- Monday March 11, 6pm @ Warwick Town Hall. Warwick Selectboard &
Finance Committee Meeting. Agenda attached, includes town budget, school
related matters and planning for the closure of WCS.
- Thursday March 14, 7pm @ PVRS Library. Agenda not posted yet. The
chair told me that the auditor will be present and audit discussed.
Consultant Steve Hemman will be present for discussion on Gill-Montague
grant. Follow-up to last week's joint HEART Committee meeting and next
steps on amending the regional agreement. Teacher contract agreement
(executive session).
- Monday March 18, 6:30pm @ Bernardston Senior Center. Joint meeting of
the Selectboards & Finance Committees of the 4 PV district towns.
The PV Superintendent told a Task Force member on Friday that he has heard
that the loan funds will be in the district accounts on Friday March 15th.
Once that happens the School Committee (SC) will be able to discuss and
vote on possible school closures. Assuming this timing is accurate, then
school closure discussion will NOT happen at the March 14th SC meeting. A
another meeting is likely to be scheduled for shortly after the 15th.
If a school or two are voted to be closed, the budget that was approved at
this past week's SC meeting would then be reviewed in light of the
potential savings and subsequent changes voted upon. The deadline for
school budget notice fo the towns annual meetings is March 25th.
The SC learned last week that the suggested move of 6th grade students from
the elementary schools to PVRS may well not be possible this coming fall.
The section of the current district agreement that says K-6 are educated in
their own towns cannot only be overidden by the SC.
The HEART Committee and their consultant, Mac Reid, made a presentation to
the SC last week. Members of both committee discussed sections and language
but considerable more review is needed. If it is to go to towns for
approval at annual town meetings, then the SC needs to be finalize the
agreement document by March 25th as well.
Tom Wyatt
HEART Committee & Warwick Community Education Task Force
PS Links to recent related articles from Max Marcus in the Greenfield
Recorder:
Kids, Senator go to bat for schools
<https://www.recorder.com/Jo-Comerford-visits-Warwick-Community-School-24002305>
Pioneer school board OKs budget that may be subject to change
<https://www.recorder.com/Pioneer-budget-fairly-stable-even-with-potential-closures-23979447>
Proposed Pioneer pact would allow school closings
<https://www.recorder.com/New-Pioneer-district-agreement-23843003>
Grant yields $80K in school energy savings
<http://greenfieldrecorder.ma.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=1b4f1e7d0&fbclid=IwAR0ydicK-rEwiYRe7WVdfAup8yWT-lhf-e_NcREPHO1j_YgEx0gQIZ3xVf8>
Pioneer ponders budget in face of possible closings
<https://www.recorder.com/Pioneer-hearing-23825303>
Attachment:
Meeting Notice Agenda Selectboard and Finance Committee MARCH 11 2019.doc
Description: MS-Word document
