CHESHIRE, Mass. — The public is invited to Hoosac Valley High School this weekend to participate in a study to identify and analyze cost-saving alternatives for the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.
"It's to learn, to listen, to provide background, to receive information and to share," School Committee member," Edmund St. John IV said. "It is a chance to partake in the conversation about the future of the district."
This Saturday at 10 a.m., the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston will ask Adams and Cheshire residents to join in on a "World Cafe" style discussion to gather community values and aspirations, particularly as they relate to municipal finances and education.
Interim Superintendent Robert Putnam suggested anyone concerned about the school district or who is interested in the future of the district should attend the event
"Participatory politics is a small-town American tradition and if you don't go you can't participate," he said.
The town of Adams was able to hire the Collins Center through its Community Compact grant to identify and analyze alternatives to reduce costs for Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.
The district, which has been hit year after year with rising costs and shrinking financial resources, has been seeking opportunities to shrink costs. This includes possibly closing a school.
The study began earlier this year and both the towns and the school district provided information and historical trends to aid in the study.
At Saturday's meeting attendees will split into groups of six to eight in which they will discuss what they value in the school district and in the community, what they fear about the process and what some good alternatives would look like.
The groups will shift around and the Collins Center will record and synthesize the community input.
There will be a second meeting Thursday, Nov. 3, in the evening.
The meeting will be held in the cafeteria and child care will be provided.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Scholarship Offered to BArT Graduates
ADAMS, Mass. — Graduates of Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT) who have completed their first year of college are invited to apply for the Julia Bowen Bridge to College Scholarship.
The scholarship fund was established in 2017 to honor Julia Bowen, BArT's founding executive director. Through her service to the school, Bowen demonstrated her commitment to supporting all students' successful path to and through college. In this spirit, the scholarship was created by and is managed by the BArT Foundation to provide financial assistance to select BArT alumni through their college career.
A scholarship of up to $1,250 will be awarded to a BArT alumnus or alumna who has successfully completed year 1 of college. Assuming successful completion of the school year, the award will be continued through years 2, 3, and 4 and, if need be, 5. The award does NOT need to be used for tuition.
Applications may be accessed at https://bit.ly/Bowen2024. The application process includes a narrative about the applicant, how the successful applicant plans to use the Bowen Scholarship to increase the likelihood of college success, and how the applicant has or will support the BArT alumni network or college office.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
click for more
Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
click for more
Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more