District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Amendments to Regulations on Regional School Districts, 603 CMR 41

At its January 27, 2009, meeting, the Board authorized the Commissioner to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to the regulations governing regional school districts, 603 CMR 41. The proposed amendments dealt with three issues:

• Providing for a transition period of not more than two years following the creation of new regional school districts.
• Clarifying the procedures through which member towns determine the method of assessing regional district costs.
• Clarifying the procedures to be followed if a town fails to hold a town meeting to reconsider a previously rejected regional district budget.

We received several comments in response to the proposed amendments.

• The Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools expressed support for the proposed changes, noting that they will clarify the process by which regional districts interact with their member towns.

• The Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) noted that the transition period proposal will require a clear definition of the respective roles of municipal and district officials during the transition period. We agree, but believe that is best left to be determined by local officials to reflect the unique needs of each consolidation. MASBO also asked for clarification on how regional budget approvals are affected by overrides. This issue has been addressed separately by the Department of Revenue. Finally, MASBO expressed support for the proposed change relating to failure to hold a town meeting.

• Stephen Maio, town administrator of the Town of Wakefield, expressed opposition to the change regarding town meeting votes. He recommends that failure to hold a town meeting be considered a "no" vote on the budget. Wakefield is a member of the Northeastern Metropolitan Vocational Technical District, which unfortunately has had some contentious budget deliberations during the past several years. We understand his concerns, but the predominant view among officials in other towns is in support of the change, under which a failure to hold a town meeting will be considered a "yes" vote. This will allow towns to avoid the time and expense of a special town meeting in the more typical instance where a regional school committee has made adjustments to the budget in response to the concerns of its member towns.

A copy of the proposed changes is attached, along with a motion for the Board's consideration. I recommend that the Board approve these amendments to 603 CMR 41.

Attachments

   Proposed Amendments to 603 CMR 41.00, Regional School Districts Regulations