Mount Greylock School Committee Member Resigns

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Update: February 1, 2012 at 5:45 p.m.

Abigail Reifsnyder said on Wednesday that she is resigning because of the time commitment and frustrations with School Committee decisions, such as scheduling meetings at times when she would be unable to attend.

"This was a really difficult decision for me," Reifsnyder said. "I feel really bad that I'm not going to finish out my term."


WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The resignation of a Mount Greylock Regional School Committee member this week will mean a fourth person will be appointed to complete a committee term begun in 2008.

Abigail Reifsnyder, a social worker, submitted her resignation this week. She was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. The Williamstown resident was elected unopposed in November 2010 to complete the final two years on the four-year term.


But the seat was originally held by Michael Rabideau, who was elected to the School Committee in 2008. Rabideau also resigned, in 2009, and Carolyn "Carrie" Greene was appointed to fill his term until the election in 2010. Instead of running to complete the term, Greene opted to run for one of the two full four-year terms that year and won.

Reifsnyder's resignation has led to the unusual situation of having a different School Committee member serving in each year of the four years of the term. That makes four, assuming that the person appointed to replace her makes it to November.

The town is now seeking applicants to be appointed to finish off the term that ends with the state and national election in November.

Interested applicants can return a citizen activity form, which is available below, to the town manager's office by Feb. 17. The appointment will be made in a joint meeting with the Boards of Selectmen from both Lanesborough and Williamstown as well as the remaining members of the School Committee. That meeting has not been set but will be chaired by Williamstown Town Moderator Mark Gold, who will vote only to break a tie.
Williamstown Citizen Activity Form
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Mount Greylock School Committee Discusses Collaboration Project with North County Districts

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — News that the group looking at ways to increase cooperation among secondary schools in North County reached a milestone sparked yet another discussion about that group's objectives among members of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee.
 
At Thursday's meeting, Carolyn Greene reported that the Northern Berkshire Secondary Sustainability task force, where she represents the Lanesborough-Williamstown district, had completed a request for proposals in its search for a consulting firm to help with the process that the task force will turn over to a steering committee comprised of four representatives from four districts: North Berkshire School Union, North Adams Public Schools, Hoosac Valley Regional School District and Mount Greylock Regional School District.
 
Greene said the consultant will be asked to, "work on things like data collection and community outreach in all of the districts that are participating, coming up with maybe some options on how to share resources."
 
"That wraps up the work of this particular working group," she added. "It was clear that everyone [on the group] had the same goals in mind, which is how do we do education even better for our students, given the limitations that we all face.
 
"It was a good process."
 
One of Greene's colleagues on the Mount Greylock School Committee used her report as a chance to challenge that process.
 
"I strongly support collaboration, I think it's a terrific idea," Steven Miller said. "But I will admit I get terrified when I see words like 'regionalization' in documents like this. I would feel much better if that was not one of the items we were discussing at this stage — that we were talking more about shared resources.
 
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