CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Selectmen are disappointed in Adams' "premature statements" about closing an elementary school.

 

"The Cheshire Board of Selectmen is disappointed with the pre-emptive and premature statements from the Adams town government regarding the potential closing of one of the district's elementary schools," Chairman Paul Astorino said Tuesday. "We prefer to hold comment until Feb. 8 when the Collins report is released." 

 

Town officials in two recent letters outlined their arguments for closing Cheshire Elementary School and maintaining C.T. Plunkett Elementary in the town of Adams. The two towns belong to the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, which commissioned a report on the district's future options from University of Massachusetts at Boston's Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management.

 

Cheshire officials have chosen to withhold their comments until the report is released, likely next week, because they felt it was inappropriate to add prejudgment to the process. 

 

"We gladly signed on with the town of Adams and the school district to participate in this important study," Astorino read from a statement. "Furthermore, we trust the process that was agreed to and have no intention of prejudicing the report beforehand."

 

Adams Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco emailed his letter to the chairman of the school committee, the superintendent, and the Collins Center in mid-January explaining that Adams would not be in favor of renovating Cheshire Elementary School. Adams Selectmen Chairman Jeffery Snoonian submitted a letter to the editor that ran Monday.

 

Mazzucco's letter was coupled with a 2014 Massachusetts School Building Authority statement of interest for the renovation of Cheshire Elementary. He cited the statement in saying the school was outdated and beyond its working life.

 

Mazzucco wrote that Adams cannot afford to fund the renovation of Cheshire and recommended that the district keep Plunkett open until the school population shrinks to a point where the entire district can be housed at Hoosac Valley High School.

 

The school district has been considering closing or restructuring the elementary schools for more than a year. It's been hit with catastrophic budgets while its enrollment population continues to decline. 

 

Astorino said he had nothing further to add on the matter.

 

"That is our comment on the whole sorrowful matter," he said.  

 

The Collins Center will make a recommendations to the School Committee on Feb. 8. The school committee will then hold public input sessions before making a decision that will affect the 2017-2018 school year.