HUNTINGTON – With a majority vote in favor of the Gateway Regional FY17 budget at Monday’s annual town meeting, Montgomery became the fourth of Gateway’s towns to vote for passage of the school budget. In the last few weeks, Blandford, Russell, and Middlefield all approved Gateway’s assessments at their meetings. With four towns needed to approve the budget, the FY 17 budget is now official, regardless of how the towns of Huntington and Chester vote in June.
Last year, the Gateway FY 16 budget was not finalized until mid-December, after having been rejected four times by the towns at annual meetings and special town meetings over the course of the year. After the last defeat in November, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education came in to set the budget as of Dec. 1, taking control away from the School Committee and the towns for the remainder of the fiscal year.
This year, the school district was determined not to let that happen again. The district took action early, reducing the budget by $426,000 by returning 5th grade to the elementary schools, closing the Middle School administrative office, and returning to a Junior High (6-8) and Senior High (9-12) model. Due to the retirement of several key administrators, the district also eliminated administrative positions by attrition and increased the workload of remaining members of the administration but without reducing the teaching staff.
After member towns wrote to the School Committee in February requesting level assessments to the towns, which would have reduced the budget by an additional $190,000 to $250,000 according to Superintendent David B. Hopson, the School Committee voted to pass the budget with an amendment to reconsider assessments in April once the House budget was known.
At the April 27 meeting, a revised budget was presented which included a downward adjustment of $91,932 in assessments, reducing the overall increase to the towns to 1.09%. This was made possible due to an increase of just over $30,000 in Chapter 70 funds, and just under $60,000 in transportation reimbursement contained in the House budget, according to Gateway business manager Stephanie Fisk.
The district also held two visioning forums during these months, inviting parents and community members to come in and brainstorm about the future of the school. The feedback was positive, and resulted in more parents showing up at town meetings in support of the school budget, according to Hopson.
With the passage of the budget, control over the school district will return to the School Committee and the towns, effective June 30.
“After the last few years of having difficulties passing a budget it will be a relief to be able to focus on improving student opportunities over the summer rather than spending time developing new budgets. I’m also hopeful that with the towns signing the compact that towns will be able to find ways to work together in ways that will help them be as efficient as the regional school system they created over 50 years ago,” said Hopson of the passage of the budget, which was also celebrated on a sign at the beginning of Littleville Road, leading to the school.
