News&Notes from the Superintendent
~ Dr. Beth Regulbuto
Good Evening SBRSD Families,
"There has always been the same amount of light in the world. The new and missing stars, the comets and eclipses, do not affect the general illumination, for only our glasses appreciate them." — Henry David Thoreau
So, Mother Nature did her thing last week and decided we needed our first snow day call of the year! Even though it was in April, it was a welcome day to relax and recharge! We also experienced an earthquake, which was a first for many of us, and today brings a solar eclipse! The total solar eclipse happened this afternoon and created tremendous interest as it was a rare alignment between the Earth, sun, and moon. It was expected to pass over our region between 2:30 and 4:30 pm according to NASA, but Massachusetts was not in the direct path.
The District provided safety eclipse viewing glasses to all our students and staff. Teachers showed students how to correctly wear glasses and reminded them of the importance of safe viewing. As educators, we are always grateful for these types of incredible teachable moments!
Please find below this week’s updates & events happening in our District ~
Remembering George McGurn
Our entire SBRSD community is deeply saddened by the recent passing of George McGurn. George was an incredible supporter of education, the Town of Egremont, the one-room school house, and of our school community. We could always count on George and Mary to be in attendance at a school sponsored event, to help launch an initiative, or to lend a hand wherever it was needed on behalf of students and families at SBRSD. He was an amazing ally and partner in this work and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
I admired his brilliant mind, quick wit, sense of humor, strategic planning, and his uncanny sense of timing when it came to sending me words of wisdom, just when I needed them most, usually in the form of a late night email encouraging me to forge ahead no matter how difficult it seemed. I feel so grateful for his mentorship, encouragement, and steadfast belief in the District and the future, and we will continue to be inspired by him as we carry on!
The Budget & Other School Business
This week, the articles are due to the Community Outreach & Advocacy Subcommittee of the School Committee, in advance of the publication and distribution of the District-wide Budget Newsletter. The goal of this document is to reach every home in the District, regardless of whether there are school-age students or not residing there, to share with our school community how their investment in the District is being spent, prior to casting a vote at their respective town meetings!
This is also the time in the Budget Season where it is imperative that we advocate for the funding we need to achieve the goals we have set in our District’s Strategic Plan, and to ensure we continue to provide educational excellence for all! There are several areas of concern to note:
· The state has seen a significant drop in students who qualify as low income largely due to the re-enrollment process currently underway in the Commonwealth. While there was an overall drop of 6,715 students, only 13 Regional School Districts and 39 Municipal School Districts had a drop in their Foundation Budget rate grouping due to the low-income percentage of total students’ fluctuation. This resulted in a substantial loss to SBRSD in funding of ($113,000.00). The District will recommend holding these districts harmless from the group change only this year to provide them the opportunity to get families manually registered for low-income status. We further recommend it be fully funded, as it is too late for Regional School Districts to have the Required Contribution to their member towns recalculated.
· Another issue is the inflation rate being used in the Chapter 70 Funding Formula (the amount the state determines it costs to educate a student annually) is 1.35% for FY25, and statutorily the cap could be as high as 4.5%. Inflation rates are higher than 1.35%, causing a structural funding gap and another challenging contributing factor for District’s to overcome.
· Last year, with the influx of ESSR funds, Chapter 70 funding increased by 10% or $594m over last year. This year, the proposed increase is 4% or $293m over FY24, which is healthy, but also a significant reduction from last year’s increase.
· The state is committed to fully funding the Student Opportunities Act (SOA) which is in year 4 of its projected 7-year implementation. The amount of funding associated with this implementation is $250m; however, this funding only applies to 108 Districts across the Commonwealth. The remaining 211 Districts, of which SBRSD is one, are in “hold harmless “status (The “hold harmless” aspect of Chapter 70 is intended to ensure that every district receives funding equal to or greater than what it received in the previous fiscal year) and get $30 per student. There are 463,300 students attending districts in hold harmless status for FY25. There are a total of 914,959 students in Massachusetts, therefore, 50.63% of students in public schools will only receive a $30 per pupil increase in Chapter 70 aid.
· And finally, there is Rural Aid Funding. There has been a significant increase in Rural Aid Funding from $1.5m to $15m over the last several years, but the estimated amount to fully fund this ask annually is $61m. Rural Aid is not part of the Funding Formula resulting in an inability to plan and budget appropriately for this aid as District’s don’t know from year to year if they qualify for this funding.
There is some good news as state revenue has hopefully turned the corner with March receipts coming in $129 million over benchmark! The House Ways & Means is expected to release their FY25 budget by Wednesday this week. Much more to come!
To review the documentation presented at the hearing, please see the District website at https://www.sbrsd.org/documents/district/budgets/fy25-budget/567699 .
Student Voice
Our students continue to share their voices through both their actions - such as volunteer work in the community - or through their words as written in latest edition of the Bold Eagle, the student newspaper, going to print soon. I love the energy, positivity, and confidence I see growing in our students each day as one can just feel it walking through the schools. As always, there will be more news to share in the coming weeks and months!
Transcend Grant Initiative
The subcommittee of the Design Team met and devised a plan and presentation for the upcoming Community Team meeting tomorrow night! The Community Team will be charged with moving to the next phase of the design work that will include the formation and population of subcommittees, defining the scope of the work, and laying out the roles and responsibilities of the participants joining these teams.
The Core Team is participating in a Virtual Convening with the other 9 Districts across the nation on Wednesday! We look forward to sharing our progress, giving and receiving feedback, and learning from others about innovative school redesign and ways we can engage our school community in this work.
Today, I had another awesome conversation with our Transcend partners and other members of the team as we continue to think about ways to grow this partnership and codify this work in hopes of sharing it with others locally and possibly nationally some day! We look forward to further collaboration, as it has been invaluable to our school community.
More information about this incredible community focused initiative is here at https://www.sbrsd.org/page/transcend-partnership.
Mount Everett & Hkbuas
Last week we welcomed exchange students from Hong Kong and held a Cultural Exchange Program Commencement to learn about the Hkbuas program's goal of Zero Hunger!
UME 4th and 5th-grade Poetry Club
Early Childhood Education
Chet's Drone Photos
Upcoming Events
This week there are so many great things happening in our schools, and you are always welcome to join us and check them out!
Our Exchange Students from Hong Kong have been enjoying their experience here at SBRSD! They have been exploring the Berkshires and beyond and attending many exciting activities and field trips planned for them during their stay! On Wednesday, April 10th, there will be a Community Dinner at the American Legion Hall hosted by Culinary, Art, NHS, Model UN, and HKBUAS!
This week’s events include spring sports games and matches, the 413YC, UME Garden Club, Grade 8 Field Trip, Girl Scouts, Berkshire Art Center After School, and a School Committee Meeting Thursday night at 6:00pm!
EVENTS
April 10th: Community Dinner - Celebrate the program's culmination with a dinner
Mount Everett Early College
The Future Fair: On April 26th Mount Everett 10th-grade students are invited to attend a college field trip to Simon's Rock
Interested in learning more about our Early College program? Visit our website!
Innovation Pathways
Innovation Pathways offers opportunities for students to explore cutting-edge technology and in-demand fields! The program emphasizes real-world skills through career-focused experiential learning. Participants connect with industry mentors, go on field trips, get set up with internships in their areas of interest, and more!
Mount Everett currently offers two technical pathways in Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology.
To learn more about our Innovation Career Pathways please use the links below!
Contact the Superintendent
Please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns as I welcome the opportunity to hear from you.
Best,
~ Dr. Beth Regulbuto, Superintendent of Schools