Gill Commission on Education: Analyzing Options for Educational Improvement

1. GILL COMMISSION ON EDUCATION • Formed by Selectboard and Finance Committee • Began work January 2009

2. TASKS • Study public educational options for Gill • Directed not to make recommendations • Draft report for town meeting • Identify ramifications of options

3. DEMOGRAPHICS – COMMUNITY TRENDS • Town has seen growth since 1960 • However, attendance in GMRSD has been declining since the late 1990’s

4. DEMOGRAPHICS – CHOICE PATTERNS • Almost 30% attend out-of-District schools • Only 56% of students at Gill Elementary are Gill residents • Choice rates • Where do they choice out to?

5. BACKDROP • Spiraling educational costs • Flat state aid • Loss of local control • Declining enrollment • Quality concerns • 2007 State labeled GMRSD as underperforming • Troubling drop out rate • Concerning MCAS scores

6. STATE BACKDROP • Pressure to collaborate, economize, or regionalize • Too many school districts • FC school districts too small • Warning to FC school districts: change or state will mandate change

7. OPTIONS • Stay in GMRSD • Stay in GMRSD with changes • Join another district • Pull elementary school out of district • Tuition middle school/high school students to area high schools

8. OPTION 1:STAY WITH GMRSD • Will involve change • State mandate • Towns’ inability to continue to sustain rate of increase • Opportunity to make innovative changes improving education and addressing fiscal concerns

9. OPTION 2: POSSIBLE CHANGES WITHIN GMRSD • Collaboration • Transportation, SPED, bookkeeping • HEC, Greenfield • Superintendency union • Consolidate with another district or another system

10. OPTION 2:POSSIBLE CHANGES WITHIN GMRSD • Innovative approaches • Expand role of school community council • Readiness schools • Horace Mann/charter schools • Change current agreement

11. OPTION 3:GILL JOINS ANOTHER DISTRICT • Pioneer has capacity • Pioneer geographically closest to Gill • 24 Gill students currently choicing into Pioneer

12. FINANCIAL RAMIFICATIONS OF LEAVING GMRSD • Debt • 17 years remaining on high School/middle School debt • Gill’s share principal + interest = $350,315 • Equity • May negotiate sale of Gill interest in buildings to offset debt • District Agreement silent on division of District’s assets

13. UNKNOWNS OF LEAVING GMRSD • Division of assets upon dissolution – books to buildings • Contractual obligations • Retirement/ health care obligations • Other contractual obligations

14. FURTHER STUDYARTICLE 6 • Form study group • Study and propose changes to District Agreement • Apportionment of capital costs • Alternative assessment methodology • Changes to school committee structure and function

15. FURTHER STUDYARTICLE 7 • Form regional school planning committee • Study options, join other towns to form planning board • Consider adding towns to GMRSD • Consider consolidating GMRSD with another district • Consider Gill withdrawal GMRSD and Gill join Pioneer

16. FURTHER STUDYARTICLE 8 • Town Meeting request school committee study and draft withdrawal amendment • Only way to quantify costs to withdraw • Not a vote to withdraw – a vote to find out costs associated with withdrawal • If approved, both towns (Gill and Montague) would need to vote to approve proposed amendments and state would have to approve reorganization