Barre Regional School District Presents Twelfth Consolidation Alternative at Community Forum

BARRE — May 10, 2017 — Barre's regional school district held a second public forum on consolidation options, with consultants presenting a twelfth restructuring alternative and updated enrollment data projecting a drop from roughly 2,048 students to around 1,900 by 2025. The UMass Boston consulting team, which identified one lead as a civil engineer with 30 years of local government experience, showed corrected class-size data revealing sixth-grade classrooms with as many as 32 students alongside kindergarten classes in the low twenties. A scenario eliminating school choice entirely was described as producing a net loss in year one, given the district's current $1.6 million in annual choice revenue. A $100,000 state grant will fund a community facilitator for the next phase of planning. One committee member pressed the consultants directly on building reuse, saying, "I've not heard much — we've done all of that and not really had much success." No votes were taken; the district's fiscal year 2017 budget stands at approximately $32 million.