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 were the stages of work involved in the Sustainability Study?

The Steering Committee and BERK12 have completed the study’s initial work plan, which included:

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; gather additional community input and feedback; refine options and plan for next steps (Aug 2024 - April 2025)

The work in this initial phase of the project has included:

• formation of Steering Committee and Advisory Groups; 

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

• multiple 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 generated a list of potential options for comprehensive modeling and review and BERK12 completed a detailed analysis of each option.

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

B2. What options were modeled?  

Based on the reports and analysis completed by BERK 12 and the feedback received in multiple sessions with stakeholders – parents, students, staff, town officials and community members/taxpayers – the Steering Committee selected five options for in-depth modeling:

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. 

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. 

C: What Did the Modeling Tell Us?

All models and scenarios were examined across four critical variables including education, finance/personnel, facilities, and transportation.  High level findings included:

• The Districts have experienced ongoing enrollment decline and fiscal pressures.  While enrollment decline is likely to slow, fiscal pressures will likely increase as expenses continue to outpace revenues. These pressures will create ongoing budget gaps that will result in rising town assessments, reduction in educational programming and services – or both.

• Significant fiscal savings and efficiencies can be achieved through consolidation (fewer buildings, fewer staff and lower operating costs).  Operating savings range from up to $400,000 per year (vs. doing nothing) if the Districts continue to implement modest efficiencies, to as much as $5.3 million per year if there is consolidation of elementary schools and/or creation of a single PK-12 campus. Some of the models require new construction and/or renovation, the cost of which would offset some portion of these savings.

• Educational (academic/social/co-curricular) and professional experiences could be enhanced through consolidation efforts that combine grade cohorts into fewer buildings (or a single building). Larger cohorts of students and staff will give all students access to programs/services (including, potentially, unique programs such as the Sanderson’s Mexican Exchange or Hawlemont’s HAY program); the expansion of peer networks; and, if desired, the introduction of new programming, such as world languages in the elementary grades and more career pathways in the high school.

• While some consolidation models can be achieved in existing buildings, the larger scale options (significant school consolidation) will require facilities investments that are only achievable in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Investments may range from light upgrades to renovation and/or new construction.  In several models/scenarios, the capital outlay could be offset by savings in operational costs resulting from the consolidation.  Construction involving partnership with the MSBA generally entails a timetable of 6-8 years.

• A single elementary school or a single campus offers the most significant potential to advance educational quality, solve acute fiscal issues, and provide flexibility for long-term/ongoing organizational adjustments. A single campus (achieved as renovation and/or new construction) could yield a contemporary PK-12 educational facility that efficiently utilizes existing resources, fully aligns current educational programming, creates broader opportunities to invest in additional programming, and offers flexibility for future decades.  

These findings were presented to the Steering Committee in February 2025 and discussed with the community during March and April 2025. Meetings were held at all four elementary schools and the Mohawk Trail Regional School, as well as, separately, with town officials of each town. Based on this feedback and on the Steering Committee’s review of BERK12’s analyses, the Steering Committee voted on April 16, 2025, to recommend a Plan of Action to be considered by both the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont School Committees.

D. What Did the Steering Committee Recommend?

On April 16, 2025, the Steering Committee voted 12-1 to recommended that the Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont School Committees pursue the goal of organizing all students and staff onto a single campus (pre-K through Grade 12) on the Mohawk Trail Regional School (MTRS) campus. This is an aspirational goal that can only be fully realized over a period of 5 -7 years. Thus, the Committee also recommended that the Districts transition to a centralized campus through the following phases:

Phase I

• Create a single district, merging Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont, with one school committee.

• Combine all Grade 6 students into a reorganized middle school (Grades 6-8) at MTRS.

• Consolidate some combination of elementary schools, with assignment of elementary students by geography (closest school) rather than strictly by town lines.

• Apply to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for funding to create/remodel space(s) on the MTRS campus for elementary school use.

Phase II

• Move all elementary grades to the remodeled/newly constructed spaces on the MTRS campus.

If the conditions necessary to complete these steps (such as acceptable capital costs, student travel times, etc.) are not met, incremental changes would still allow for some fiscal and educational benefits to be realized.

The full Plan of Action recommended by the Steering Committee can be found here.

E1. What Happens Next? 
While the 2D8T Steering Committee and research team have generated a significant volume of baseline research and analysis, there is still much to be done, and many questions still to be answered as the 8 communities consider this Plan. Beginning in May 2025, work will begin to complete in-depth analyses of all aspects of the centralized campus model, reaching out to our communities again for input on:

• Educational visioning - engage in community-informed design of educational programs, services and experiences for our high school, expanded middle school, and consolidated elementary students.

• Transportation - generate greater detail on travel times and options for our students, both in Phase I and as the move to a fully centralized campus is completed. Explore the relative benefits of a single-tier vs. (existing) two-tier bus schedule, including potential impacts on student safety, costs and overall feasibility.

• Capital - in (potential) partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, examine possible renovation/addition options (construction timetables and costs). A key factor to be addressed is funding for the capital improvements necessary to create a centralized PK-12 campus, including the extent to which towns are willing/able to re-invest realized operating savings as part of an overall capital funding plan.

• Fiscal modeling - detail how operational savings and capital investment would impact town assessments and individual homeowners (tax rates).

• Rowe - explore with Rowe that town’s interest in participating as a regional member in this effort and to what extent.

• Transition - develop a detailed plan and timeline that will result in creation of the single campus.

The Steering Committee will continue to meet regularly to review completed tasks and discuss the work in progress, and there will be multiple opportunities for input and feedback from all constituencies.

It is expected that this next phase of the project will take 6-12 months. During this period, a new Regional Agreement will be drafted that will memorialize all aspects of the Plan including such key variables as timetable for moving through Phases I and II of the Plan, final size and composition of the School Committee, and apportionment of operating and capital costs among member towns.

E2. Who ultimately decides?
What happens will ultimately be up to voters at town meetings. 

• Any changes to the existing Regional Agreement will require UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF ALL 8 TOWNS.

• In addition, town meeting voters will also have to approve appropriation of their town’s portion of any construction or renovation costs not reimbursed by the MSBA.