SBRSD School Committee names new leadership

SHEFFIELD – Following certification of the November election, the Southern Berkshire Regional School District (SBRSD) School Committee has named a new chair and vice chair.

Carl Stewart (nominated by Vito Valentini) was elected chair of the committee, while the newly-elected E. Bonnie Silvers (nominated by H. Dennis Sears) was elected vice chair.

“I hope I show myself to be worthy of that compliment,” Mr. Stewart said of his new position. “We expect great things from the new committee.”

Task force presentation

The school committee also heard the final presentation from Elementary Task Force Chair Louise Yohalem.

“We listened to the community,” Ms. Yohalem said.

The task force’s plan, which includes going outside of the district to help find funding for the capital costs of the three outlying schools (Monterey, New Marlborough Central and South Egremont) and increasing early childhood education programming at all four elementary schools, was met with appreciation.

“Thank you and all the members of the task force for all the work you put into this,” Mr. Stewart told Ms. Yohalem.

However, the committee did not take any action on the plan, opting to push more discussion of it to the spring, after budget season.

“There are some really good suggestions – but there’s an awful lot here,” Mr. Valentini said.

Opposition to the plan

Later in the meeting, Jean Chapin Emberlin, a Sheffield resident and former task force member (who resigned earlier in the year), detailed her reasons for opposing the elementary task force’s plan.

“We are in a very, very precarious place,” she said regarding the district’s finances. “I would hate to see the district shut down.”

Ms. Emberlin went on to say she thought the outlying schools should be closed, as was initially suggested by the district’s administration last January (but voted against by the school committee after an outpouring of public outrage).

“We should consider closing Monterey and South Egremont schools,” she said. “I just felt it had to be said. … I’m not the only one who feels this way.”

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on December 20, 2012. Filed under Education News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry