Clarksburg Eyes RFP for School Project; Officials Leery of Consolidation Talk
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The next step for Clarksburg School is to develop a request for proposals for an architect and project manager now that it has been officially invited into the MSBA feasibility study phase.
The board of directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Nov. 18 voted to accept Clarksburg. A special town meeting in October voted 113-2 to spend up to $250,000 to study a renovation of the existing 50-year-old building or the construction of a new building.
"Now what's holding us back from moving on to the piece will be to put out an RFP for a project manger and architect that will be our next step," said Superintendent Jonathan Lev. "We need someone to move us ahead."
There was a glitch in the paperwork submitted, however. Lev said MSBA officials wanted to ensure Jeffrey Levanos had authority to sign off for the Select Board. Levanos is currently chairman of both the School Committee and the Select Board.
"They want the Select Board at their meeting next week, on the 9th, to give Jeff the authority, and then turn in that vote to them," Lev said.
Committee member Patricia Prengruber asked if the MSBA had any stipulations on the architect and manager. Lev responded that MSBA would have to approve any hire and that it has a list of qualified firms.
He said he has already been contacted by Colliers International, which is overseeing Colegrove Park Elementary School in North Adams, and sat down with an architect to discuss the project.
"It's helpful for me to have these conversations," he said. "They ask very good questions and they really want the community, the teachers, the parents, involved and knowing what the needs are, what the school is used for ... things like that."
Lev said he wished it could move along quicker, "but MSBA is very careful about all the I's are dotted ... they really over see it very well."
While the committee is eager to get going on the school project, its members are leery about further participation in the Berkshire County Education Task Force. That group of school officials from around the county has been meeting for months to develop best practices for collaboration and cost efficiencies. But it also acknowledges that the county's population is dropping and that school consolidation may be a future option.
The committee voted against pledging $500 to the task force's efforts to hire a consultant, following the path set by Florida and Savoy, the other two Berkshire County school districts in the North Berkshire School Union.
School Committee member John Solari said he felt the larger districts did not understand the smaller ones, adding $500 was a lot for a district the size of Clarksburg. "Right away it starts showing to me that they don't want to treat us equally," he said.
Prengruber said the task force made "great points" until she got to the consolidation part. Funding, she thought, should be under the North Berkshire School Union.
Lev said he had told the task force at its last meeting that it was felt the larger districts didn't think the smaller ones were necessary, and that they should be closed.
"I explained there's some trepidation on the part of our schools, that they will be using the smaller schools to help the larger schools," he said. There may be room at Colegrove for Clarksburg students, "but it's not something the town and community want to consider at this time."
The school committee members on the task force understood, said Lev, but the managers questioned wisdom of keeping a small school open. Like Savoy, with its 145 children.
"People in Savoy love their school," Lev said. "They're not complaining about the budget. It's not easy, it's difficult but they want their school ... and they're not interested in sending their kids to Adams."
In other business:
• The committee approved a new physical restraint policy as required by the state and based on the state's model. Specific staff will be trained and certified annually on the process.
Principal Tara Barnes said she expected to take the next training.
• Barnes said the school is sending out newsletters by email; only a few dozen of the parents have signed up. The option to sign for the letter can be found on the school's page. A Facebook page has also been created by the PTG for informational purposes.
• Several teaches explained some of the curriculum projects they are working on with the committee. The upper grades, represented Michael Little, are exploring the facets of human characteristics by choosing famous people and researching their timelines, lives and actions; analyzing what characteristics they portrayed and presenting themselves as that person. Many students are choosing to create scrapbooks.
"So we really cover the person's life in a multitidue of different ways," said Little.
The lower grades, K-2, are working with a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) coach through a grant from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who is helping teachers develop classes and projects. Some of the projects including learning about the sun's heat by using photosensitive paper or understanding some principals of engineering through origami.
The middle grades are working the new Common Core math curriculum. Teachers are using the EngageNY to develop strategies to align with the new curriculum.
• The committee also approved raising the pay for para-substitutes from $8.50 an hour to $9, effective immediately, to bring them in line with other substitutes and to allow them sick days, beginning with one after 30 days, two after 60 days, up to three for the year.
Tags: Clarksburg School, Clarksburg school project, education task force, MSBA,
