Understanding the Proposed Regional Agreement: A White Paper

The Quabbin Regional School District School Committee is proposing a new Regional Agreement which will govern the K-12 regional school district of Barre, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree and Oakham. The Regional Agreement, which is currently in effect, was drafted and accepted by member communities in conjunction with the acceptance of New Braintree to theregional school district in March, 1985. The Massachusetts Educational Reform Act of 1993 (MERA) negates much of what is contained in the 1985 agreement.

But, why propose changes now – more than 20 years after MERA? As funding for education remains stagnant at the federal and state levels, and district reserves continue to decline, member towns are asked to bridge that gap, creating financial strain on local budgets. It becomes ever clearer that structural changes to the regional school district can make the district more efficient and cost effective. Language defining the procedures to reconfigure grades within a school, transfer students between towns, and to close schools, is included in the proposed agreement.

A Regional Agreement - Defined

In addition to the many other Massachusetts General Laws (MGLs) that govern regional school districts, MGL Chapter 71, Section 14B states the requirements that must be included in the Regional Agreement of a regional school district. The Regional Agreement must contain and define nine components, which are not otherwise determined by statute. These components include:

(a)Defining the regional district school committee including the total number of members, the number of members from each town, the method of selection of members, and terms of office of the members.

(b)Where schools will be located.

(c)The type of regional district. (Quabbin Regional School District is an academic region.)

(d)The method of apportioning the expenses of the regional school district, the method of apportioning the costs of school construction, and the time and manner of payment of the shares of the member towns of these expenses.

(e)The method by which school transportation shall be provided, and the manner by which the expenses shall be shared by the member towns.

(f)How a town may be admitted to or separated from the regional school district.

(g)The method by which the regional agreement may be amended.

(h)The procedure for the preparation and adoption of an annual budget.

(i)Any other matters, not incompatible with law, which regional school committee may deem advisable.

How the Proposed Regional Agreement differs from the Current Document

(1)All sections of the current document that conflict with Massachusetts General Law, including MERA, have been deleted as has been all sections pertaining to the establishment of the original district in 1985.

(2)The number of members of the school committee has been increased from fourteen (14) to fifteen (15) by adding a member from the town of Hubbardston due to the significant increase in town population. Going forward, the number of members from each town shall be reevaluated every ten years, based on the Federal decennial census data. (Component (a) - Section III (B) Composition of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

(3)Due dates for operating and debt assessments have been changed from five (5) times per year (20% each payment) to four (4) times per year (25% each payment). Town officials requested a change in payment dates to lessen impact on cash flow. Additionally, a payment date of July 1st was not feasible. Current due dates are: the 1st of July, September, December, March and June. Proposed dates are: the 15th of August, November, February and May. (Component (d) - Section IV (D) Times of Payment of Apportioned Costs of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

(4)The dates pertaining to the annual school district budget have been changed to align with the release of revenue data from the state legislature as follows:

  • The Committee shall, not later than March 15th, hold a public hearing on the tentative budget. This date was March 1st. (Component (h) – Section VII (B) Public Hearings of the Proposed Regional Agreement)
  • The Committee shall, not later than April 15th, adopt a final operating and maintenance budget. This date was March 20th. (Component (h) – Section VII (C) Final Budget and Apportioned Assessments to Member Towns of the Proposed Regional Agreement)
  • The District Treasurer shall, prior to April 30th, certify and send assessments to member towns. This date was April 1st. (Component (h) – Section VII (C) Final Budget and Apportioned Assessments to Member Towns of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

(5)The proposed regional agreement includes language that transportation costs will be charged to member towns as an operating cost, which means that member towns will share the total cost, after deducting state transportation reimbursement, by resident student enrollment. Although this language is not new, it is different than the current practice of charging member towns for actual transportation costs.

Over the past several years, as the district was met with budget constraints and member towns faced financial hard times, transportation costs were reduced by cutting buses across the district. Sometimes a bus could be cut and route changes could accommodate all student riders. Other times, when one bus would be cut, another would pick up a few students from another town along the way, ensuring that all students got to school on time. Bus routes are not finalized until the summer months, well after the finalization of the budget. Towns affected by the route changes could not be charged for actual costs without calling a town meeting to appropriate the additional funds.

Moving forward, as the district considers the possible reassignment of grades or the closing of schools in order to become more instructionally effective and financially efficient, buses may be routed through multiple towns to pick up students in the most efficient way.

To ensure that the cost of transporting students is fair, the proposed regional agreement reinforces the formula for allocating transportation costs. (Component (e) – Section VIII Transportation of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

(6)There is new language that restricts the school committee’s power to reassign one or more grade levels to schools other than those located within the town in which students reside. This may occur in times of declining enrollments and/or fiscal constraints. The current agreement allows this change with only a vote of the school committee. The proposed regional agreement requires a 2/3 vote of the school committee and which will occur only after at least one joint public meeting of all of the Boards of Selectmen of the member towns along with representatives of the District, as well as at least one joint public hearing to be held by the Committee on the issue of the proposed grade level reassignment. The meeting with the Boards of Selectmen as well as the joint public hearing will occur on dates prior to and separate from the meeting at which the Committee takes its final vote.(Component (i) - Section IX (A) 4 of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

(7)The proposed regional agreement contains new language regarding the procedure for closing a school within the district. The current agreement is silent on this matter. The proposed agreement vests the power to close a school to a town meeting vote.

Section IX (A) 5. states, “The elementary school in a town which has only one elementary school will not be closed except by a 2/3 vote of all of the members of the Committee, which will occur only after at least one joint public meeting of all of the Boards of Selectmen of the member towns along with representatives of the District, as well as at least one joint public hearing to be held by the Committee on the issue of the proposed school closing. The meeting with the Boards of Selectmen as well as the joint public hearing will occur on dates prior to and separate from the meeting at which the Committee takes its final vote. After following the above process, if the Committee by a 2/3 vote of all of its members votes to close the elementary school that is in question, a written notice referencing said vote will be sent within seven (7) calendar days to the Clerk of the town in which the proposed closure would occur. Upon receipt of said notice, the town in question will schedule a “single issue” special town meeting to be held no sooner than three (3) months after and no later than six (6) months after the date of the Committee’s vote. At this town meeting a presentation concerning the reasons for the proposed closing will be made on behalf of the District. After discussion, the town meeting will then vote, using written ballots, on the question of whether the proposed school closing should occur. Unless a majority of the votes cast, exclusive of abstentions, are in favor of the proposed closing, the closing will not occur. If a majority of the votes support the closing, the closing will occur on a time-table established by the Committee.”(Component (b) – Section XI (A) 5 Pupils’ Rights to Attend the Regional District Schools of the Proposed Regional Agreement)

The Regional Agreement Task Force will host four informational forums across the district beginning on May 28th. Interested parties may attend any of the forums.

Please visit the district’s website at , School Committee tab, Quabbin Regional School District Regional Agreement Proposed Changes link to view the informational forum schedule, the original 1985 Regional Agreement, the Proposed Regional Agreement and links to several Massachusetts General Laws that govern regional school districts.