said, referencing the $630,000 the district will lose should Worthington withdraw. “If you vote for this motion, we’re not changing the educational plan of the district, we’re moving forward with the same plan. It’s really Worthington’s plan that the Commissioner’s going to have to look at.”
Reactions from committee members to the district staying close to it’s current course were overwhelmingly positive.
“If what we’ve been doing in recent years is adequate and satisfactory – never the best but as good as we can make it – then we better darn well keep on doing it,” said Ron Damon of Huntington. “There’s no reason to go backward at this time, and if we do, we’re darn fools.”
“No matter which way or which date, we need to have an education plan set in motion and we can work it from there,” said Ann Marie Buikus of Montgomery. “And seeing as we meet very infrequently during the summer, it’s best to have it by the second meeting in June, that gives us our meeting in July to give it some more thought.”
“That’s the plan we had in place. The budget was approved for that plan,” said Jeff Wyand of Huntington. “The amount of children is not going to have a significant impact on the classrooms.”
The vote’s lone abstention, Ruth Kennedy of Russell, stated that the town of Worthington hasn’t formally informed the district of it’s withdrawal.
“The legislation says ‘may withdraw’, it doesn’t say ‘will withdraw’. There has to be a formal letter coming to the school committee from Worthington. Then, we can start taking action,” Kennedy said, to which Eliason responded that her conversations with Attorney Dupere indicate otherwise.
“The presumption is that Worthington would submit that letter if and when the Commissioner (of DESE) approves it’s withdrawal,” she said. “(Worthington) isn’t going to send a letter to the district to say it’s withdrawing if it’s not approved.”
Much talk was made as to how the state will assist in helping to fund the district, which Hopson stated is an issue for another day.
“If in fact they (the state) come up with that money, it’s not an issue. If they don’t come up with the money, then that budget process is going to drive a new educational plan,” he said. “What you’re looking at now is moving forward with the district because thats the way you’ve budgeted.”
“If, after that, the state reneges on their promise in that legislation, then we need to take care of it, but we shouldn’t take care of that state issue by ourselves.” he said.
Several presentations that also occurred at last night’s meeting prior to the Worthington discussion included an update from Gateway Regional School District Food and Nutrition Director Wendy McCaul on the National School Lunch Program, and a technology update from Dr. Hopson regarding the district’s consideration of purchasing Google Chromebooks, which will assist students in the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing.
