Few Attend Cheshire Information Session on Override

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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School and town officials answer questions at the first of two override information sessions on Thursday night. The override vote to fund the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget is Aug. 5.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Voters may have already made up their minds which way they are casting ballots in the upcoming override vote.

Fewer than a dozen people attended the first of two joint budget meetings Thursday night designed to better inform the public about the school budget process and the consequences of not passing the certified budget.

Town meeting passed the $19 million Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget, which was contingent on a $90,000 Proposition 2 1/2 override vote in Cheshire.

But the override vote by ballot was shot down by 18 percent of the town's registered voters, leaving the school district facing a total of $360,000 in cuts.

School and town officials are hoping that by providing information on how critical that $90,000 is to the school's operations, more voters will turn out on Wednesday, Aug. 5, for the second vote to support the district.

School Committee member Darlene Rodowicz told the sparsely filled Cheshire School cafeteria she hopes that the meetings allow the committee and town to answer questions and quell any rumors.

"We are holding this meeting for any individual who has a question they would like answered," Rodowicz said. "We want facts out there; we don't want emotions. We want to answer questions head on."

Selectman Robert Ciskowski said the $90,000 will probably add .30 cents to the tax rate, which will be just under $12.30 per $1,000 valuation. He said on a $150,000 house, this would cost about $45 extra a year and on a $200,000 house, would cost another $60.

Selectwoman Carol Francesconi urged attendees to realize where the money will be going.

"This is to fund our kids' education, and I don't have any kids in the school, but I still pay my taxes and ... I'm voting yes on the override," she said. "I think this town needs children and it needs families and for less than $100 year. People waste a hundred a year."

Ciskowski compared last year's average tax bill of $2,400 to surrounding communities.

He said Adams' average bill was $500 more, Dalton was $1,500 more, Lanesborough was $1,700 more, and Peru was $900 more. He added North Adams was the only community with less.

He said the Cheshire residential tax rate last year was just short of $12. He said Adams was the highest in the county with $21.37, Dalton's is $19.47, Lanesborough $18.96, North Adams $16.71, and Savoy $16.25.

He added Cheshire is No. 12 per capita income in the county, which almost puts it in the top third. Adams is 25 and North Adams 30.

"I'm not telling you that we are all financially good off, but what I am saying is compared to our neighbors who have roads to plow and schools to fund just looking just around the county we actually have a pretty good deal," Ciskowski said.

Selectman Paul Astorino said if the budget is shot down again, it will go to a districtwide vote that will include the more populous Adams. If the budget is approved by a district vote ,Cheshire is tied to the $90,000. If the town decides to not pass the override, Cheshire will have to find the money in the already tight town budget.

"We are proud that we present a town budget with very little if any fat anywhere and I personally don't know where we could find $90,000 out of the town budget," Astorino said. "We will have to cut town services."

Some residents felt the School Committee had not right to ask for another override. School Committee member Edmund St. John IV said they felt 18 percent turnout "did not reflect the will of the people."

Rodowicz said after years of cuts, the School Committee would not be doing their job if they did not go for a second override.  

"Every year, I have been on the committee we have been cutting so it's not as if we have been fat, dumb, and happy," she said. "It has come to a point where it feels irresponsible as a School Committee member to cut anymore."

Superintendent Kristen Gordon said to not supply the district with the $90,000 will throw off the agreement with Adams on proportional funding, coming out to $360,000 in cuts once that town's assessment is reduced by $270,000.

She said there is nowhere to make these cuts except for staff, which will increase class sizes. Bcause of new students coming to Cheshire, there is a second-grade class how with 32 students. The budget cuts would leave no options to reduce this class size.

"We know we can't have a class of 32 8-year-olds," Gordon said. "If this override doesn't go through, we likely don't know what to do to resolve that issue."

St. John said cutting more staff would also be bad for the area because many teachers who live in the community would have to move elsewhere for more work.

Some residents brought up concerns over the number of administrators the district has and asked why they couldn't be cut instead of teachers.

Superintendent Kristen Gordon said administration has already been cut to a minimal level and they have been as "creative as they could be." She said there are eight administrators in total and many of them have two to three extra jobs they have absorbed from prior cuts.

Residents asked why administration could not take a pay cut to save teachers.

Gordon said administration already is one of the lowest paid in the county and cutting further will make them even less competitive. She said when they post jobs they often only get two to four applicants.

School Committee member Brian Astorino said teachers and administrators are already too far on the low end in terms of wages.

"I know teachers in other districts that make more than some of our administrators do," he said. "When you look at what our administrators make in line with other districts, we are not on the high end of the pay scale by any means."

Some residents accused the district of not being honest with their money and wished there was more visibility to the district's finances. Some asked that they wished all transactions and expenses were directly published online, like Open Checkbook.

The committee explained that publishing every transaction online would require more staff and would cost money they rather put toward education.

Advisory Board member Bill Craig said the district has been very transparent with the town and all the information is available at School committee meetings and online.

"It's not a matter of what they are doing, it's a matter of what the public is doing. There is voter apathy and nobody shows up, nobody asks any questions," Craig said. "I think the secret is that most people in town don't go out and get involved."

Gordon said the district down the road will have to look at closing an elementary school if they cannot get the support needed. She said the district is aware that things need to change and are looking for ways to regionalize and share services to save money.

"We know that we can't keep going on like this but we also know we can't cut $360,000 so we know we need long-term change," she said. "It's not going to be like this every year we know we have to make some drastic changes."


Tags: ACRSD,   override,   school budget,   

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Hoosac Valley High School to Stage 'Suessical'

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School will showcase their rendition of "Suessical," a musical based on the tales of Dr. Seuss by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
 
The performances are scheduled for Friday, March 15 at 7 pm, and Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online via the provided link. Prices are $8 for students and $10 for adults.
 
Directed by Rebecca Koczela and Amanda Watroba, the production features around 50 students participating as actors, pit band musicians, and backstage and tech crews. Notably, this year's cast includes several middle school students who have joined the high school production, marking their first experience performing on stage.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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