Berkshire County Education Task Force 2016 Overview

The Berkshire County Education Task Force (BCETF) focuses on enhancing educational outcomes for college and career readiness while ensuring financial sustainability. Comprised of school committee chairs, superintendents, business leaders, government representatives, and teachers, the BCETF aims to address challenges facing the region. Through a collaborative effort, they seek to emphasize the importance of high-quality public education and promote Berkshire as a desirable place to live, work, and visit. Fundraising efforts have supported their initiatives, which include analyzing enrollment trends, operational costs, and program diversity to improve educational services and maintain community identity.

• Education
• Task Force
• Berkshire County
• Collaboration
• Quality

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1. + Our children, Our community, Our future. Berkshire County Education Task Force 2016

2. + 2 What is the BCETF? Collaboration of school committee chairs, school superintendents, local business leaders, municipal government representatives, Massachusetts Teacher s Association representation WHO: Research, advance, and recommend solutions with focus on quality educational outcomes of college and career readiness while ensuring financial sustainability WHILE: Addressing demographic, economic and social challenges facing the Berkshires IN ORDER TO: Emphasize singular importance of highest quality public education while growing region as a destination to live, work, play and visit

3. +Our Journey John Hockridge, Chairman of MASC VI, created a countywide task force of 27 committed individuals willing to look at all the challenges facing public education in June 2015. The group has met almost every 3rd Saturday for the last 14 months in order to get a better understanding of all the issues. Recognized that Franklin County efforts from 9 years ago failed as there was no awareness and buy in throughout the County. September through November our findings will be shared with all communities, selectmen, school committees and finance committees; in order for them to have the same knowledge we have. Concluded that the Donahue Institute would be needed to assist us going forward in developing recommendations. Needed to find how to fund it.

4. + Fundraising We raised $75,000 from the private sector to help us fund a 1st phase analysis by hiring the Donahue Institute. Berkshire Business Roundtable Williams College Berkshire Bank Berkshire County School Districts Mass Association of School Committees Berkshire Taconic Foundation Black Rock Farm Petricca Industries Fairbank Family Fund In Kind Investments

5. Challenges: Overall decline in student enrollment, Rising operational costs 5 Declining/flat revenues Reductions in the diversity and range of educational programs Goals: Restore/improve educational program quality + Create economies of scale Improve educational services Maintain and honor unique identity of each Berkshire community

6. +Challenges: Declining Enrollment 21000 Berkshire County Enrollment: K-12 20000 19000 18000 Actual Enrollment 17000 Projected Enrollment 16000 15000 -22% 14000 13000 -11% 12000

7. +Challenges: Rising Operational Costs Increase In Costs FY14 & FY 15 Chapter 70 Operating Budget $5,594,682 $3,424,569 $1,102,037 $396,216 FY 14 FY 15 Operational cost increases continue to outpace Chapter 70 reimbursements resulting in heavy burdens to local taxpayers

8. +Challenges: Flat Revenues 2 Override Percentage of Tax Levy Limit(%) 100% 50% 0%

9. Challenges: Flat Revenues Tax Levy Ceiling Projections (based on FY15) + Levy = Tax Levy Ceiling Reached within 5 Years (Cannot Raise Taxes) Adams North Adams Pittsfield % of Tax Ceiling (FY15) 100% 88.3% 88.3% 84.3% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Levy Ceiling Reached in 5-10 Years (2020-2025) Dalton, Clarksburg, Peru, Sandisfield, Lanesborough, Williamstown 20% 10% 0% Pittsfield Adams North Adams

10. Berkshire High School Locations and Data

11. + Challenges: Declining Enrollment 250 Berkshire County Enrollment: Graduating Class Size (2006 v. 2016) 200 150 100 2006 class 2016 class 50 0

12. +Challenges: Declining Enrollment 12 High School (+) Enrollment v. Building Capacity 1800 1650 1600 1400 1235 1200 1200 1100 1000 Capacity 805 916 800 Total Enrollment 800 704 700 774 PK-9 662 550 540 600 525 542 540 548 500 459 400 405 335 330 200 0 Wahconah Hoosac Valley Lee Lenox Drury McCann Mount Greylock Pittsfield Taconic Monument Mountain Mount Everett

13. + Challenges: Declining Enrollment Elementary Schools Enrollment v. Building Capacity 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Capacity 2015 Enrollment

14. +Challenges: Reduction in Educational Programming Shrinking World Language Options Impact on the Arts Limited Career Vocational Technical Education Options Reductions of Electives in Core Subjects Increase in Scheduling Conflicts (Some students are forced to abandon desired courses as they do not fit in their schedules, due to conflicts with required core subjects)

15. +Challenges: Reduction in Educational Programming * IS THERE DATA TO SUPPORT A TREND LINE TO SUPPORT COMENTS FORM THE PRIOR SLIDE 21000 Erosion of Diversify in High School Education 20000 19000 18000 Actual Enrollment 17000 Projected Enrollment 16000 15000 -22% 14000 13000 -11% 12000

16. +Challenges: Economic Realities and Impacts % Free Lunch 38 36 34 32 30 28 % 26 24 22 20 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

17. + What We Have Learned Given all the data, the issues are complex and there appear to be no simple quick fixes. The erosion of the quality of education, especially for high school students over the last 15 years has been material. Doing nothing is not an option. While our task force has no authority, we do have the ability to inform and ultimately recommend major actions that should be undertaken quickly in order to reverse the trend.

18. + MODELING PHASE 1: Understand current state of education in Berkshire County. Target Fall 2016. o PHASE II. Predict economic and programming implications for three potential tiers: Target Spring 2017. o Collaboration & shared services o Formal Partnerships of neighboring districts o Super-region (1-3 districts) o

19. BCETF efforts are critical to: Workforce Development: Assuring education to workforce/economic development pathways and alignment Equity: Assuring access and equality across the region. + Regional Solutions: Serving as a state level pilot in exploring how regional collaboration can be leveraged to advance educational quality and outcomes.

20. +Significance of BCETF: The work of the BCETF has statewide significance at an urgent time for small, rural, and geographically large districts all of which are confronting constricting tax bases, declining enrollment, economic challenges, and the need to implement new strategies for sharing of resources and personnel precisely what the BCETF is researching. ~Glenn Koocher, MASC Executive Director The Berkshire County Education Task Force is a model of collaboration between school, municipal, non-profit, and private sector partners that other areas of the Commonwealth can follow to address regional challenges. ~Jake Oiliveira, MASC President This is the type of smart government reform and planning he (Governor Baker) should support." ~Patrick Murphy, MASC President-Elect

21. +FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.berkshireeducation.org

22. + Questions & Discussion