STATE REPRESENTATIVE STEPHEN KULIK
HUNTINGTON – Prior to a highly anticipated 7:30 p.m. meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee yesterday evening, residents from several of the towns in the school’s district had the opportunity to hear from and speak to State Representative Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington) at a meeting of the Huntington Selectboard.
Around 15 residents sat in folding chairs in Stanton Hall and listened as Kulik, who has represented the Gateway Regional towns of Chester, Huntington, Middlefield, and Worthington for two decades, spoke of the situation and potential avenues which legislators and townfolk alike could take.
“I’ve always said that if this bill should move forward, it’s very important that some transitional assistance of some kind be developed in the event that the bill become law,” Kulik said. “It would lessen the impact on the other six communities.”
The First Franklin District’s Representative spoke of a “pothole account”, a line item used to address a unique situation or shortfall, in order to assist the other six communities in the district in making up the difference that would be lost in a potential Worthington withdrawal.
“The concerns I’ve heard from residents have been fiscal in nature. The people of Worthington just want a public elementary school back in their town,” Kulik said. “But it’s going to be a costly endeavor for the town.”
“I saw this as more of a transportation issue,” said Amy Burnham, Huntington’s Selectboard chair. “They were closing their elementary school and didn’t want their children on the bus.”
She added that the district’s local aid and budget has gone down in recent years, and that working on the budget has become a much more difficult task.
“Our local aid has been going down. I’ve been wrapped up in this for ten years, and it is continuously harder to budget,” Burnham said. “I don’t know how to come up with a budget with Worthington being out.”
Kulik said he is working with colleagues like State Senator Benjamin B. Downing (D-Pittsfield) to help the district stay above water.
“It’s a very unique situation, because it’s (Worthington’s) primary focus is wanting to have a school back in their town. They make a compelling case for it. They’re willing to pay more,” he said. “But you can’t allow the other towns to suffer. Worthington is a decreasing presence in the district in terms of students but they’re a significant presence in terms of dollars.”
District residents also had plenty to say to Kulik regarding the situation, and expressed their disdain for how they feel the state climbed over the six other towns in the district who voted against Worthington’s departure attempt by deciding on the Home Rule legislation.
Burnham also spoke of a conversation between the Selectmen and Sen. Downing in which they discussed the situation and regional agreements.
“That’s something to look at — How long does a regional agreement stay true? This was an agreement signed 50 years ago,” she said. “He brought up a good point, that just because you sign a contract doesn’t make it evergreen forever. It needs updates.”
Russell Selectman Pandora Hague expressed her displeasure with Kulik regarding his bringing the approved Home Rule before the the House in an informal session despite the other six towns voting against the withdrawal and said, as a Worthington resident, he should’ve recused himself from the vote.
Kulik responded that the bill only needed to be approved by Worthington, and while he is a resident of the town, he still represents them in addition to other towns in the district.
“I can’t disenfranchise the voters of Worthington or those three other communities,” he said.
“It was a good conversation. People spoke their hearts and minds on this issue, and it’s not an easy one. It’s a complicated one with a lot of different dynamics,” he said after the meeting. “My colleagues and I want to make this work, if it (Worthington withdrawing) is going to happen. We don’t know the outcome of this effort by Worthington.”
“These conversations are important ones to have,” he said. “We’re very committed to minimizing the financial impact on the other towns.”
