BARRE — When it comes to altering the voter-approved articles of agreement that created the Barre Unified Union School District in the wake of a state-imposed merger five years ago, a frequently fractious school board found some rare common ground this week.
Though most members agreed modifying the articles in order to give future boards a freer hand in restructuring the three schools in their pre-K-12 district might make sense, there was near-unanimity with respect to when not to ask that question.
With the exception of School Director Michael Boutin, members agreed Town Meeting Day was too soon to prepare a proposal to amend one of the articles, reconfigure another and then pitch the changes to voters in Barre and Barre Town.
One of the articles in question requires a district-wide vote in order to shift from two existing pre-K-8 schools that, while in different communities, are barely two miles apart to a shared elementary school and a shared middle school in a district that already shares Spaulding High School.
The other article could pose a hurdle to much smaller scale restructuring, as well as any thought of transforming Spaulding from a traditional 9-12 high school into a middle-high school that serves the district’s seventh and eighth graders as well. The current language prevents the district from requiring any pre-K-8 student from attending a school outside their town of residency.
The board didn’t discuss specific changes to those articles, but the aim would be to make it easier to make structural changes for reasons ranging from education, efficiency, economics and equity.
Boutin argued it was past time to start moving in that direction, and predicted the contemplated changes — to the articles of agreement, not the school system — would be approved by a majority of Town Meeting Day voters.
“The … district has been waiting for this to happen,” he said. “The longer we wait, the longer it will take to actually do this — to be able to bring that ‘equity’ that everybody talks about to our school system. To make it so that we are able to reallocate (re)sources where … (they’re) needed.”
Others on the board — some for different reasons — disagreed, citing what they suggested was a too-tight time frame and Superintendent Chris Hennessey warned could be a politically heavy lift.
With the March elections less than six months out and what will likely be a challenging budget cycle about to begin, School Director Terry Reil was among those who suggested a Town Meeting Day vote was unrealistic.
“There’s not enough time to do the necessary … thoughtful work … to make this as an intelligent decision,” Reil said, adding: “I think to say that we’re going to ask the community to amend … (the articles of agreement) when we haven’t done any of the work is irresponsible.”
School Director Sonya Spaulding was on the same page as Reil and borrowed one of his words — “irresponsible” — to describe what she viewed as a poor substitute for a process that could lead to changes — in the articles of agreement and eventually the district — she wholeheartedly supports.
“I don’t want to rush it because I feel like we’re going to shoot ourselves in the foot if we do that,” she said. “I feel like we should be more thoughtful and diligent and intentional and make sure that we are doing all the things we need to do instead of just putting it on the ballot and trying to just rush and get it done.”
Hennessey acknowledged the history of a merger that was forced by the state Board of Education after it was handily rejected three times by voters in Barre Town.
“This is going to an enormous political effort,” he predicted.
Board members Nancy Leclerc and Paul Malone agreed.
“This is going to be a huge sell, I think, for both communities,” Leclerc said during a discussion that saw Boutin predict the future and Malone misremember the past.
Boutin said he was beyond confident a district-wide vote on the changes under consideration would yield a favorable result.
“It will pass,” he said, basing his assessment solely on the overwhelmingly wide margin the merger passed in Barre.
Malone wasn’t so sure suggesting if Barre voters spoke loud, their Barre Town counterparts spoke louder — defeating the voluntary the combined merger in what he described as a “combined vote.”
On that point Malone’s memory failed him because the Act 46-inspired merger required the separate approval of voters in Barre and Barre Town.
Barre voters approved the merger 2,069-694 in November 2016 and 1,887-567 two years later. Barre Town voters rejected the merger 2,108-1,611 in November 2016 and 2,106-1,262 in November 2018.
Had the results of those elections been combined the merger would have passed, 3,680-2,802 in 2016 and 3,148-2,673 two years later. There was a third vote in Barre Town, though the effort to overturn the 2016 election fell far short in February 2017 when voters rejected the merger 1,159-482.
Amending the articles of agreement — like restructuring the pre-K-8 schools — must be decided by a district-wide vote.
Boutin’s frustration — and his impatience — stems from his belief that while the merger created one new district it isn’t functioning that way.
“We currently have three school systems (and) one school board,” he said.
Hennessey noted the kinds of changes implemented if the articles of agreement are altered, would be part of a “multi-year process.” Like Reil, he said, nothing is preventing public discussions that will help frame the issue for voters.
“Our admin(istrative) team is ready to do this work,” Hennessey stressed. “We just want to do it right. We don’t want to confuse the community (and) we don’t want to rush them into anything.”
Hennessey suggested some of that preliminary work would be a perfect assignment for existing committees — from finance and facilities and transportation to curriculum
“That would be a really good place to start having these (conversations),” he said.
Chair Giuliano Cecchinelli said the board will likely get some hint about how the community feels on the subject at its next meeting when the prospect of combining middle school athletic programs at Barre City Elementary and Middle School and Barre Town Middle and Elementary School will be on the agenda.
Hennessey agreed.
“I think that’s going to be a real test right out of the gate,” he said.
While board members were uncomfortable with the prospect of a March vote that doesn’t mean August and November are both options in what will be an election year.
david.delcore @timesargus.com
