I believe that if all six Gateway towns agree to appoint representatives to the budget development process for the district, as well as agree to fully participate in a facilitated discussion regarding town and school budgets, that much of the misunderstanding surrounding financing the schools will be resolved. I’m certain that both the school community and our town leaders has misconceptions regarding each other’s budgets surrounding many different areas that lead each side to making statements and accusations that are more perception than fact. Given that members of the school community have been attending and interacting with select town leaders under the auspices of the Gateway Towns Advisory Committee (GTAC) for many years, it’s quite evident given the lack of common understanding that this forum has not been effective in educating both groups or in eliciting effective feedback on the continuing issues between the schools and the towns. However, the town leaders participating in GTAC have been successful in having all parties acknowledge these difficulties, in getting the DESE to require a study of the district by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools, and in helping to ensure that the district’s budget has not been approved in two of the last three years.
The result of this are the options of having town officials more involved in the budget process for the schools and in moving forward the idea of a facilitated discussion whereby moderators with a knowledge of school districts and finances, yet with no personal stake in the results, can help facilitate potentially difficult conversations around common perceptions. We are all hopeful that these two separate but related activities results in a better understanding, a set of common goals, and a blueprint towards more collaborative and effective discussions around overall municipal financing, including long-term capital plans. If this can happen, perhaps the budget approval process will be less contentious and be completed at the local level rather than allowing the state to set the school budget and thereby also town assessments for education.
I’m also hopeful that the wealth of data already collected in terms of town and school finances (by the state DOR and DESE), the information related to what the community wishes to see in its’ schools (the 2025 project), and suggestions for long term success (via the MARS study) will prove useful to all in looking at the facts to help inform discussion. As most are already aware, the problems we face here in the Gateway District are not different from what other small and rural school districts are facing in Massachusetts for which the Small and Rural Schools Coalition is working diligently to get the state to address in some sort of positive manner. While there are some similarities between the issues small and rural schools face and the issues that Berkshire County faces with their schools, there are also significant differences that mean that a one size fits all solution won’t work for all situations. Thus an added incentive for our “Gateway” discussions about budgeting and the viability of both small towns and school districts to find potential common ground and solutions as another model for others to use, much like the current efforts to centralize town financial services and increase the economic viability of our towns through tourism, a local turnpike exit, and increased opportunities for local business growth. After all, the canary in the coal mine analogy works as well for our six towns as it does for the Gateway School District.
