Cheshire Offers Some Support To Regional School District

The Adams-Cheshire Regional School District presented its budget to Cheshire officials on Tuesday.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Adams-Cheshire Regional School District has received support from the Cheshire Selectmen, Advisory Board, and community members.

School Committee members met with the Selectmen on Tuesday night to discuss the approximately $19 million budget. The School Committee members are unsure if they want to make what they consider irresponsible cuts that would compromise education or ask for what they think the school needs.

"We cut some really, really big things out of the budget last year and our hope was to get some of those back in and then some but we can't with the minimized budget," School Committee Chairwoman Darlene Rodowicz said.  

Superintended Kristen Gordon said the district simply cannot keep up with mandated expenses and the lack of state funding. She said it has already cut science labs, which is affecting students applying for colleges. She said full-day kindergarten may also be on the chopping block with a stripped-down budget.

C.T. Plunkett principal Michelle Colvin said the lack of technology is also a huge issue throughout the district. With the online standardized PARCC test possibly on the horizon, Adams-Cheshire students are falling behind.

"Our kids at Plunkett have a pretty antiquated computer lab that our students get into as often as they can, but for most classes that is about once a week," Colvin said. "We are worried about the technology skills students have going forward."

Gordon said the mandated test is another socioeconomic divide for both schools, which cannot afford the luxury of supplying each student with a computer.

"Those districts that are paying $19,000 per pupil, those kids are on a computer every day," Gordon said. "Our kids are automatically at a disadvantage if they have to take that test next year and many low-income families to this day don't own computers."

Cheshire Elementary School Principal Peter Bachli said the school has 25 computers that are Hoosac Valley High school hand-me-downs. He said the computers are riddled with issues and often don't work.

With no money for new computers, Bachli took a more creative approach and is having his students write handwritten letters to individual pro athletes from the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots asking for funds for new computers.

"I am continually frustrated when I look at pro athletes salaries, and it blows my mind that that money is out here and we are fighting every year to try to educate our kids," Bachlie said. "We are going to make it a great written lesson so at the very minimum our kids get practice writing … we might have a great big 237-student march to the post office to mail them."

The district did receive $10,000 from the Barrett Fund to buy computers. Gordon said this will purchase 60 Chromebook laptops. She hopes to match this grant for a total of 120 laptops, which will alleviate the issue a little.

Gordon said this is a normal occurrence in the district and many teachers have had to raise funds on their own to pay for extra resources or projects.

Rodowicz said both towns have been very supportive and the committee members know there is not much more they can cut, Cheshire specifically.

"I can't see another place where Cheshire can cut," Rodowicz said. "It's a very lean budget as it is and without an override, I don't see away how you can fix these numbers."

Although financially Cheshire cannot reduce cuts without going for a Proposition 21/2 override, attendees of the meeting provided the School Committee with an outpouring of support and creative solutions.

Selectwomen Carol Francesconi and Advisory Board Chairman William Craig advocated for the purchase of 150 laptops for Cheshire Elementary School and look into requesting a debt exclusion for the borrowing.

"It is disgusting that Cheshire school kids cannot work on a computer. It is absolutely outrageous," Francesconi said. "We have hand-me-downs from Hoosac Valley, and that is scary."

Advisory Board member Richard Scholz advocated for reaching out to businesses, small and large, to see what kind of opportunities were available and Water Commissioner Francis Waterman suggested creating a fund for district alum to donate to.

Advisory Board member John Tremblay asked that the district communicate more with the towns and let them know what the district needs and how people can help.

Rodowicz said it is important for residents to attend budget meetings and town meetings and advocate for a more educationally responsible budget.

Gordon said she was happy to see the amount of support the district has.

"This meeting is feeling very good, heart warming, and almost tearful for me because this feels grass roots," she said. "We are in this together and recognizing the communities are doing whatever they can."

Cheshire Tag Sale and Bazaar