By CHRIS COLLINS
(Montague, MA) — Preliminary discussions continue regarding a possible merger between the Gill-Montague and Pioneer Regional school districts.
A study committee has been formed to look into the logistical issues related to a potential merger. Montague resident Mike Naughton is part of that committee, which he says has a lot of questions that are still unanswered.
“I think we all had a number of concerns going into this,” Naughton told the Montague Selectboard recently. “The primary one being whether this is a good idea. That’s what we are researching now.”
State officials have recently been pushing the idea of “regionalization,” which would allow districts with declining enrollments and financial issues to combine operations in an effort to save money and while creating a better educational environment for students. At this point, the state has not codified the regionalization concept into existing state policy, but there are those who believe that day may soon be coming.
Naughton said the Pioneer School Committee appears to be split on the matter, recently voted 6 to 5 to take part in the process. The town of Warwick recently voted to leave the Pioneer district after a disagreement over the decision to close the Warwick Community School, a move which was made in response to rising expenses and declining enrollments.