An all-Island meeting set for Monday to discuss the regional high school funding formula has been postponed.
An all-Island meeting set for Monday to discuss the regional high school funding formula has been postponed.
The meeting will be rescheduled; no date has been set yet, according to regional high school chairman Amy Houghton in a text message to the Gazette Friday.
The funding formula is shaping up to become a political football again, with two towns staking out opposite positions.
The Edgartown select board said at its meeting Monday that it will support the one-time funding formula for a future renovation project at high school, after town administrator James Hagerty broke down the potential cost to each town.
But at their own meeting one day later, the Oak Bluffs select board balked and said the formula was unacceptable.
The high school recently made the eligibility list for the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which reimburses a significant percentage of the capital costs for school building projects.
But the MSBA has made it clear that for any project to receive funding, support is needed from all six towns. To date, there has been no unanimity, with Oak Bluffs the lone objector and holdout.
Comments
How many millions did Tisbury
Bob EdgartowmHow many millions did Tisbury lose in State funding for their school because they could not get along. Lets see how many millions we can lose out on at the High School level. Rebuilding will never get cheaper it always costs more later. Here we have a plan that several towns will pay more and agreed to that but again OB which will pay less still wants to pay even less.
Understanding that this
William Oak BluffsUnderstanding that this funding formula causes a great deal on stress and anxiety, I'm wondering is there could be a simple way to compromise here with the understanding that this idea would be a 1 time proposal to get a new high school funded. Let's say a cost of a new school will run at 150M. 75M gets funded the way the Chilmark proposes. The other 75m gets funded the way that OB proposes. I know this seems a little convoluted, but rather than make this issue too black and white (ie. my way or their way), this idea offers some grey. It seems too important an issue to let things die on the vine with the MSBA because the towns can't figure it out.
Too bad that better care was
ISLAND GIRL islandToo bad that better care was not taken care of the existing school -- after all the oldest part is only about 62 years old (a lot younger than myself) and perhaps some of the big expenditures (which are additional) should be dropped such as the artificial turf and installations. Isn't the quality of the education more important than the facility as long as it is adequate, safe and functional. The last estimate that I heard was several years ago and it was for upwards of $110 M so in just a few short years it has already escalated dramatically in cost. There is a great deal that is terribly wrong with this scenario.
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