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Date: 2/16/2021
WESTHAMPTON – The Hampshire Regional School District is currently in the process of creating a five-district agreement.
Interim Superintendent Michael Sullivan is the facilitator for the meetings, which include five others – one member from each of the region’s school districts.
Sullivan said, “This group of districts is a little unusual because it’s five separate school districts.”
He went on to say, there is a central office of about 10 people that help coordinate the work of those five districts. However, he believes that there’s not a lot in writing, in regards to how some of the central office operates to coordinate this work.
Sullivan stated, “I’m working with one School Committee member from each of the five districts to put some of the rules of the road in writing.”
This agreement has three major parts. One of them is to create an all-district group, made of School Committee members. This group will be ongoing, to help the superintendent in overseeing the districts. Its purpose is to create a structure of School Committee members that meet on a regular basis.
Sullivan shared, “A second part is to put in writing our policies related to central office personnel – like who evaluates the superintendent and do all five districts need to unanimously agree to hire a superintendent.”
The third piece relates to having policies in place on how costs (central office costs) are distributed throughout the districts.
“The overall goal for this agreement is to improve the efficiency of how the districts work together and to have clear, written policies in place about how they work together,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan informed that they are looking to complete a draft agreement within the next two months and get it approved before the end of the school year. Each of the five School Committees would have to approve it.
There is no chair elected for this committee, since this is a temporary working group.
Sullivan said they will be getting help from the district attorney to assist in the draft and review of the document when done. He concluded, “It’s a very positive thing to be doing. I’m excited to see that it will help bring the districts closer together.”