The topic of possible school consolidation has been a hot button for several years with no clear pathway to a consensus. On November 2, the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass Boston research team, after collecting and studying data as to what options the Town of Mattapoisett may wish to pursue regarding school consolidation, met with townspeople.
Town Administrator Mike Lorenco has stated that the town was approached by the Collins Center in January 2021 to make the town aware of Community Compact Grant opportunities. After the Select Board agreed to pursue grants for the purposes of studying the transfer station and school consolidation, the town received $37,500 for the schools study and $22,500 for the Transfer Station.
After questions arose from the Mattapoisett School Committee on various aspects of the data-gathering processes, the school study was “amended in response to concerns” raised during the May 2022 Town Meeting, Lorenco recently stated in a follow-up.
“The Collins Center felt it was necessary to respond to the concerns by refocusing the study,” said Lorenco, adding that he and Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson “worked on a new contract agreement with UMass, which helped to clarify and refocus sections of the study.”
The personnel on the consulting team has also been amended, Lorenco said.
“The Collins Center did change the makeup of their team after the contract was amended. Though I am not fully versed in the backgrounds of all the Collins Center staff assigned to the Town project, the change of the consulting team was done to add individuals with more experienced school/education backgrounds to assist in the study,” he told The Wanderer.
Part of the data-gathering process was to hold two public meetings designed to solicit public comment on the topic of school consolidation and concerns therein. On November 2, the morning session brought out approximately 40 people, while the evening session was attended by approximately 30.
The public meeting started with a statement of intent, noting that the study is taking place now to assist the town as it reviews its strategic vision regarding the use of all town facilities. Collins Center Facilitator Heather Michaud explained that the focus of the public-engagement meetings was not to give a presentation on the topic but to gather data from the public.
Michaud said of school consolidation that it could allow for expansion of programming, modern facilities to support current learning models, improved student-teacher ratios and student-support services, as well as efficiency of space utilization. She said that population trends for the town have shown growth; however, that growth was in the over-18 age category. Regarding school enrollment, those figures have remained basically flat since 2016. She also pointed out that half of the town’s annual budget goes toward school, whereas the state average is 48%.
Michaud said that other projects being considered by the town are repairs to the Highway Barn, Long Wharf, Town Hall, roads and culverts, the bike path and a variety of equipment and IT investments.
The summary provided by the Collins Center read: “Population growth has steadily increased, however the under 18 category is in decline – the population is aging, school enrollment has held relatively steady for the last five-year period, the Town invests about half the annual expenditures to support the schools, and the town is prioritizing capital improvement planning.”
The balance of the meeting gave participants the opportunity to air their views in a roundtable model, writing down responses to specific questions and then changing tables to mix and blend intellectual input.
The groups were asked, “What values are important to residents and how might those values guide decisions about public schools? What current attributes of the Mattapoisett Public Schools are we most proud of? How do we balance the needs of the schools with other projects? What opportunities do we envision for the future of Mattapoisett Public Schools? What questions or concerns do I have about the future of our schools?”
Responses ranged from belief that consolidation may, in fact, have a positive impact on students K-6 to consolidation would have a negative impact on younger students and safety. Other responses said Center School in the heart of the village is what we want and why we live here; we have not received sufficient verifiable transparent data on school expenses and also expenses of other departments; current student-teacher ratios are what we want; Mattapoisett may become unaffordable; will the commuter rail impact the community and more information on enrollment data is needed.
The sense of community was apparent throughout both sessions, with respectful discourse and candid input. The Collins Center will not be making any recommendations as to the future of Mattapoisett Public Schools, Michaud stated several times, but will be tabulating the public-meeting responses along with those received from an online survey producing a report that will be released later in the year. To take the online survey, visit Mattapoisett.net.
By Marilou Newell