WORTHINGTON – On July 7, the town of Worthington, a member of the Gateway Regional School District for over 50 years, voted to withdraw from the district, necessitating the need for the formation of their own school committee this fall.
After being emboldened this spring by the state legislature passing a home rule bill filed by Representative Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington) allowing Worthington to unilaterally withdraw, residents of the town voted 185-36 to depart from Gateway.
The vote passed at the R.H. Conwell Community Education Center, a building which was closed by the district in 2010 and one that residents hope to reopen again as a public elementary school in 2015. Over the past four years, the school has remained open as a private elementary school thanks to the efforts of town residents, most notably musician Aaron Lewis and his foundation, It Takes A Community.
“I’d say it was pretty good. It was positive and it was all for good reasons about why we wanted to have an elementary school in town,” said Worthington finance committee member Tom Wisnauckas of the vote. “We want to have a local elementary school in our town.”
Of the 141 total K-12 students living in Worthington, only 48 students currently attend Gateway schools, with the rest school-choicing out. A tentative agreement has been reached between the town and the Westhampton-based Hampshire Regional School District, which is set to begin educating Worthington students in grades 7-12 in 2016.
Students from the town who still wish to attend Gateway Regional High School may do so through school choice.
Wisnauckas said a meeting was held Monday evening to begin the formation of the town’s own DESE-mandated education plan.
“We were putting the final touches on our plan and getting the final draft together to send to DESE the first week in August,” said Wisnauckas. “We will not be a member of the Hampshire Regional district. We will tuition our older students into Hampshire Regional.”
A special election will be held on September 20 to choose who will be serving on the new district’s five-member school committee. The committee will consist of one three-year term, two two-year terms, and two one-year terms.
“For the first time through, we’ll have staggered terms, and then afterwards they’ll be three-year terms,” he said, adding that several candidates are already considering tossing their hats in the ring.
“I know we’ve got at least five candidates, and there may be a sixth, so we may have some competition.” Wisnauckas said. “The selection of a superintendent would be part of the tentative agreement with Hampshire Regional. We could hire our own part-time super and part-time secretary, but it’s financially better and more organized to contract that part out of what we need to do with Hampshire Regional.”
“I’d hope – especially at the elementary level – that kids will remain in town. At the meeting on July 7, there were a combination of parents with young children who aren’t in school yet to parents whose kids are in school,” he said. “We hope the young kids stay and older kids, we already have some going to Hampshire Regional. So we’re already spread out as it is. It’s up to the parents.”
Wisnauckas is hopeful that Lewis can remain involved.
“They’ve made gestures that they’ll still help out a bit, but I cannot speak for them,” he said. “The town is very grateful for what they’ve done over the last several years to keep the school (R.H. Conwell) going, not just with concerts but also through personal funds.”
