Happy New Year!
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
I hope your new year is happy despite the chill in the air. Here are a few news items for your perusal.
Remembering Jimmy Carter
As Hawleyites probably know, President Biden has proclaimed this coming Thursday, January 9, a national day of mourning for President Jimmy Carter. Hawley’s Selectboard (and anyone else who wishes to come) with honor the late president by gathering on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a moment of silence, a few words of remembrance, and (if I get busy baking) some peanut-butter cookies in tribute to Carter’s beginnings as a peanut farmer. Please join us if you are so inclined.
Welcome, Ellie!
Ellzabeth Van Iderstine is currently learning the job of temporary Town Clerk. Ellie lives in Charlemont and feels passionate about local government. She is the chair of the Hawlemont School Committee, and she also works part time for the Town of Williamsburg as the assistant to the Selectmen. Ellie plans to hold office hours at the Hawley Town Office on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Stop by and welcome her to our town!
At the moment, the Town Clerk is an elected position eligible only to Hawley residents. If no one steps forward to run for the position in our May 2025 election, we will consider voting to make our Town Clerk appointed rather than elected; in that case, the Selectboard will be able to appoint Ellie to continue working with us. Contact Ellie via email by clicking here. Or call and leave a message for her at 413 339-5518.
Fred Wells Scholarship Time
Applications are now available for the Fred Wells scholarship program, which awards funds to students wishing to pursue higher education from a number of local towns, including Hawley. The deadline for application is March 20. I (Tinky) have application forms at the Town Office. Forms, along with more information, may also be obtained online at https://www.wellstrustscholarship.com/.
School Sustainability Update
The 2Districts8Towns Steering Committee, in partnership with the BERK12 research team, is approaching an important milestone in the Sustainability Study. In the coming month (January 23rd), the BERK12 team will share analysis and findings of several models that have been identified as possible paths forward for the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts. The purpose of the study is to explore potential operating models (listed below) that ensure that students will receive the highest quality educational experiences while reflecting the fiscal realities of the eight towns.
- No Change. Examine the status quo with projections into the near future if the districts remain as they are currently. No school closures.
- Districts Merge. Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts become a single PK-12 regional school district with 8 towns. No school closures.
- 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.
- 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.
- Single Campus. All schools combine onto a single PreKindergarten-12 campus at MTRS.
It’s important to emphasize that no decisions have been made, and input from stakeholders will be considered as the Committee weighs preferred options. Community members will have an opportunity to attend public meetings in February and March to learn more about the educational, fiscal, and operational implications of the models. Feedback and perspectives will be critical to informing Committee deliberations. Dates for these sessions will be announced later in January and will be well-publicized.
As part of the study process, continued updates are being offered to stakeholders and reports on selected topics are being issued:
- On December 18, BERK12 provided a virtual update to staff members of Mohawk Trail Regional School District on the progress of the Sustainability Study, including an explanation of research conducted to date and of the process for identifying the five models.
- The 2districts8towns steering committee met on December 19 to review progreds. It will meet again on January 23 to get a full report from BERK12 on the analysis of the five models.
- During the upcoming month, briefs will be posted on the topics of best practices for schools, class size, school adjustment counselors, instructional coaches, academic interventionists, placement of 6th grade in middle school vs. elementary school, and the high school block schedule. The briefs will provide research and considerations about relevant educational topics as the community considers the five possible models for the Sustainability Study.
Community members are encouraged to review the resources section of the 2districts8towns website, which includes reports and presentations related to the study. Questions or comments can be submitted through the CONTACT link on the website. For those just becoming familiar with the Sustainability Study, a one page project overview is available HERE and a progress report is available HERE. For more information, contact project manager H. Jake Eberwein, jakeeberwein@gmail.com.
That’s it for now. I wish you joy, good health, and peace in the new year. Stay snug!
Warmly,
Tinky Weisblat
Gal Friday
Town of Hawley
