The UMass Boston Collins Center for Public Management sent representative Heather Michaud to present an introduction of the center’s facilities study to Monday night’s public meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee.
A recent downward trend in student enrollment in the Tri-Towns, coupled together with Mattapoisett’s budgetary challenges, has sparked interest among town officials in potential school-building consolidation. Funded by a grant opportunity, the Collins Center was contracted by the town to evaluate Mattapoisett’s Town Hall and two elementary schools against enrollment trajectory and many other considerations and deliver recommendations.
What the School Committee didn’t count on learning Monday night is that the two-pronged study was enacted on the town side a full year before the schools side was brought into the picture.
“The timeline seems a little late, school’s almost over,” said retiring School Committee member Carole Clifford, who was attending her final meeting. “The final report is coming up soon, but you haven’t had much of a site visit yet and you said there would be several. … They may be rushing it.”
Clifford asked if the timeline laid out by Michaud could be stretched out, and School Committee Vice-Chairperson Carly Lavin buttressed the concern, calling surveys targeting families in summer mode as “ill-advised.” Lavin suggested waiting until the fall. “I just think your participation will be better,” she said.
“We agreed the timeline is aggressive. The Select Board is concerned. I myself was concerned,” said Michaud. “I certainly have never seen an overnight consolidation. … wouldn’t be best practice … you’re looking at a long-range plan.”
Michaud explained that four Collins Center employees would serve on the team evaluating Mattapoisett: herself, along with colleague Mike Edwards, a building expert and a former school business administrator. “He needs to look at it from the town side and I’ll be looking at the schools,” said Michaud.
Another person, she said, will offer an objective perspective, and a former superintendent of schools (Ann Wilson, assuming her availability) will assist with public engagement. Two are full-time UMass Boston employees and two part time.
Anticipating the request from the committee, Chairman Jim Muse told the members he had already requested the documentation of the grant application filed by the town.
“We absolutely should see what the genesis of this whole process is. We seem to be in the middle of it,” he said.
Lavin and Tiffini Reedy agreed it would have been helpful for the Collins Center to be more fully represented. “This isn’t just about the school but the town and the town hall. Taxpayers are ultimately going to be funding this project,” said Reedy.
Muse agreed with the committee members.
“There is a lot going on, and the school wasn’t given even a whisper,” he said. “It would have been better to start this process together, and I know you can’t help.”
In questioning as to prior relationships between town officials and any participants on the UMass Boston end, Muse said, “It seems like this just kind of happened. We were not in the know at all and only began to be in the know when you met with Mr. (Mike) Nelson (Old Rochester Regional superintendent of schools.) Something that is really, really, really very important and is something that is really, really, really rushed.”
Lavin reiterated that the public forum on school consolidation should, like the survey planned for the summer, be held when school is in session to ensure proper opportunity for feedback.
Muse concluded the segment and thanked Michaud for the time and thoughtfulness she put into her responses.
Muse was less diplomatic in his Chairperson’s Report in which he called the May 9 Town Meeting “an absolute circus.”
In reporting that the Mattapoisett school budget carried at Town Meeting, Muse expressed extreme surprise and extreme disappointment at what he termed an improper departure from the agenda for the sake of an attack from the floor on the school administration and committee.
“It was nothing short of disgraceful, it was orchestrated, it was planned,” he said.
Muse said hundreds of hours go into developing documentation of the data and processes involved with school budgeting. “They’re agonized over,” he said, referencing an annual effort “done thoroughly and presented thoroughly.”
Muse insists that the financial information that Mattapoisett Finance Committee Chairperson Pat Donoghue and Town Administrator Mike Lorenco recently asserted was not readily available, in fact, was at their request.
“The very worst thing … that night we had a fantastic opportunity to recognize a person who is the premier public servant … instead … she was vilified,” Muse said of retiring Mattapoisett Schools’ Principal Rose Bowman.
Muse also said that the prior town manager was “vilified improperly and erroneously.”
He concluded his remarks by saying, “We have children that need us. … I hope that we can work together, and I hope they will work in an honest fashion to do the right thing for the entire town and that’s our children.”
Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson said he is confident in the budget. “Mattapoisett elementary schools consistently make the most of the resources afforded them,” said Nelson.
After a public hearing was held on School Choice, the committee voted to keep Mattapoisett a School Choice district but capping the number of enrollment slots at 12 for the 2022-23 school year. Nine of those slots are presently occupied, including two in Kindergarten, two in Grade 1, three in Grade 2 and two in Grade 3.
In answer to a question from Mike Rosa, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Howie Barber explained that the occupation of out-of-town students in School Choice slots saves the town money because the state funds $5,000 for each student in the program. According to Muse, the school is already incurring a $19,000 annual cost for the seat.
In other votes, the committee approved the Memorandum of Agreement with the Mattapoisett Educators Association for next three school years. Select Board member Tyler Macallister, who attended the meeting via Zoom, was not present when the vote was taken, but Muse said the committee had a quorum so the tally was 5-0 in favor with one non-vote.
The School Committee also approved meeting dates for the 2022-23 school year as September 12, November 14, January 9, February 27, March 20, April 3, May 15 and June 12. Lavin said she thinks there is too much work for two meetings before the new year and accepted Nelson’s suggestion that she request an October meeting at the September meeting.
Two finalists have been selected to replace Bowman for the 2022-23 school year: Dr. Linda Ashley, who is presently working for Franklin Public Schools, and Dr. Christie Harvey-Cutone, presently with Wayland Public Schools.
Director of Student Services Craig Davidson reported that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is helping the ORR School District expand summer programming with $50,000 grants to all three of the Tri-Towns and one for the district at large.
In her Principal’s Report, Bowman highlighted several upcoming events, including MCAS testing, Kindergarten screening, buy-one, get-one book fairs, a day with artist Bren Bataclan on June 2, picnic lunches on June 7, field days on June 3 (Center School) and June 17 (Old Hammondtown), a musical program on June 21 at Center School and June 8 or June 15 at Old Hammondtown and Flag Day June 14 at Center School with both schools and the band on hand.
Old Hammondtown fifth-grade student Paige Mailloux, whose Arbor Day poster won top prize, entered the state contest in Newburyport and finished.
In Open Comment, resident Bodil Perkins, whose comments during the School Choice public hearing were unheard due to technical difficulties, suggested a more detailed financial breakdown of why School Choice is considered an overall win for the local school district. She also asked what happens if a School Choice student needs an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) and how that is financially covered.
Mike Rosa asked if the public will be invited back to school committee meetings in person and, if not, why not.
Muse reminded the participants that Open Comment is not a question-and-answer session but an opportunity for comment. He invited questions to be directed to the ORR Central Office.
The next meeting of Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Monday, June 13, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, June 23. Both meetings will begin at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett School Committee
By Mick Colageo