A1.What is the purpose and goal of the Sustainability Study?
The Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts acknowledge that the trends of declining enrollment, rising operational costs, relatively flat state aid, and increasing needs of our student body have made the districts’ current operations financially unsustainable. These trends are national but directly affect our communities, creating financial concerns for our school districts, our member towns and their taxpayers. As a result, the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts have embarked upon a Sustainability Study designed to help us create a path forward that maintains or enhances high quality education for all of our students and is affordable for our towns. All community members are invited to participate in this process and to review the reports, findings, and ideas generated. Always at the forefront of our minds is our district community - the staff and students who deserve our ongoing support and the taxpayers who fund these efforts. 

Please visit the 2 Districts 8 Towns website for information about this study.

A2. Haven’t we done sustainability studies before?
Over the past 30 years, a number of groups – formed by towns and/or by the school districts – have worked to find ways to improve the Districts’ overall financial sustainability. (For a review of these efforts and results, see THIS DOCUMENT.

While some progress has been made as a result, the issues of declining enrollment, rising costs and more than 20 years of virtually flat state aid have combined to make it urgent that we find ways to make the Districts’ operations more efficient and effective now.

A3.When was the Sustainability Study launched?
The Sustainability Study was originally launched in January 2024.

A4. Which towns are involved in the study?
All 8 towns within our 2 districts are involved in the study - Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield and Shelburne.

A5.How is the Sustainability Study funded?
The project is funded through a Massachusetts Community Compact Regionalization and Efficiency Grant, which the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts applied for and received in partnership with the Town of Charlemont. Using these funds, the Districts retained a highly experienced consultant - Berkshire Educational Resources K12 — to assist with the project. 

A6.Who is BERK12, and why was BERK12 chosen to conduct this study?  
BERK12 (Berkshire Educational Resources K12 ) was selected through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process directed by the Districts. The RFP response is available HERE.

BERK12 is a non-profit organization that brings educators and community partners together through collaborative projects, professional development, networking and advocacy, and research toward partnerships. BERK12’s team of independent consultants have worked as superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, teachers, financial analysts, and evaluation specialists. Team members have expertise and experience in the areas of project management and facilitation, data analysis, historical reviews, finance, website development, legal issues, educational quality, organization systems, operations, and facilities.  

Recent examples of BERK12’s work include:

• coordinating an annual professional development day that brings together educators and staff from all the school districts in Berkshire County;

• leading the multi-year Berkshire Portrait of a Graduate initiative, which brings together six high schools to integrate the competencies and skills that students need to succeed in education and career;

• facilitating the formation and work of the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) in Southern Berkshire County, including modeling potential collaboration and regionalization options between the Berkshire HIlls and Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts and drafting a regional agreement for a combined school district — in that project, although four of the eight towns voted against combining districts, significant work was done to bring stakeholders together, identify their needs, create and analyze potential models for sustainability, and quantify benefits to the districts;

• creating a data dashboard that provides the most current school district data in Berkshire County. 

A7. Who is on the Steering Committee and Advisory Groups?
To work with BERK12 and oversee the project, the Districts have formed the 2D8T Steering Committee and a number of Advisory Groups made up of volunteers from our 2 districts and 8 towns.  Members of the Steering Committee, which includes one representative from each of the 8 member towns, can be found HERE.

Advisory Groups were formed to review data and reports and provide input to the Steering Committee in the areas of Educational Quality, Finance, Facilities and Community Engagement. Anyone is welcome to participate in the Advisory Groups. 

A8. How were the Steering Committee and Advisory Groups chosen?
There was a call for Steering Committee volunteers (one from each of the 8 towns in the 2 Districts) early in the process.  Many selection decisions were based on availability, interest, timing and experience. Once the Steering Committee was in place, additional volunteers were invited to participate in Advisory Groups in their area(s) of interest.  Anyone could (and still can!) participate in Advisory Groups, which review information and data (developed by BERK12 and/or generated via community engagement sessions) in the areas of Finance, Community Engagement, Educational Quality and Facilities.

B1.What are the stages of work involved in the Sustainability Study?

Stage 1. Organize work plan & Steering Committee, establish context of existing conditions, initial community engagement (Jan - May 2024)

Stage 2. Dive deeply into data and analysis across several functional domains (finance, educational quality, enrollment, buildings), generate a range of possible options and opportunities (May - Aug 2024)

Stage 3. Develop preferred (high potential) options that will be modeled and evaluated, additional community input and feedback, refine options and plan for next steps (Aug 2024 - Feb 2025)

B2.How far along is the Sustainability Study? 
Based on the stages listed above, the Study is at Stage 3 - developing and presenting modeling options for consideration.  

The work to this point has included:

• formation of Steering Committee and Advisory Groups; 

• completion of in depth reports and analysis of current operations, programs, financing and facilities;

• multiple and ongoing opportunities for Community Engagement including multiple surveys to gather important feedback from those with varying perspectives;

• review of 177 ideas collected from community input, BERK12’s analyses and Steering Committee discussion;

• from these ideas, the Steering Committee has generated of potential options for comprehensive modeling and review (Stage III) and a detailed analysis of each option is currently underway;

• Many of the ideas proposed could be implemented under any of the options under analysis and are still being considered.

All reports, presentations, work plans, meeting minutes, and models can be found HERE.

B3.What are the modeling options?  

The five models that are being explored are:

1. No Change. Examine the status quo with projections into the near future if the districts remain as they are currently. No school closures. 

2. Districts Merge. Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts become a single PK-12 regional school district with 8 towns. No school closures.

3. Move 6th Grade. Move students to Mohawk Trail Regional School (MTRS), making it a grade 6-12 school with a 6-8 middle school. All elementary schools become PK-5. No school closures.  The two scenarios to be considered are maintaining HRSD and MTRSD as separate districts and merging the two districts into a single PK-12 district. 

4. Move 6th grade (and possibly 5th) to MTRS and close one to three elementary schools. The three scenarios to be considered are closing one elementary school, closing two elementary schools, or having all elementary schools consolidate at the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary site. 

5. Single Campus. All schools combine onto a single PreKindergarten-12 campus at MTRS. 

B4. How were the modeling options determined?

The 2D8T Steering Committee/ Research team began by collecting a comprehensive list (about 177 ideas) that were gathered from a variety of sources. Those 177 ideas were winnowed down to the five options through an extensive review and evaluation process that focused on ideas that could achieve sustainability for the districts. Read more about the process HERE.

C1. How can I learn more about the findings of the Sustainability Study?
In the Resources section of the website, go to Reports where you can read progress reports along with findings on facilities, education, early childhood, finance, community outreach, surveys, enrollment, and a historical review.

C2. What are the big ideas and themes that have emerged so far?
TRADITION, PRIDE - There is a long tradition of investment in and care for the regional public schools that serve the eight town+ rural region. The schools are woven into the community and serve as gathering places/ community centers. Many stakeholders (students, staff, residents) are proud of the districts’ ongoing history and tradition of offering a wide range of high-quality educational programs for students – against a beautiful environmental backdrop. While there is a strong desire to continue to operate schools, there is also an underlying concern about enrollment and fiscal challenges that create ongoing pressures. 

ENROLLMENT - Enrollment has declined dramatically between 2000 and 2024 (a drop of over 55% in MTRSD and 60% in HRSD), and given birth and out-migration projections, enrollment is expected to continue to decline (although not as rapidly) in the near future. The natural decline in student population is amplified by the number of resident students who select to receive their education in other public-school districts, at private schools, or via homeschooling. The need to retain resident students (particularly at transition points from grades 6 to 7 and grades 8 to 9) and/or to “right size” the district based on enrollment projections must be considered. 

FINANCE - Annual operating costs have increased while revenue (aid from the state) has remained flat – both districts are “minimum” aid districts. While the districts have done an excellent job of controlling annual operational increases, annual assessments to each town vary widely. It is not expected that additional state aid will not be provided to offset annual operating cost increases. (For example, in FY25, state aid to MTRSD increased $104 per student, or about $81,000, while overall assessments rose by $726,128). If these fiscal trends continue, the districts will be forced to raise assessments to the towns or reduce expenses (largely staffing and programming) or both. 

EFFICIENCY - Small rural school districts are certainly more expensive to operate as they cannot achieve economies of scale that occur in municipal districts. However, as enrollment has dropped in both MTRSD/HRSD, the efficient use of staff and space continues to erode. Class sizes across the district are shrinking and the ability to offer access to a range of programs, services and specialists across different school sites is challenging. Additionally, the costs associated with operating schools (physical plant and operational staff) at less than half capacity is inefficient. Recognizing travel time and geographic distances, the districts should examine more efficient organizational models that make better use of space and human resources. 

EDUCATION - Both districts work hard to maintain a broad range of academic programs, services and supports – while encouraging unique programs. Staff are perceived as high-quality and committed, and the small schools facilitate strong relationships, individualized attention, and safety. However, enrollment pressures create low teacher loads, less robust athletic programs, and less varied co-curricular experiences. Students traveling with a small cohort of peers through elementary school, with a single teacher who manages all content areas, is both a benefit and a challenge. The need to ensure pathways for non-college bound students presents an additional concern. Potential re-organizational models (schools, grade spans, schedules) could be examined to ensure and expand student experiences and outcomes. 

PERCEPTION IDENTITY: Both districts have small, rural schools that feature beautiful settings, innovative teaching practices, and close-knit communities grounded in strong relationships. However, there are mixed perceptions about the districts pertaining to academic quality/rigor, school climate, programming for non-college bound students, and overall “identity.” Those more closely associated with the school (working, attending, sending children) have more positive perspectives than those less familiar, but most in all groups rate schools regionally and nationally as better than their own. Improving perceptions about the schools and advancing a stronger, better understood identity are goals that the district has and should continue to pursue. This could help to both build student recruitment/retention and taxpayer understanding/commitment. 

D1.What Happens Next? 
By the end of January 2025, BERK12 will provide the Steering Committee, School Committees and all constituencies with a full analysis of each option (narrative and financial) and an assessment of the pros and cons of each. Community meetings in February and March 2025 will then be held at each school (in person and remote) and with each group of town officials to review the analyses and get feedback from parents, community members, students, staff and town representatives. By the end of March (or early April) 2025, the Steering Committee will review all of the BERK12 analyses and all of the feedback from community engagement sessions and recommend a course of action to the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont School Committees. This may take the form of recommending one option or a combination/sequence of options. The School Committees will then decide on next steps – whether, when and how to move forward. 

D2. Who ultimately decides?
Any course of action (other than maintaining the status quo) will require amending the current MTRSD and Hawlemont Regional Agreements, which form the legal basis for the operation of the school districts. 

• Any change to these Agreements will require UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF ALL 8 TOWNS.

• Thus, what happens next will ultimately be up to voters at town meetings. 

• It is expected that the earliest this could happen would be Spring 2026.    

• Implementation could take more time, depending on the model(s) chosen.

D3. What are the opportunities for public input?

To date, Community meetings have taken place throughout 2024 with the goal of sharing the work and gathering feedback. Surveys have also been sent out to community members, teachers, students, and families of both current students and students who have left the districts. Community members will have the opportunity to attend additional meetings (either in person or virtually) in February and March 2025 to provide their input on the modeling options.

D4.How do I receive updates about the progress of this work? 

You can follow 2districts8towns on Facebook and Instagram and also check the website, 2districts.org, for updates and new information. You are welcome to attend the monthly Steering Committee meetings, which are held at the Mohawk Trail Regional High School, with a virtual option on Google Meet. Dates and connection information are on the website. Go HERE to submit comments or questions and receive news and updates.