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The Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) are engaging in THREE (3!) major projects that may reshape the landscape of public schools in Amherst. It is critical that ARPS hear from parents about these projects, and how they might affect your kids! The Wildwood PGO takes no position on any of these options. Individual members of the PGO Board can and do express their personal beliefs, but these are not meant to be representative of the PGO or Wildwood collectively.
We are gathering here the key links, public documentation, and events relating to each of these projects –
- Elementary School Building Project (aka the “Wildwood Building Project” aka the “Elementary School Consolidation”), which is proposing to close Wildwood and Fort River, build a large 750-student school for grades 2-6, and convert Crocker Farm to a K-1.
- Elementary Regionalization – Bringing Shutesbury and Leverett into the Amherst / Pelham school district; and
- Middle / High School Consolidation – Closing the Amherst Regional Middle School, and consolidating it with the Amherst Regional High School.
Elementary School Building Project (aka the “Wildwood Building Project’)
What it is: Proposal to get Massachusetts state money to “rebuild” Wildwood. The catch is, it’s not just about Wildwood — of the three proposals, the District has selected to recommend to completely revamp the elementary school system, convert Crocker Farm to a K-1 school, and build a new school that would be 2-6.
The three options originally in the proposal to the State (the MSBA) were: (1) Renovate & add to Wildwood. (But the concern is this wouldn’t solve the fundamental building problems with Fort River.) (2) Build a new Wildwood and tear down (or re-purpose) the current Wildwood, somewhere, not necessarily at the Wildwood site. (The concern is this wouldn’t solve the similar problems with Fort River.) (3) Restructure all the Amherst Elementary Schools, tear down or repurpose BOTH Wildwood & Fort River, and build a new LARGE (750-student) school.
As of October 17, the District had collapsed the options into (1) Reconfigure all Amherst Elementary Schools, to a K-1 (at Crocker) and a 2-6 (in a new building); (2) Reconfigure all Amherst Elementary Schools, in a slightly different configuration (different at the new 2-6 building and/or different at Crocker Farm); and (3) Renovate / addition or new building for Wildwood.
At the September 29, 2015, public forum, the District suggested that all options were on the table. In mid-October, District staff began confirming verbally that they planned to recommend a “grade reconfiguration” for all of Amherst.
Important Dates:
- October 20, 2015, 6pm, Amherst High School – The District makes public for the first time its recommendation to “reconfigure” the Amherst elementary schools, to the School Committee in a public meeting.
- Nov. 17 (Tue.) – School Committee voted to approve the “Educational Plan.” (rescheduled from 11/3). See
- agenda online (PDF)
- Amherst Media / Archive.org for video at https://archive.org/details/School111715 . Agenda)
- Jan. 19 (Tue) 2016 – Amherst School Committee voting on grade configuration options.
- November 2016 – Town will vote on debt limit override (majority vote needed).
- November 2016 – Town Meeting votes on the recommendations (2/3 vote needed).
- 2016 / 2017 – Massachusetts (MSBA) decides whether to give the funds or not.
- March 27, 2016 – “Feasibility Study” window ends.
- 2017 – Construction begins on Wildwood site, over existing “metal” playground.
- 2019 Fall – New Building Opens and Wildwood 2d – 5th graders move in. K-1st graders location TBD.
- Source: SASS Timeline
Give Feedback:
- Submit Comments on Reconfiguration ONLINE HERE
- Postcards to mail in feedback to Wildwood PGO; we will gather and take to School Committee (useful if you have just one or two very brief points to make) – ENGLISH postcard … Español Postcard
- Model Comment Letter (useful if you want to explain your thoughts at length)
- Read feedback already submitted at
Find Out More:
- Official Sites
- Who’s Who
- Amherst School District (aka “ARPS“, Amherst Regional Public Schools). Superintendent is Maria Geryk; Assistant Superintendent is Mike Morris. Writing the “Educational Report” and supervising the process.
- Amherst School Committee – Elected committee for Crocker Farm, Fort River, & WIldwood. 5 members. Will receive recommendations about grade configuration on October 20 and will vote on the recommendations in early November. Meetings are open to the public.
- Wildwood Building Project Committee aka “School Building Committee”. Appointed committee which will make many decisions about the specifics of the project, after School Committee has determined which grade configuration.
- Visioning Committee. 30 member committee, appointed. “Vision” will inform the District as they draft the “Educational Report.”
- Amherst Town Meeting. Representative governing body of the Town of Amherst, which will vote to approve the money for the renovation project. Depending on the size of the recommendation, the vote may require an “override” to increase the local property tax.
- Joslin Lesser. Architectural / Project firm hired to run the process.
- Massachusetts School Building Authority. State organization that funds renovations.
- Save Amherst’s Small Schools. An independent community organization opposed to reconfiguration or consolidation.
- From: SASS “Who’s Who”
- Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)
- MSBA Feasibility Study Guidelines – General guidelines for how to do the feasibility study.
- MSBA, Cost estimates of other projects, for comparison (Amherst’s proposals are not in this list; presumably if approved they would be in a future list)
- Analyses and Public Comments
- Materials Archived at: SASS public comments.
- Public Comments Filed
- SINGLE PDF PACKET OF ABOVE PUBLIC COMMENT (Oct. 5 – Oct. 25), plus index of comments at Oct. 20 Town Meeting. If you have comments you separately sent that you would like to share, please send them to wildwoodelementarypgo@gmail.com or Laura Quilter at lquilter@gmail.com and we will be sure to include them.
- PDF of PUBLIC COMMENTS Filed, Oct. 26-Oct. 31 – Comments Filed Via Online Form. PDF or read online.
- Survey of parents and teachers:
Regionalization
What it is: Proposal to merge administration of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury School Districts.
Important Dates:
- 10/6, 6:30 – 8:30pm – Public Forum on Regionalization (Crocker Farm blog post) . At the High School Library.
Give Feedback:
- 10/6, 6:30 – 8:30pm – Public Forum on Regionalization (Crocker Farm blog post) . At the High School Library.
- List of Public Forums (10/6 Amherst, 10/21 Leverett, 11/18 Shutesbury, TBD Pelham)
- 11/4 – Pelham Expanding the Region Community Forum on November 4
Find Out More:
- Regionalization Information from ARPS
- Pre-K – 12 Regionalization Agreement (DRAFT) (at ARPS)
- Regionalization Presentation (from ARPS)
- Regionalization FAQ (from ARPS)
- “Regionalization” posts at Only the Republic of Amherst
Middle / High School Consolidation
What it is: Proposal to merge the Middle School and High Schools.
Important Dates:
- “Community Listening Sessions” – List of sessions from ARPS. (10/15 Shutesbury; 10/19 Amherst Regional High School)
- Nov. 7 – Hurricane Revisioning Summit (for Middle/High Consolidation), 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, ARMS
Give Feedback:
- “Community Listening Sessions” – List of sessions from ARPS. (10/15 Shutesbury; 10/19 Amherst Regional High School)
Find Out More:
- ARPS Page on 7-12 Consolidation
- FAQ on Consolidation (from ARPS)
- February & April 2015 meeting notes (from ARPS)
