Templeton advisory committee opens study of withdrawal from Narragansett Regional School District

The Templeton Advisory Committee on Feb. 11 held an initial, informational discussion about a possible withdrawal of the Town of Templeton from the Narragansett Regional School District; no formal action was taken and the item was deferred to a future meeting.

The discussion began when a town official, Lisa Lamontagne, described recent district budget increases and historical documents that she said raise questions about the current district arrangement and which options the town should study. Lamontagne said the district’s draft budget shows roughly a $965,000 increase over the prior year, and that earlier informal estimates and talks had produced smaller figures (she cited about $130,000 after prior conversations). She also reviewed a 2004 regional agreement and material from a District Reorganization Advisory Committee established in 2018, and raised possible implications for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) contract for Templeton Elementary School.

Lamontagne said she had formed a working group that will include representatives from Phillipston and that the working group will meet next week to examine options, including expanded regional membership or withdrawal. "Could withdrawal be one of the options? Absolutely," Lamontagne said, adding that her objective is to identify root causes of what she called unsustainable budget increases and to seek a sustainable structure that shares resources across member towns. She urged that Phillipston be part of the discussion and said she will check whether Phillipston will contribute toward any study costs.

Committee members asked for clarifications about who would pay for the study and whether the advisory committee had the authority to move reserve funds to pay for it. One committee member asked expressly that the chair seek an opinion from town counsel on whether advisory can appropriate up to $25,000 from reserve funds for this study or whether that appropriation should be made at Town Meeting. Another member said they considered the withdrawal process a "momentous decision" that should be reviewed by the full town meeting if it required new appropriations.

Committee members and Lamontagne also discussed operational questions the study should address: whether Phillipston students currently attending Templeton Elementary (TES) are treated as district students or as school-choice students, whether Phillipston has paid for busing and other costs, and whether reconfiguring grade assignments across schools would affect MSBA obligations tied to the elementary project.

Lamontagne reported that some prior requests from the district—specifically a Community Preservation Act request for softball fields—had been rescinded after member-town opposition, and she said the district will cooperate with the working group. The committee recorded no vote on withdrawal; the committee agreed to defer substantive further discussion to a future meeting so the working group can meet and so the committee can obtain legal guidance about funding authority and the process.

The committee also asked Lamontagne to report back after the working group’s meetings and for any information on potential cost implications if Phillipston joins a larger regional configuration.

The item remains a study and discussion phase; no ordinance, agreement amendment, or withdrawal petition was filed or approved at the meeting.