Adams-Cheshire Asks Lanesborough to Consider 'Collaboration'

Adams and Cheshire officials are inviting Lanesborough to see what its new high school can offer.

ADAMS, Mass. — Adams and Cheshire officials are reaching out to Lanesborough asking to open up a dialogue about reorganizing its school district.

A letter sent by Adams Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco invites school officials and interested parties from all towns involved to a community meeting to discuss collaboration. 

That could include Lanesborough leaving the Mount Greylock Regional School District or tuitioning its middle and high school students into the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.

The letter is signed by Cheshire Town Administrator Mark Webber, Adams Selectmen Chairman Richard Blanchard and Cheshire Selectmen Chairwoman Carol Francesconi.

"It never hurts for communities to sit down and chat about what is possible," Mazzucco said on Monday. "ACRSD will be showing a little about who they are, what our district is about, what possibilities exist, and what we can do working together with Lanesborough."

Mazzucco said preliminary numbers suggest combining with Lanesborough could provide Adams-Cheshire with more than $1 million annually and provide some relief to the school district's budget. The School Committee this year cut the budget to a degree it considered "irresponsible" and still had difficulty convincing Cheshire residents to fund that town's assessment.

"Some of that additional revenue would be needed to offset the cost of the increased number of students, but most would be able to go to adding dynamic programs and options at Hoosac that would provide outstanding options for ACRSD and students from Lanesborough," Mazzucco said.

He thought Lanesborough could also potentially save more than $1 million annually by sending its students to Hoosac Valley.

The newly renovated Hoosac Valley has the capacity for 180 to 200 more students; he said Lanesborough currently has about 180 students enrolled at Mount Greylock.

Lanesborough and Williamstown have had a testy relationship last year as past members of the Lanesborough School Committee and town officials have advocated reviewing its commitment to Mount Greylock and its superintendency union with Williamstown. A research committee reviewed the pros and cons of staying or leaving, without making any recommendations.

The town is a member of the Mount Greylock school district, sending its middle and high school students there, and in a union with Williamstown Elementary. All three districts share a superintendent, special education director and other administrative services.

Mount Greylock is currently pursuing a new high school project; there have also been conversations about regionalizing both towns into a single K-12 school district.

The letter refers the ability to provide a quality education and "sustainable tax rates," and notes "we are also certainly aware of the immense challenges to your community as it possibly embarks down the path of a constructing a new high school facility."

Mazzucco said the idea of talks with Lanesborough came out of a conversation this winter with Adams-Cheshire Superintendent Kristen Gordon.

"We decided that at some point we should invite Lanesborough to sit down and chat," he said. "You never know what is possible or what can develop when people get together and discuss common challenges and solutions."

Mazzucco said he has yet to hear officially from Williamstown or Lanesborough, but the community dialogue will be held Thursday, Aug. 27, at Hoosac Valley High school. He said the first meeting will allow members of the communities to get to know each other. 

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