CHESHIRE, Mass. — Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee is expected to decide whether to close one of its elementary schools on Thursday night.

When the Audit and Evaluation subcommittee asked for his judgment Monday, Putnam said C.T. Plunkett in Adams offers a better space while Cheshire offers the opportunity for more staff and programming through increased transportation reimbursement.

 

"I'd like to be able to recommend one but that's what it comes down to: do you want space and what does space give us or do we want the possibility of $100,000 a year?" Putnam said. 

 

If Plunkett were to remain open it would hold roughly the same number of students it does now. At Cheshire's recorded peak, it held 377 students and if Plunkett were to close, Cheshire would have to hold nearly 450 students, plus more staff. Either configuration assumes two grade levels moving to Hoosac Valley High School.

 

"Plunkett provides us with plenty of space ... in terms of the building we have plenty of room," he said. "We have large spaces and classrooms, and we will fit with room to spare. We will be very crowded in Cheshire."

 

Also, Plunkett has room for increased enrollment, Cheshire will be at capacity. Putnam said Adams population is not decreasing as fast as other communities and it would not be out of the question to see an uptick in elementary school-aged children in the community. 

 

Cheshire, on the other hand, would allow the district to bring in nearly $100,000 more in revenue annually. He said because more students live within a 1.5-mile radius of Plunkett, closing Plunkett means more students would be eligible for transportation reimbursement. If Cheshire were to close, the district would likely receive $19,000 more a year; closing Plunkett would mean a reimbursement of nearly $116,000 a year.

 

Putnam said he plans to hire seven more employees, some state mandated and others recommended by the University of Massachusett's Collins Center report. He said according to the report, interventionist positions will be an upfront cost but will save the district money in the long run. Without the increased revenue, the district would not be able to maintain these positions in future budgets without increasing the town allocations.

 

Putnam said these positions are also needed if the district really wants to improve its state level.

 

"Our state leveling of three is in part attributable to our lack of interventionists," he said. "Neighboring districts typically have these positions ... and we don't have that." 

 

With unrest in both communities about closing a school, Putnam said he was worried Adams or Cheshire would shoot down a budget if its school is closed.

 

"No matter what decision that we make there are going to be unhappy people and I am concerned about what happens when budgets don’t pass," Putnam said. "In the event we cannot find a solution and convince people that this is the best option."

 

The subcommittee also agreed if the district ends up becoming a one- campus district it would make no sense to invest major funds into either elementary school. Also, it would not make sense to invest funds into one school if there are plans to renovate the other in the future.

 

"What is the real long-term goal and quite frankly, the vast consensus of people that I have talked to do favor a one-campus site at some point," committee member Paul Butler said. "But they don't know the cost yet. If that’s truly the goal, it would make no sense to acquire any debt on the two elementary schools."  

 

The subcommittee agreed to only make small repairs when needed until there is a clear vision of the future.

 

Putnam suggested they create a committee to figure out what the future of the district should look like.

 

He advised evaluating all the buildings, even the closed Memorial Building, to see what kind of work they actually need so if the community leans toward major repair instead of renovation, it will know which building holds the most opportunity.

 

"What's the appetite for our community to take on additional debt?" he said. "We have not yet seen a [statement of interest] for Plunkett and it would be great to evaluate all of the buildings at a single time so we are comparing apples to apples." 

 

He said there is also the possibility that the district would combine with North Adams in the future and it is important to consider what buildings would be utilized in this case.

 

Although both schools have long-term maintenance issues that would need to be addressed if one was chosen as the permanent elementary school, the School Committee listed some immediate concerns that need to be settled before students moved in.

 

Subcommittee member Stephan Vigna suggested looking at the repairs as if they were not faced with closing a school and to only list critical repairs that they would likely make. 

 

Cheshire needs a new handicapped lift for $68,000 and an electrical panel upgrade that is estimated to cost $10,000.

 

Plunkett immediately needs a handicapped lift estimated to cost $36,000, $13,000 for repairs to the fire alarm system and $8,000 for roof repairs in the gym.

 

Plunkett also needs an overhaul of the front entrance because it lets in water and repairs to the gym air handler. The exterior gym and auditorium stairs also need to be repaired and there are heating issues in the gym and third floor but these projects were not placed on the critical list because the district has been living with them for the past three years.   

 

Business Manager Erika Snyder said there is also $57,000 for capital repairs built into the Plunkett budget and Cheshire has $13,900.

 

The wild card for Plunkett is the boiler room roof and wall that the town of Adams has put up $130,000 to repair. Initial estimates came in at $300,000 but the district felt it could get a better price.

 

Putnam said he is waiting on a new estimate, but the contractors noted that the temporary structural work the district did to keep the roof from falling may be good enough for a few years. If the moisture in the room can be controlled, it could last even longer.

 

Putnam said he would not pursue that unless he got something in writing from the contractor.

 

If the roof costs more than $130,000, the district agreement has no real protocol to follow to determine who pays for it. Usually, the price is divvied up by the number of students from each town that goes to the school, but the agreement does not take into account school closures.

 

Because the district leases the elementary schools from the communities it is unclear how to split the costs. 

 

Snyder said an agreement may have to be written up between the two towns because there is not enough time to amend the agreement.

 

Putnam added that the towns can always allocate the money to make repairs to their buildings.