CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Selectmen have tentatively agreed to  hold a joint informational meeting with the Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee about amending the regional agreement.

 

Superintendent Robert Putnam and Business Manager Erika Snyder attended Tuesday's board meeting to go over some final budget numbers but also asked if the town would be interested in participating in a meeting to clear the air about a town meeting petition aimed at keeping Cheshire Elementary School open.

 

"We wanted to set something up where the School Committee could address the Cheshire petition if you think that would be helpful," Putnam said. "I wanted to know if that is something that could be helpful." 

 

The petition by Cheshire residents garnered enough signatures to force the towns to vote on amending the agreement. The amendment would allow Cheshire to increase its allocation to fund the operation of the school without triggering a proportional increase in Adams. School officials had voted to close prekindergarten-Grade 5 school as a cost savings.

 

Edmund St. John III, counsel for both towns, as well as school district attorney Jeffrey Grandchamp have both questioned the legality of the article and procedurally how it would work.

 

Chairman Robert Ciskowski said he did not think the meeting was a good idea and that it would just be "beating the subject to death." 

 

"My initial response is that this is not really the School Committee's place to educate Cheshire on that," he said. "I am concerned about the reaction of asking the School Committee to give their perspective. I think it could get out of hand."  

 

Selectman Edmund St. John IV, a former School Committee member who voted against closing the school, said he thought it would be a good idea because there are so many questions still out there.

 

"If we are trying to create a collaborative approach to this and this could help answer a lot of these questions then the more people in the room the better," he said. "I think here are a lot of 'if/then' scenarios that need to be addressed." 

 

He added it would allow the group members who wrote the petition to ask questions as well as residents.

 

And as town moderator, said he wants things to be as clear as possible.

 

"Town meeting is undertaking a pretty significant task by accepting this and I think having more perspectives present could benefit the process," St. John said.   

 

Selectwoman Carol Francesconi suggested that the town first see how the town's informational "baby town meeting" goes on Monday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior center. She said if there is low attendance or no discussion on the article, there may be no need for the joint meeting.

 

The Selectmen voted 2-1 to place the meeting on next week's agenda. Francesconi said if there is no need for the meeting, they simply will ignore the agenda item.

 

Ciskowski voted against the meeting.

 

While school officials were still at the meeting, Francesconi expressed her irritation that no one from Cheshire was at last week's Hoosac Valley High School career day.

 

"Hoosac Valley, which I assume is still in Cheshire, had a career day with no Cheshire representatives," she said. "The Adams Police were there, the Adams Alert Hose Company were there and the Adams town administrator ... you hire a facilitator to see why Adams and Cheshire don't play nice in the sandbox. This is why and it just adds fuel to the fire." 

 

Putnam said he informed organizers of the problem and said it will be corrected next year and both towns will receive notice.