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The School Committee on Monday voted to open talks with North Adams, or any other district, interested in sharing a superintendent.

Adams-Cheshire Open to Talks About Sharing North Adams Superintendent

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — Adams-Cheshire Regional School District is in need of a superintendent; North Adams already has one. 
 
So school officials in both districts are discussing whether it might be feasible to share the top position. 
 
Adams-Cheshire voted to support the idea on Monday night; the North Adams School Committee will take up the issue tonight (Tuesday).
 
"There is an opportunity to share a superintendent in North County and that could be groundbreaking," Adams-Cheshire Chairman Paul Butler said. "When you look at population trends and student enrollment and funding from the state it only makes sense to look at opportunities like this."
 
With the recommendation from the Berkshire County Education Task Force to consolidate into a single "super district" to adapt to shrinking population, consolidation has been on the minds of school districts throughout the county. Sharing services has been seen as a crucial step in beginning that long road of partnering across borders. 
 
Late last year, current Superintendent Robert Putnam announced his retirement at the end of this school year and Putnam noted Monday that although applications are coming in, the district could also be the first to make a move.
 
"It would be groundbreaking," He said. "It would sort of be a feather in our cap if this is successful because shared superintendents are rare."
 
There aren't many in Berkshire County and none that oversee school districts with such different governmental structures. While Adams-Cheshire is a regional district overseen by an elected board, North Adams is a single district with an elected board headed by the city's mayor. In contrast, Northern Berkshire School Union is made up of five town school districts that share a superintendent and other administrators. (And the North Adams School Committee will also be taking up a shared services agreement with NBSU to share a business administrator.)
 
The School Committee went through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis on Monday to explore what sharing a superintendent with a neighboring district, such as North Adams, may look like.
 
Members agreed there would be obvious monetary savings that would allow more resources to be poured back into the district. 
 
One weakness committee members brought up was that a shared superintendent may not be able to give Adams-Cheshire her full attention.
 
"Someone will have to split their time and it may not be equal," School Committee member Adam Emerson said. "You can only stop one crisis at a time."
 
There was also the fear that the Adams-Cheshire would lose some control over its district.
 
Hoosac Valley Elementary Principal Michele Colvin had similar concerns, especially with immediate maintenance issues at the school.
 
"I talk to you three times a day about the facility and I worry about that and issues with heat, water and masonry," she said. "I worry. Rob is here full time. We have his undivided attention for three schools." 
 
But Putnam added that by sharing a superintendent, the districts could also share services such as a facilities manager, a position Adams-Cheshire let go of years ago. The superintendent does not typically deal with maintenance directly, he said. 
 
There could be opportunities to possibly share other services, faculty, facilities and academics between two districts.
 
This caused some pause among the administrators who thought the School Committee's conversation was steering toward merging districts, instead of just sharing a superintendent.
 
Butler said Monday's conversation merely outlined possible outgrowths that could follow a shared superintendent.
 
Putnam said the final form of this may be consolidation, but the district would not be looking to merger at this point in time.
 
He did say the agreement would act, in some ways, as a test to see if consolidation at this scale would work in the county. However, the first step would to be to organize a solid superintendent agreement. 
 
"I think that any exploration of something like a shared superintendent is dependent on a successful shared superintendency," he said. "Rather than thinking beyond that, all energy would be set to ensure that this is successful and it meets the needs of both districts. Once that happens then new paths open up."
 
Putnam said he has worked closely with not only North Adams Superintendent Barbara Malkas but other neighboring districts and, over the past few years, together Northern Berkshire school districts have brought in more than $600,000 in grant funding to help explore consolidation opportunities and better education.
 
"We have a track record and the districts here in Northern Berkshire County have been very successful with grant applications," he said. "There is strength in numbers and we want to optimize the resources available to us."
 
Colvin asked if a standing superintendent would just take the post or would there be a new hiring process.
 
Putnam said the district would use a current superintendent who already is familiar with the leadership role. He said it would be better to bring on someone who has already proven themselves to be a strong administrator and superintendent. 
 
He added that the agreement would be a simple contract that the district could leave whenever it wanted.
 
The school officials asked how introducing this option while searching for a new superintendent would affect the search. They feared it could dampen the applicant pool.
 
Putnam said there are more than 50 superintendent searches going on throughout the state at this time and that Berkshire County salaries are not terribly competitive. He said response will already be dampened.
 
This way the district has all options open, he said.
 
"We can do this simultaneously so whatever option appears to be the best for Adams-Cheshire, I think that would be your decision to make but at least you are exploring all of the options," he said. 
 
While North Adams was mentioned in the motion and that committee will discuss the same agenda item Tuesday night, Putnam said other neighboring districts are privy to the idea and there is no set plan with a single district. 
 
Butler did mention that he recently met with Malkas and Mayor Thomas Bernard.
 
"I think it is very important to move it forward and as a caveat, I have met with the new mayor and the superintendent and they both seem enthusiastic about the ideas," he said. "I think this certainly makes sense."

 


Tags: ACRSD,   shared services,   superintendent,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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