Minutes for the Pelham Public Forum of June 16, 2011

Conversation Regarding the Exploration of Regionalization

1. Kathy welcomed the group and had everyone introduce themselves, stating any affiliation they have (school committee, select board, finance committee, etc). She then explained:
   

   1. Goals of the evening:

      1. Raise awareness of topic of regionalization

      2. BEGIN the process of gathering input from community

      3. Dispel fears

      4. Lay the foundation for a process that will be public and transparent with the committee members seen as accessible

   2. Scope of the evening:
      

      1. Provide basic definitions of terms

      2. First pass at information sharing and dialog

      3. Begin exploration into a few basic questions

   3. Background & Facts
      

      1. Pelham resident student population has been decreasing. Expenses for the school continue to increase.

      2. The Amherst School Committee has raised questions about whether or not they want to remain in Union 26.

      3. The state continues to make statements periodically indicating that they want more regions and fewer unions.

      4. The Pelham School Committee & the Pelham Select Board created and charged a group of residents as the Pelham Education Visioning Committee: “To explore all the options for the quality educational future of Pelham’s school‐aged children – taking into consideration financial viability, governance, leadership, and configuration or structure – and to make recommendations for next steps.” The group has been meeting on a regular basis since September 2010 exploring a variety of options. Conclusions to date include that:

         1. it is not recommended to close the school and

         2. it does NOT seem that a Pelham‐resident‐only student population
            is viable for supporting the school in the long term.

      5. The next logical step is to explore the possibility of developing a
         regional agreement with another town/s.

      6. No decisions have been made to date.

      7. No decisions will be made tonight.

      8. There will be a variety of opportunities (times and methods) for community members from all four towns to be involved in the process as we move forward.

2. Debbie presented a PowerPoint presentation: What is a “Region”?

   1. Explanation of a region

   2. Outline of scope of process for towns to create and enter into a regional agreement.

3. Maria reviewed norms for the group work.

4. Beth led a group activity – divided the attendees into groups of three to explore three basic questions. After individuals shared their thoughts in each small group , everyone posted their top responses on large sheets of paper. (synopsis of generated list is included below each question, many were mentioned numerous times – but listed only once)

   1. “What could you imagine as the BENEFITS of regionalization?” (collaboration of educational resources, keep Pelham school open and thriving, potentially more cohesive group entering middle school, more options/savings for special education and other resources, no more fighting, benefits of systems organization, professional development opportunities, more flexibility to match students with teachers, increased diversity of students, save money, giving people a sense of stability, alignment of curriculum and instruction, more efficient use of resources)

   2. “What could you imagine to be you greatest fears about regionalization?” (losing the center of our community, closed school, losing unique qualities, lack of social cohesion, how politics may destroy the process, more bureaucracy, miss opportunity to pass through window to innovation, lose autonomy of school committee, loss of control, class size, loss of staff, extreme busing, cost Pelham more, how people’s fears may drive how they act, some towns may choose not to participate, that the product will become irrelevant because of the carnage caused by the process)

   3. “IF we entered into regionalization:

      1. What is critically important to maintain?” (Educational excellence, maintain sense of community, nothing)

      2. What are you unwilling to compromise?” (Individual identities of the schools, quality of education, sense of community, keeping the building open)

      3. What are you willing to go to the wall for?” (High educational quality, keeping school open, keeping school as core of community, opportunity for creative, innovative configurations, small class sizes, retain control over educational decisions, keep children in town)

5. The public had an opportunity to state any remaining question and/or comments. 

6. Closure – Next Steps

   1. School Committee will work with Select Board, Finance Committee, members of committees from Amherst, Leverett and Shutesbury.

   2. All meetings will be posted and open to the public

   3. Meeting notes will be posted on School and Town website

   4. School Committee members will remain available for answering
      questions and receiving comments/ideas/thoughts 

Attendance:
Pelham School Committee: Kathy Weilerstein, Debbie Gould, Annemarie Foley
Pelham Select Board: Ed Martin, Linda Mashaud.
Pelham Finance Committee: Fred Vanderbeck.
Pelham Education Visioning Committee: Darius Modesto, Tom Fanning, Claire Kurtz
District Administrators: Lisa Desjarlais, Maria Geryk, Beth Graham and members of the public