Gateway Regional School District Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson.
I’m pleased that the voters in Huntington chose to accept Version 3 of the 2017-2018 school budget. This allows the district to maintain student services, allows us to continue educating students this year without any additional reductions that might have been imposed by the state education department while also guaranteeing that town assessments would not increase (beyond those set by Gateway) had the state opted to increase Gateway’s budget.
Just as importantly, this allows the district and towns to focus on the new collaborative work that has started on the FY’19 budget (school year 2018-2019) that will hopefully eliminate much of the last minute questions and disagreements we saw with this year’s budget. If this process, in conjunction with the facilitated discussions between the towns and district on multiple issues, moves forward as anticipated, there should be no need for the degree of animosity seen during this year’s process and town meetings. While these meetings may prove difficult, they should also expose the participants (and anyone following the proceedings) to better understand the needs of the towns and the district; be able to follow the budgeting process; be cognizant of the many requirements and issues we all face in meeting state and federal laws and regulations; see the programs that both the towns and district have put into place to save money; and more realistically view the challenges we all face in becoming more effective and efficient. In the end, this should mean that the important questions about town and district budgeting will be answered well before the time comes to vote on those budgets.
In a recent report entitled “Supporting Student and Community Success: Updating the Structure and Finances of Massachusetts Regional School Districts” by Suzanne M. Bump, the Massachusetts State Auditor, Bump discusses many issues facing regional districts and provides some potential solutions. This report is very interesting, informative, and exposes many of the challenges faced in Massachusetts that may need legislative interventions to solve. It’s interesting that many of the issues raised in the report will sound familiar to anyone who has followed the many challenges facing our own district. Hopefully between looking for local solutions, working with the small and rural school coalition, and building upon the recommendations in this report, Gateway and other regional school districts can move forward in a manner that balances the financial constraints faced by all with the educational opportunities that should be equal and consistent across all schools in the Commonwealth. We all rejoice in Massachusetts being first in the nation in education but we also know we face many problems that will not be solved by simply sitting on our laurels—or by just raising the bar on standardized testing and using the results in a punitive manner.
