Regionalization -- What Does This Mean?

The topic of "Regionalization," or "shared services/functions," is getting a great deal of press lately. From bulk purchasing by entities and communities, to regional 911 dispatch, to shared municipal financial functions, the concept is based on the simple premise of achieving greater efficiency and cost effectiveness through partnership.

Locally, Freetown and Lakeville are engaged in an in-depth discussion of full school regionalization. I do not have any clear answers. I do have some questions. I also have some thoughts to share.

It has been said that harmonious and balanced development can be a reality through administrative and economic partnerships. Sound simple? Not necessarily. But that does not mean it cannot be done -- or at a minimum, assessed. In fact, there has never been a better time to explore regional strategies and options than now, as all communities are facing untenable reductions in state aid and receipts as well as painful cuts that will not likely be restored any time soon.

There are 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The state has over 400 school districts, with close to 70 of those being regional. Many of the regional schools are vocational technical high schools, such as Old Colony. Almost all school districts have their own superintendent and a number of other high-level administrative professionals. Many school committees exist to support all the schools as well.

Compare the Massachusetts numbers to another state with a similar student population and similar student performance: Maryland. That state has around 26 districts. Most are formed along county lines. They have far fewer superintendents and high-level administrative personnel, which clearly helps with their budgets. Newsweek Magazine found Maryland high schools to be the top performers last year. The Maryland structure is viewed quite positively by Education Commissioner Chester Mitchell and Education Secretary Paul Reville.

Freetown-Lakeville currently functions as a PARTIAL REGION. There is only one superintendent for the three school districts, each of which has its own school committee. As a Partial Region, a fourth school committee exists. The Superintendency Union -- comprised of representatives from each committee -- must vote on a new superintendent and on any modification to the regional agreement.

As a Partial Region, there is a single teacher contract and an aligned curriculum. But as a Partial Region, there are three budgets that must be prepared and voted, involving significant investments of administrator, school committee, and town time. There are costs associated with the multiple budget process.

On the surface, the immediate savings of becoming a full region are quite clear. The Regional Schools receive some state reimbursement for transportation. The rate varies tremendously from year to year, but the hope is for 45-48% this year.

The local elementary schools receive no reimbursement for transportation. (All children Grade 6 and below who live two miles from their school must be offered transportation.)

In addition, a full region permits access to the famous Emergency and Deficiency (E & D) account, while the elementary schools must look to the towns to support any emergency or deficiency. There is also a less cumbersome school committee and budget process; there would is greater opportunity to benefit from consolidated and shared resources.

On the other hand, there is the very real fear that people have about "giving up" their local school to an independent entity -- the Regional School District. Where is the local control? Where is the local voice?

One possible outlet, suggested by the consultant who first examined the benefits and obstacles of full regionalizaton, is to empower the local school councils. The councils are mandated under the Education Reform Act of 1993, and their functionality varies from school to school. They are all responsible for formulating and approving school improvement plans. Members of the community are at the table. The issue of local input is one that deserves in-depth discussion.

There are other structural issues that no regional agreement can address; namely, the built-in annual increases in the school budget due to fixed costs, many of which are dictated by contracts. Staff must be paid. Buses must run. Insurance and pension costs are escalating.

With ever-expanding school budgets, the 4-5% annual increase resulting from the fixed costs translates to big dollars, which the towns are obligated to pay. However, paying those increases means reducing other town budgets to compensate for the bigger school need.

We are seeing shrinking public safety budgets, skeleton crews in town hall; reduced hours for personnel in many departments; scarce funds to update equipment or technology; deferred maintenance; infrastructure erosion.

For school budgets, there is a minimum contribution each community must make, and that is determined by the state. Much of that determination is based on the community's wealth; it is also based on each town's school investment history. There are penalties for failing to meet the minimum.

In the case of Freetown, the Special Education and Vocational Education budgets continue to be included in an analysis of the elementary school number. This results in a seriously distorted view of the town's per pupil cost at the elementary level, which results in fewer state dollars to support the school.

The impact is known to all: unwieldy elementary class sizes that will tax any educator and impact the achievement of the students. The impact becomes long-term, with student performance continuing to decline in higher grades because of a lack of sufficient intervention and support at the elementary level.

Here is another impact: Increased numbers of students being diagnosed as requiring specialized services to meet their learning needs. When learning issues are not addressed in the early years, they become special education issues down the road. The costs associated with special education are far greater than regular education and MUST be funded by law. Locally, Freetown has had to divert regular education funds to cover rising special education enrollments and costs.

The country as a whole is seriously evaluating how schools are funded. In the "Race to the Top" federal grant opportunity, accountability is a key requirement. All states submitting a proposal had to demonstrate a commitment to accountability. Massachusetts is one of 16 finalists. The state recently passed legislation that addresses that issue. Schools are categorized up to Category 5. The position of a school is based on performance. If a school is yielding results bad enough to end up in Category 5, the district will be placed in a form of receivership. The state will come in and take over the entire system. We are not even close. And we never want to be!

The President is also exploring another strategy: Rewarding schools that do very well.

That is where we all want to be. We are obligated to provide a strong public education to all our children. As a workforce development professional, I can assure you that without a good foundation, future educational, training, and career options become very challenging. Income earning potential suffers; the requirement for social services (taxpayer support) rises exponentially for those without a good education.

So far, the local numbers are good, with about a 1.6% dropout rate. Of course, we will continue to strive for a 100% graduation rate, but we must pay attention to what happens in the early years.

So the discussion will continue. I urge you to follow along and provide your thoughts along the way. The meetings are open, and questions/comments from the audience are often entertained. At the very least, you will have an opportunity to get to know the folks who are meeting on this issue and perhaps offer up an opinion to one of them "offline."

(Of course, feel free to contact me on this issue. I am not on the committee, but I am current on regionalization efforts throughout the state. What I do not know, I will make every effort to find out and share.)

One thing is certain: Freetown has ALWAYS supported the education of its children. No one can challenge our commitment to doing the best we can for our future workforce. The economic future of Freetown, the SouthCoast, and the United States is fundamentally and inextricably connected to educational attainment. The old factory jobs are gone. The new economy is knowledge-based and "lean." Our schools CAN prepare the children. But not without the proper support and structure.

Another thing is true: In the current economic climate, and with the current budgetary structure, we are not in a position to maintain the level of support our youngest residents deserve. That affects each and every one of us, today and tomorrow.

In the News: Other regional discussions are ongoing. SRPEDD has some grant money to look at how communities can share some services and functions. I have been working with them on this and am encouraged by the willingness of towns to begin a dialogue.

So far, it is clear that like communities will be more successful. In addition, regionalization efforts must seriously weigh any potential impacts on loyal public employees. The least controversial regional effort is likely to be an expansion of shared or bulk purchasing and possibly some shared equipment. I will keep you posted.