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Athol‑Royalston superintendent asks committee to free constrained funds after long bailout terms
Summary
Matthew Ehrenworth, superintendent for the Athol‑Royalston Regional School District, asked the committee to approve changes in H.4720 that would let the district access previously reserved funds the state required after a past bailout, arguing the restriction has left more than $1 million unexpended annually and harms a high‑poverty district.
Matthew Ehrenworth, superintendent of the Athol‑Royalston Regional School District, urged the Joint Committee on Education to approve proposed statutory changes in H.4720 to allow his district to access funds currently reserved under conditions imposed after a prior state bailout.
Ehrenworth said the district previously entered a receivership/bailout arrangement that required it to reserve a percentage of its budget and restore any expended funds annually. "This has forced us to leave over $1,000,000 unexpended on an annual basis," he said, describing the restriction as a hardship for a district with roughly 70% of students eligible for free‑or‑reduced‑price lunch and a constraint on hiring staff and providing resources.
He told the committee the district has shown sustained fiscal management and asked lawmakers to accept the specific statutory changes in H.4720 so the district can spend those funds to serve students. Local legislators were acknowledged as having supported the request; the committee did not take immediate action.
