Hampden and Wilbraham continue talks on regionalizing middle school amid dispute over capital-cost share and equity

Hampden and Wilbraham officials met March 19 to continue talks over a proposed amendment to the Wilbraham–Hampden regional agreement that would designate Wilbraham Middle School as a regional middle school and change how capital costs are apportioned between the towns.

The discussion focused on four options under consideration: leave the current arrangement unchanged; assign grade responsibilities without reclassifying the building as regional; reclassify the building as regional and apportion capital costs by enrollment under a capital-cost plan; or transfer ownership to the regional district (for example, selling the building to the district for a nominal fee) so both towns share equity and capital responsibility. The meeting did not include a formal vote.

Officials said the proposed amendment would require Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approval and would be placed on a town-meeting warrant for each community. Officials also raised concerns about language in the existing lease that could cause automatic termination if the district reorganizes or is dissolved, and asked counsel to clarify those provisions before any final action.

Hampden participants…