<p>The following letter was sent to the West Tisbury selectmen.</p>
The following letter was sent to the West Tisbury selectmen.
At our regularly scheduled budget review committee hearing on Thursday, Jan. 26, we heard the presentation of the up-Island regional school district and the Chilmark School budgets. We discussed these budgets as well as the contents of newspaper reportage on a West Tisbury committee proposal presented to the West Tisbury selectmen calling for Chilmark to pay the costs of the Chilmark School. We recognize from the reporting that the West Tisbury selectmen did not approve the proposal. We note that we have not received the report directly and are relying upon the reporting for our information.
Based on the reporting of the committee’s proposal, we are either misled or confused. It appears that the recommendation is that Chilmark alone pay the costs of a school that is part of a regional district. We find this to be problematic, at best. We don’t understand why Chilmark would assume the total operating cost of the Chilmark School while West Tisbury does not assume the total operating cost of the West Tisbury School.
Further, it is not clear that the interests of the entire district and both schools and their populations are being considered.
We would recommend that the up-Island regional school district work with the superintendent of schools to develop an effective and comprehensive enrollment program to attract students to the Chilmark School so that the district can fulfill its mission of providing quality education to the children of the district’s towns.
As the two schools offer the ability to provide complementary educational environments that recognize children’s different needs, the fincom supports Chilmark going forward with a good faith effort involving the three towns of the district to ensure quality education for all students in the district’s schools.
We share the concerns of all district towns regarding cost and financial responsibility and hope that the three town selectmen/accountant group can move forward on these issues.
Marshall E. Carroll
Chilmark
The writer is chairman of the Chilmark finance committee.
Comments
"We don’t understand why
A WT school parent"We don’t understand why Chilmark would assume the total operating cost of the Chilmark School while West Tisbury does not assume the total operating cost of the West Tisbury School."
Why is it confusing? There are many Chilmark students who go to the West Tisbury school; Chilmark does not offer grades 7-8, and quite a few Chilmark kids will go to WT at a younger age in order to have access to a larger program. The reverse is not true. If you had a lot of West Tisbury kids in your school, then you'd get money from West Tisbury.
"Further, it is not clear that the interests of the entire district and both schools and their populations are being considered."
They're being considered; they are merely in conflict. Chilmark would like to have extra money from West Tisbury; West Tisbury doesn't want to pay it. No surprise there; the West Tisbury taxpayers
aren't obliged to support folks from other towns.
"We would recommend that the up-Island regional school district work with the superintendent of schools to develop an effective and comprehensive enrollment program to attract students to the Chilmark School so that the district can fulfill its mission of providing quality education to the children of the district’s towns."
Attracting students is Chilmark's job. It will be difficult to accomplish, since Chilmark is geographically isolated from population centers, resulting in a very long bus ride for young kids. But I certainly encourage Chilmark to try things out. Provide Island-wide buses with a teacher on them! Provide programs which aren't available anywhere! Do something to attract students!
If I could have sent my own WT kids to Chilmark on a bus, and if you offered something to justify the extra bus time, I'd have done so. I would have done so for longer days, and I would have done so if you offered a faster-paced advanced curriculum. Think outside the box!
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