CBRSD Working on Regional Agreement Education

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee agreed to start an education campaign after the proposed regional agreement failed in three of the district's seven towns. 
 
The item failed during the Hinsdale annual town meeting on May 15, the Peru town meeting on June 1, and Cummington's special town meeting on June 7. The regional agreement needed six out of the seven towns to vote in favor of passing. 
 
Until an updated agreement is approved, the school district will continue to operate under its current agreement and follow state law. 
 
The original agreement, created in 1958, has been amended several times and approved locally but never by the state Department of Education, which is required. 
 
During the School Committee meeting last week, committee members highlighted the lack of trust between the district and towns stemming from the 2019 decision to vote by popular vote for the approximately $72 million Wahconah Regional High School building project. 
 
The towns that voted against the regional agreement wanted to require a unanimous vote, not a two-thirds vote, for all decisions regarding debt incurrence. 
 
Whether this can be done is unclear because two-thirds is state law, School Committee Chair Richard Peters said. 
 
The district has worked for a year and a half with representatives from all seven towns and the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools on the update to the  agreement, Peters said, and they are 99 percent or 100 percent done if changes can not be made.
 
Rather than going back to the drawing board, Peters recommended bringing in representatives from MARS, legal, and possibly the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to inform town officials what changes can be made to the agreement. 
 
The district did not do an educational campaign for the agreement, aside from going to select board meetings, Peters said, because the update of the regional agreement was thought to be uncontroversial, as nothing is going to change from what they currently do. 
 
The district may not be able to accommodate every single town without getting a home-rule petition, which could take years, committee member David Stuart said. 
 
"I do want to remember that this agreement is more about the towns than it is about us. We have compliance we have to do within the regional agreement, but this is really their agreement," Stuart said. 
 
"Part of going back and listening to some of the towns or all of the towns is to find out what they're willing to do, what steps they're willing to take if they want to try and change state law if they want to try and get home rule or whatever. It's also on them to take some steps to get what they want in this."
 
Committee members recommended reaching out to parents to encourage them to attend their town meeting and inform them about the agreement details through digital channels.  
 
They also suggested collaborating with select board and finance committee chairs to educate them about the agreement's details and requirements in the hopes of gaining their support. 
 
Some voters may base their decision on the advice of their select board as they often have more knowledge on all the issues that are voted on, School Committee member Art Alpert said. 
 
The failed document incorporates updated language and includes information to meet the requirements of the state DESE.
  
This proposed update agreement that failed was preliminarily approved by DESE, and the commissioner would have been signed off after the towns' approval.
 
The draft more clearly describes the budget and apportionment process and the agreement amendment process. It also includes two pathways for towns to withdraw from the district if they ever choose to do so. 
 
The proposed draft also included "required provisions regarding Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) and pension liabilities." 
 
These provisions ensure that all "member towns carry their fair share of these costs in the event that a town is added or if a town withdraws." 
 
There is also a provision for the agreement to be reviewed every five years in case future changes are needed.

Tags: CBRSD,   regional agreement,   

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Companion Corner: Glo at the Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and playful dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for her new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

"Glo is about a one-year-old, sweet female pitty mix who has nothing but love to give," said kennel supervisor Stacey Broderick.

Glo has been at the shelter for about three weeks after unfortunately being kicked out of her previous home.

"She came here because her previous home, she was being crated an awful lot, and unfortunately, was creating a little bit of a raucous when she was left by herself," said Broderick. "So she was just being a little barky, a little loud. Neighbors obviously shared walls in an apartment setting we're complaining to the landlord, and the landlord said, unfortunately, that she had to go."

But since coming to the shelter she has been learning a lot.

"She's been nothing but a sweet little girl ever since she is working on crate training, she has been very good for us. We're practicing it with her. She is also working on her house training. In addition to it, it seems that we had a little bit of a reverse situation going on, where she likes to go potties inside, but we are working very hard, and she is learning so quickly," she said. "So even after just a couple weeks with us, she's been really getting the point to go outside and do all of her potties out there."

She would do best in the home as the only dog and possibly without cats. She would also do best with older children who can understand her needs as she needs less activity than other dogs.

"The perfect home would, because of the necessity for her to have a lower activity level, probably without other dogs, just because she can get a little bit rambunctious when she gets excited around them," Broderick said. "So she could certainly have doggie play dates, but her perfect home would be no dogs. Unfortunately, we do have a bit of a prey drive with kitty cats, so probably leaning away from the cats, unless they're incredibly dog savvy ...

"Probably looking toward a home without super young kids, just so they're not jumping, you know, or leaning, or anything along those lines, and understanding that sometimes she's going to just need a break."

Because of a medical condition she wouldn't be able to go on long hikes or do anything extraneous but she is still very active and playful.

"She is absolutely lovely. She's sweet, she's young, she's playful. She wants to be with her people all the time. She loves toys. She does like going out for walks. We do have a couple of medical things that we can certainly give more information to adopters, too," she said. "We have some hip dysplasia that we're looking at, so probably moderate activity level would be best for her.

"She shouldn't necessarily be going on super long hikes, even though she would love to, but she is young and full of life and full of energy, and wants nothing more than to be with her people."

Since Glo has hip dysplasia she will need to maintain a healthy weight to not add stress to her joints and can also benefit from hydrotherapy.

"It's something that somebody will have to have a good relationship with a veterinarian physical therapists, and then if they were interested in doing a hydrotherapy type situation, it can only help her," Broderick said. "We want to keep those muscles built up in the hind end so that her hips are not taking the brunt of the bone on bone action while she is kind of living out her very best life."

Glo hasn't shown any symptoms or difficulties since being at the shelter, but it is a condition that her owners need to understand and it increases her chances of arthritis as she gets older.

Broderick said Fritters Critters in Lee specializes in pet hydrotherapy.

"They basically work on an underwater treadmill. So that's walking under the water so that she has a little bit of resistance and the water is warm, so that it's optimum for therapeutic benefits," she said. "They do have a pool there, too, where she would be able to do some swimming, and it really gives her the ability to exercise and really extend those joints and build up those muscles without the added pressure of gravity and impact as she's walking or playing or running.

"So the hydrotherapy is a great option for dogs, even if you just want to do it for fun. She could really benefit healthwise, from it, too."

She will also have to stay on her joint mobility food to help her.

But Glo is a very happy and playful dog and loves everyone she sees and is hoping to find someone who will love her just as much to take her home.

"I can't say enough good about her. I know that the hip dysplasia sounds like a scary piece of it, as well as the house training," Broderick said. "But honestly, there was not a friendlier, sweeter, more outgoing, social, wants to be best friends with you, kind of dog. She was in the front lobby this past Saturday, and she met like 10 people at the same time, and just made rounds and loved every single person as they came in."

You can visit Glo at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about her on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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