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Adams-Cheshire Superintendent of Schools Robert Putnam explains some of the calculations on closing a school to the Cheshire Selectmen on Tuesday.

Cheshire Concerned About Share of School District Costs

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Selectmen are wondering about cost sharing between Cheshire and Adams with the expected closing of an elementary school.
 
Of major concern is the town's responsibility for repairs to C.T. Plunkett School in Adams if Cheshire School should close.
 
"If Cheshire were to close and Plunkett were to stay open since Adams never took care of that building, I don't think Cheshire should get stuck with a million-dollar bill on that roof," Selectman Paul Astorino said.
 
A tour of the school for officials more than a week ago included discussions on the condition of the roof of the Commercial Street building.
 
Adams-Cheshire Superintendent of Schools Robert Putnam, who attended Tuesday's meeting, said this is a concern of the School Committee because as the agreement stands, Cheshire would have to pay a ratio of any capital costs based on the number of students that attend the school. This would mean Cheshire would pay a third of any capital project at an elementary school.
 
Although an agreement change cannot be made before the closing of a building, he said the regional agreement needs to be updated to reflect a fairer split for long-standing capital projects.  
 
"The last time it was amended was 1992 so it so I recommend that we bring it up to date," Putnam said. "We need to go into that and find out what is a fair way of doing this ... and I think we need to come up with some way of organizing this in a fashion that demonstrates the good will between the towns and that's what we are going to work to make happen."
 
Putnam said he may ask the towns to draft letters of intent and work out a fair split for any immediate capital costs.  
 
He said any major fixes would likely be years out and the Collins Center, which prepared a report on the school district, did recommend creating a committee to look at future options because a school closing may not be permanent.
 
In soliciting the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the district would have to look at three options: renovating Cheshire Elementary, renovating C.T. Plunkett or building new up on the Hoosac Valley High School campus on Route 116.
 
Housing the entire district at Hoosac Valley would not be possible until enrollment dropped by more than 400 students. Putnam said if this happens, it would be years off so a second school would be needed for some time.
 
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said she did not think it was fair or smart to make substantial repairs to the buildings if they may just end up building new at Hoosac Valley 
 
"We may be spending god knows how much money replacing a roof on a school that we are going to close in five years from now and build new," she said. "I wouldn't run my house like that."
 
Putnam said he does not anticipate any massive repair costs and thinks the district can "limp" by with any configuration of schools. He said he has made it a point to delay any larger projects until the district knows which direction it wants to go.
 
"There are repairs I would prefer not to do until we have made a decision about what is the best future for the district," Putnam said. "I am trying to keep expenditures as low as possible … we just want to make sure the buildings are safe."  
 
He said Cheshire immediately would need to have a handicapped lift replaced for an anticipated $65,000 as would Plunkett, but at a lower cost of $35,000.
 
Also at Plunkett, the boiler room roof will need to be replaced and although the district has not nailed down an estimate, Adams has committed to paying $140,000 toward the project. 
 
Putnam said early cost estimates came in around $300,000 but this was believed to be too high.
 
The Audit and Evaluation subcommittee is still building the budget and the savings of closing either school is comparable. He said closing Cheshire would save about $266,000 and closing Plunkett, $309,000. These numbers drop to a difference of a little over $10,000 when the handicapped lift replacements are added in.  
 
He said the district would gain revenue through transportation reimbursement if it closes a school. Students who live within a 1.5-mile radius of the school do not qualify for reimbursements.
 
Currently, 451 students are not eligible for reimbursement. If Cheshire were to close, this number would drop to 391. If Plunkett closes, this number drops to 93.
 
He said although these revenues would not be available until after this next school year. If Cheshire were to close, this number would be nearly $19,000 and if Plunkett were to close, this number would be nearly $116,000.
 
Francesconi said she felt that if Cheshire were to close, many students would decide to attend another district, which would mean a loss of revenue.
 
Putnam said he has been involved in two school closings and although there was a loss the initial year as time went on, many students returned to the district.
 
Selectman Robert Ciskowski said he heard that many students were nervous about possibly losing their school and asked Putnam if this would be addressed. 
 
Putnam said he will create a plan to help families and students transition.

Tags: ACRSD,   school closures,   

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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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