MIDDLEFIELD – Copies of a letter written to members of the state legislature by Gateway Regional School District Superintendent Dr. David Hopson were dispersed to members of the district’s school committee Wednesday evening.
The writing of the letter was approved by the committee at their last meeting and it has been sent to the legislators representing the district’s seven member towns regarding the town of Worthington’s continued attempt to unilaterally withdraw from the district.
The letter has been sent to the district and State House offices of state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield – who represents the towns of Blandford, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield and Worthington in his Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden District – and to state Sen. Don Humason, Jr., R-Westfield, who represents the towns of Montgomery and Russell in his 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District.
Four members of the state’s House of Representatives have also been sent copies of the letter – William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, who represents Blandford and Russell, Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, the longtime representative for Chester, Huntington, Middlefield and Worthington, and Peter Kocot, D-Northampton, who represents the town of Montgomery.
Letters have also been sent to the Chairs of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Education, Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston and Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley.
Urged to write to the district’s legislative delegation by community members such as Montgomery Selectman Dan Jacques and Derrick Mason of the Gateway Town Advisory Committee, the letter is seeking clarification on a number of issues, including the effective date for an Act relative to the withdrawal of the town of Worthington from the Gateway Regional School District.
“There has been significant discussion at venues across the district regarding this legislation, with uncertainty around timeliness, protocols, and outcomes.” said Hopson in the letter. “Mrs. Ruth Kennedy, a school committee member from the town of Russell, has also indicated that her conversations with legislators, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) officials, and others throughout state government reveal little consistency between these organizations concerning this legislation.”
The letter goes on to ask for specific clarification on the effective dates of approval and withdrawal under DESE regulations, the timing for DESE convening a reorganizational needs conference and how it pertains to approval of the education plans of the Gateway Regional District and the town of Worthington.
Hopson’s letter also asks for clarification on what the report filed with the legislature by the DESE will be used for and how information identified in the report relates to several aspects of the legislation, such as impacts of the withdrawal and the withdrawal’s effect on future enrollments, a list of all of the district’s educational facilities under the jurisdiction of the remaining six district towns and plans for reimbursement of the state’s capital expenditures for district facilities located in Worthington.
Also raised in the letter is the continued assessments to Worthington for district facilities the town has previously paid for and detailed analysis of fiscal impacts of the town’s departure and what the administrative structure will look like in the district going forward.
“(The letter is) just clarifying effective dates, such as the needs conference, since it’s written vaguely in the legislation,” said School Committee Chair Michele Crane prior to letter being sent. “It’s just a matter of clarifying so we can carry out the steps effectively.”
Prior to the letter being approved by the committee, Crane said that she hoped the legislator’s would accept the committee’s offer to meet with them.
“We did ask in the letter that they do come to a meeting so we can talk about these issues face-to-face,” Crane said, adding that it’s hard to conceptualize some of these issues when parties aren’t speaking face-to-face.
Hopson stated that he had sent the letter to each legislator’s district and State House office.
“I anticipate is that they (the legislators) are getting together to formulate a single response, which is what they’ve done in the past,” said Hopson.
