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Advisory committee asks select board to revisit regional school agreement; considers escalation if talks fail
Summary
Members asked the select board to put the regional-school agreement with Phillipston on its agenda to bring the parties to the table; several members said they may recommend a notice of intent to sue if negotiations with Phillipston or DESE do not produce movement.
The advisory committee voted to request the select board place the longstanding regional school agreement on its agenda and to seek next steps that would bring Phillipston and the district (DESE-related contacts were discussed) together with Templeton. Several members characterized a decades-old regional agreement as outdated and argued it leaves Templeton shouldering disproportionate costs for shared facilities and staff.
During the discussion members recounted previous letters sent to the select board and suggested that, if repeated negotiations do not produce progress, a notice of intent to sue could be considered to force parties to the table. The committee emphasized the immediate objective was to get the select board to schedule a discussion and to move the issue toward a negotiated update; the committee approved a motion requesting select-board action and referenced its earlier correspondence.
Committee members asked the select board to include town counsel and to invite the relevant district representatives or DESE contacts to any meeting so that a practical, updated agreement could be negotiated.
