CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board is questioning how equitable the Northern Berkshire School Union is in terms of costs and representation. 

 

The town covers 54 percent of the administrative costs for the union but has the same votes as the other four school districts and, in some cases, may pay more in terms of services for certain positions. 

 

"Is there a benefit if we did explore independence?" asked Select Board member Colton Andrews at the most recent School Committee meeting. "We're kind of at a crossroads, and every year it's this financial back and forth ... 

 

"I think to an extent, to either quiet some of the discourse, is to look at what I think Option A would be to continue on the path we're on, Option B force some sort of reallocation or redistribution of voting power within the School Committee or Option C, we break off and basically

explore independency."

 

He said officials had to get more creative because every year the school budget is the No. 1 issue and "everybody's looking for a reason to throw a stone somewhere."

 

Superintendent of Schools John Franzoni said the options couldn't be done quickly, as they would likely require a study that would take time. He pointed out that the couple years it had taken for the school union and three other school districts to just begin talks on a study to regionalize secondary education. 

 

"Should Clarksburg go it alone? It's a pretty significant stat ... it's kind of going against what people are saying we should do, which is work together more and have a regional group," he said. 

 

Franzoni said the union shares full-time professionals and if the school broke away and tried for part-time help, "they're going to leave and take a job someplace else, because they can get a full-time job."

 

School Committee member Cindy Brule asked if they could have some figures on changing the school's share of resources before presenting anything to the 12-member school union committee, which is made up of all members of the four school committees of Clarksburg, Florida, Rowe (and Monroe) and Savoy.

 

Andrews said it would be "redistribution of the percentages" which he expected would be shot down. 

 

"At that point, I think that would initiate a further conversation of, OK, you said no to adjusting the percentages. Now we're forced in another direction to look at other viable options," he said. 

 

Assistant Superintendent Tara Jacobs asked if a more equitable representation would amenable to the board. 

 

"But are you putting those two things on the table at the same time, either lowering the percentages or adding the representation?" she asked. 

 

Andrews responded that "I think I would, because at that point, there's no incentive for them to agree to either one, because they lose either way. But you gave them two options, and they turned down."

 

Franzoni said the union agreement has been in place for nearly a century and was last amended when Rowe joined 10 or 12 years ago. 

 

"I don't feel like it would be put a lot more on some of these other towns, like, just for instance, if we each other town took on 3 percent more, that would reduce us by 12 percent, which would make a big difference," said board Chair Daniel Haskins. "I'm just throwing that just like a quick math on something like that."

 

Committee member Mary Giron said they couldn't just walk in and ask for the town's cost to be lowered, "how is it going to be advantageous to them?"

 

It might be dirty politics, said Andrews, but Clarksburg controls the money as the town is the fiscal agent for the union. 

 

"I think the real issue we need to look at, and I've mentioned this many times over my time in this position, is that we need to look at is the structure that this school has been under for decades," said Franzon. "Is that the best structure to continue going forward with? Because with all the changing needs of the population that we serve, we don't have the space to do it in this building."

 

Andrews agreed that they needed to have those hard conversations but they also had to look at the options now. 

 

"I feel like we should go about this, like have some kind of percent structure that we think would be a good fit ... just let them know that we're just investigating different avenues," said Haskins. "We feel that we're getting a little top heavy for it. Something needs to be readjusted. ... We can mention the voting power. I guess you could say also in that meeting, and tell them, we're hoping to get this percentage down, because if not, we're going to possibly start looking through a study to breakout."