MINUTEMAN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL: SHOW US THE ENROLLMENT

MINUTEMAN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL: SHOW US THE ENROLLMENT

PROBLEM:  The specter of a new 800 student school for only 370 grades 9 through 12 member students.  This will institutionalize a requirement for member towns to provide $4 million in annual operational and capital subsidies for 400 Non-Member students from 34 Non-Member cities and towns.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: CREATE LONG-TERM ENROLLMENT COMMITMENTS

Three (3) simple and equitable steps, that when embraced and implemented will facilitate unanimous approval by member towns for a sustainable financial model based on fully funded member town enrollments with a similarly fully funded and utilized reserve capacity where extra classroom seats are occupied by a known number of tuition students without the need for extraordinary subsidies:

A. Member town officials must formally and directly communicate to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) that they will only finance a school with a maximum capacity for 500 current and future member town students (the MSBA has already projected a maximum 435 member student enrollment plus an additional 65 member student 15% growth factor).  

B. Any and all Non-Member towns truly committed to joining the District and assuming all rights and financial responsibilities must immediately submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to become full Minuteman members based on the updates herein being made to the proposed regional agreement changes.  As such, Non-Member current vocational tuition grades 9 through 12 student enrollments would be ADDED to, and increase the 500 student maximum build-to number. Those Non-Members deciding to join the district will be admitted under the current Regional Agreement new-member terms and conditions that fully quantify maximum time-limited new-member subsidies.  Tuition students will only be enrolled to utilize any unused reserved capacity (65 empty seats).

C. Make a necessary and important change to the Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee (RAAS) proposals: add a one-time option that upon unanimous approval by the current Minuteman district members, any of the ratifying 16 member towns would have the option to leave the district under the conditions as outlined in the current Regional Agreement.  The change must include a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) commitment in the form of an official attachment that the Department will not obstruct or otherwise attempt to unreasonably inhibit any town from leaving the district, and no requirement for votes of approval by the school committee, or any member town or towns.  Such a change will insure the RAAS changes are unanimously approved by all member towns.  Few if any towns would opt to leave the district with subsidies eliminated.  A fewer member towns will opt to have their students return as tuition students given the obvious economic advantages of doing so for small enrollments.

WHY THIS CAN AND WILL WORK:

This approach would be successful because the plan is based on a financially sustainable and sound business model.  All members and new-members would be known and committed.  All student enrollments are known, justified and funded.  Non-Member operational and capital subsidies are eliminated.

UNTENDED CONSEQUENCE TO BE AVOIDED

 a.  The problem of subsidizing the over enrollment of Out-of-District tuition student has been an administration and financial reality and member town burden for over 25 years.  The problem was not created by teachers and staff.  As such, member towns must not allow teachers and staff to be made scapegoats and victims of administration and school committee mismanagement.  

b. With an annual 14% attrition rate (personal decisions to resign, retirements, release for cause, including unjustified layoffs that must stop, etc.) in teachers and staff, it will take less than 5 years to adjust professional staff in step with the right-sizing nonmember student enrollment.  No teacher or staff shall be fired or laid-off simply to accomplish Non-Member enrollment right-sizing when they did not create the problem.  All current vocational programs important to member town students can and will be sustained with a 400 member student enrollment contrary to institutional statements.  

CONCLUSIONS

If the current administration and school committee leadership will not embrace and implement this plan and they continue to promote an 800 student school that would benefit only a privileged few, they should step aside and allow new leadership to be put in place to implement and protect a financially sustainable and high-quality vocational education for our children.

Dave Manjarrez

Sudbury Appointee to the Minuteman school committee since 2008