Silver Lake Regionalization Study Committee moves forward with UMass Collins Center proposal
Committee unanimously votes to request proposal from UMass Boston consulting group to analyze full regionalization of three school districts
KINGSTON - The Silver Lake Regionalization Study Committee unanimously voted Wednesday to move forward with requesting a proposal from the Collins Center at UMass Boston to conduct a comprehensive study of regionalizing the Halifax, Kingston and Plympton school districts.
The committee, which includes representatives from Select Boards and School Committees from all three towns, met with Collins Center officials to discuss the scope and approach for analyzing the feasibility, benefits, challenges and impacts of full regionalization.
"We've recognized the need for the study," said committee member Missy Bateman from Kingston. "No decisions have been made on our end. If this is something that could help, then I think that would be something that would eventually need to be taken to a vote."
The Collins Center, a consulting organization within the UMass system that has completed more than 1,200 projects for over 300 organizations since 2008, would be able to contract directly with the committee without requiring a competitive bidding process.
Sarah Concannon, director of municipal services at the Collins Center, explained that while they have not conducted a regionalization study exactly like what the committee is requesting, they have worked with regional schools on various related projects.
"Nothing exactly like what you all have done, which makes it fun," Concannon said. "We can learn together."
The study would examine multiple aspects of regionalization, including educational, operational, financial, demographic and legal implications. Committee members emphasized their goal is to gather factual information rather than advocate for a particular outcome.
"This is about a factual survey and analysis of where we are, what the options could be going forward, what some of the costs and benefits and detractors may be," said committee member John Wilhelmsen. "The committee is pretty united on wanting to get the facts out there."
Anne Wilson and Bill Lupini, Collins Center associates who would lead the project, bring extensive experience in education administration. Wilson previously served as superintendent of Sudbury Public Schools, while Lupini spent 25 years as a school superintendent, including 18 years in Beverly and Brookline.
The study would include extensive community engagement, with the committee planning separate public forums for each town as well as focus groups with various stakeholders including educators, parents, select board members, finance committee members and union representatives.
Superintendent Jill Proulx, who participated remotely, highlighted some of the current challenges of partial regionalization, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when he had to present four separate plans to the state and work with four different communities to reach consensus on reopening procedures.
"One of the difficulties of being partially regionalized is some of the difficulties we encounter with efficiencies," Proulx said. "We also recognize that towns often feel frustrated that they don't have as much of us devoted to each particular town because we're spread amongst the several towns."
Committee member Lori Costa-Cline from Halifax expressed concerns about educational equity across the three districts, particularly ensuring students are equally prepared when they reach seventh grade regardless of which town they live in.
"A concern that I have and have had for a while as a Halifax school committee member is the equity in what education we provide in each of the three different school districts," Costa-Cline said.
The committee acknowledged the different sizes and demographics of the three communities, with Kingston being the largest, Halifax in the middle, and Plympton the smallest.
"We have three very different sized fish in this ocean," said Halifax Selectman Jonathan Selig. "Kingston is the whale, Halifax is the bass, and Plympton is the minnow. Those ones that are the smallest are a little concerned that they get swallowed up by the whale here."
The Collins Center operates on a flat-fee contract basis, which committee members found appealing given their fixed budget from a state grant. Concannon assured the committee that if the scope of work cannot be completed within the available budget, they would work collaboratively to find solutions.
The study would need to be completed in time to inform budget discussions, with committee members hoping for preliminary findings by fall and a final report before the next budget season begins in January.
Committee member Jim Walters drafted a purpose statement defining the study's goal as assessing "the feasibility, benefits, challenges, and impacts of regionalizing three school districts, including, but not limited to evaluating educational, operational, financial, demographic, and legal implications of various regionalization models."
The committee plans to continue meeting to disseminate information to their communities regardless of the study's findings. Members emphasized that no decisions about regionalization have been made and that the study represents a fact-finding mission to provide accurate information for future decision-making.
The Collins Center will provide a draft proposal before the committee's next meeting scheduled for July 9 at 5:30 p.m. The committee requested notification by Friday morning whether they would move forward with developing the proposal.
corrected the name of a Halifax School Committee member