Cheshire & School District Agree to Better Communications
 The Selectmen and School Committee are hoping for better communications in the future. |
CHEHSIRE, Mass. — Selectmen, Adams Cheshire Regional School Committee members, and district administration agreed that the recent budget compromise was not handled properly and agreed to stronger communication in the future.
The Selectmen had said they felt as though the district was not communicating with them and keeping them out of last-minute budget negotiations with Adams after finding out that the certified school budget was altered after Adams moved $93,000 from its municipal budget to the schools to avoid an override.
Superintendent Kristen Gordon apologized to the Selectmen on Tuesday during a joint meeting with the School Committee and the Selectmen. She said things just moved too fast.
"This board is fabulous…I couldn't ask for a better school committee or a select board," Gordon said. "These five days were too fast and furious and we should have slowed it down a little."
Cheshire Chairwoman Carol Francesconi said the district should have contacted Cheshire when there was early discussion on altering the certified school committee budget.
"I think that in the future if there is ever any rumors, or anything else that would give us any idea that the certified budget was not going to be the budget we are going to be dealing with, that we would like knowing ahead of time," Francesconi said. "Even if it is just a passing thought."
Gordon said the School Committee found this information out when Cheshire did and because of the rapidity of the process. School Committee member Brian Astorino said he felt the committee was prepared to just have to ask for the override in Adams.
School Committee member Edmund St. John IV said although the district is not receiving level funding, he was happy that the conversations among the town and the school have changed.
"It's not an ideal step but this the first step to really effect change ... and creating a new relationship and a new kind of conversation," he said. "These questions were never raised before."
Committee member Joshua Demarsico-Birkland agreed with St. John and said he feels better about the years to come.
"Every day that goes by where a child doesn't get what they need is a day lost forever and you can never get it back, but ... I am more hopeful this year about the future of the district," he said. "I am more hopeful than I was before this process started."
St. John said changes to the budget can still be made on the town meeting floor and those who wanted the larger school budget can still speak their minds.
The Advisory Board also decided to recommend the new budget and the Selectmen said they hoped there would be better communication in the future.
Gordon said she felt good about the future relationship between the district and the towns.
"Keep the faith in us and we are going to contuse to work hard," she said. "We are going to start bringing you more good news on a regular basis. We have a good plan, and we have administration and staff that are really moving forward."
Tags: ACRSD, school budget,
