Some students say they would back school regionalization - Sent...

The North Middlesex School Committee and the people of Ashby, Townsend, and Pepperell should realize that the Town of Lunenburg has no intention of letting Milree Keeling force feed another regionalization effort down our throats. Ayer and Shirley were a sensible fit but Milree axed that in the eleventh hour at her own discretion. The townspeople should be given the oppurtunity to decide if we want to fund transition costs with Ayer and Shirley not Milree Keeling. The role of Lunenburgs regional planning board was to bring a recommendation to our selectman on regionalizing with Ayer and Shirley not North Middlesex. It has not been done and needs to be. Why are the selectmen not pulling this together?
The people of Ashby, Townsend, and Pepperell beware as you will waste a lot of time and resources that could be much better spent elsewhere than on a non-starter like entertaining a notion of regionalizing with Lunenburg - big loser effort!!!!!

Why is this even being considered, if the state wouldn't fund the transition costs before why would they now? Whats going on?
Another thing that never gets brought up is LHS could easily be expanded. When they built the school they designed it so that more floors could be added to it in the future.

Another waste of money researching regionalization that will cost the the two districts more than what they can afford.

It's hard to understand why Townsend wants to regionalize with towns(like Ashby PD) and now the school district when it will only cost their taxpayers more than they receive.

Townsend is already providing paramedics to other towns, how much more can the taxpayers afford to keep subsidizing the other towns in.

Does Townsend get paid for vehicle upgrades or repairs from the other towns the paramedics go to?
NO! Ask a Selectman why?
As for a new HS we would all like everything new but, we have closed a school in Pepperell and have a school in Townsend with under 200 students in it.
Just move the kids around and make room. Perhaps it is just Dr. Marshall wanting another notch on her belt. How is that part time here and there going anyway?

"The state is trying to cajole us into regional discussions like this by saying,'Here's a new high school,'" Marshall said. "I think their carrot merits at least a discussion."

Don't believe they ever said this. Show us the letter or phone transcript....or even better the dudes name...

Why didn't they fund Shirley, Ayer Lunenburg they were 90% ready???

smoke and mirrors......

I think that the town of Lunenburg, should stop talking and move forward. Most of the people with opinions about regionalization, are only concerned for themselves and their children.
It does not matter, if you are middle class, or black or white, we should be making professional decisions for the best interest of ALL the children, not just the Lunenburg children. They are going to go to diffent colleges together and being open minded is not a bad thing.
But please, please someone ask Mr. Barney to take that awful music off the high school recording.

A DANCER wrote:

I think that the town of Lunenburg, should stop talking and move forward. Most of the people with opinions about regionalization, are only concerned for themselves and their children.
It does not matter, if you are middle class, or black or white, we should be making professional decisions for the best interest of ALL the children, not just the Lunenburg children. They are going to go to diffent colleges together and being open minded is not a bad thing.
But please, please someone ask Mr. Barney to take that awful music off the high school recording.

That awful music you're hearing is Maureen Marshall playing the school committee (and all of us) like a Stradivarius.

I chose to live in Lunenburg because of the school system. It is superior in many ways to the North Middlesex system-especially at the high school level. The quality of the faculty, class size, and student expectations are superior in Lunenburg.
I would hope to hear a resounding "NO" to this adventure.

A DANCER wrote:

I think that the town of Lunenburg, should stop talking and move forward. Most of the people with opinions about regionalization, are only concerned for themselves and their children.
It does not matter, if you are middle class, or black or white, we should be making professional decisions for the best interest of ALL the children, not just the Lunenburg children. They are going to go to diffent colleges together and being open minded is not a bad thing.
But please, please someone ask Mr. Barney to take that awful music off the high school recording.

Are you implying that Lunenburg should be funding the education of kids from other school districts? Thats fine if all us Lunenburgians get a charitable write off on our taxes. How many times a month do you drive to another town and drop off money? As all of the Towns that regionalization has been proposed with are worse off financially than Lunenburg, do to their own fiscal management and their citizens refusing to support the funding requests from their own town management why would Lunenburg dollars be used to sudsidize the education of kids from other towns in a regional agreement where Lunenburg would get the least benifit? This has noting to do with race, this has do do with other communities hedging on support of their own infrastructure.

A long time ago many of us here in Lunenburg realized Lunenburg was close to operating an Academy at the HS, with excellent teaching staff and small class sizes. It is a shame that 10% of the effort that has been spent on regionalization has not been spent on planning our existing small school district and presenting that to the townspeople as the most economically viable path that will produce the most savings and best educational program for our kids. Beacause that is what it is. The other paths presented are backed by the "Build a new High School at any cost committee".

The regionalization plan is sort of a Faustian proposal. North Middlesex needs a new building, so the propsal is to sacrifice the Lunenburg students so NMRSD can have a new structure. Class size and competent faculty are critical factors in education. NMRSD cannot compete and with Lunenburg. I'll bet the guidance department in Lunenburg knows all of its students and can accommodate them when necessary. Can't say the same for North Middlesex. Because Lunenburg is a small school, there are so many more opportunities for students in athletics and academics. Spare them being "lost in the shuffle."

The State is touting the benefits of regionalization, yet these benefits are quickly fading away- just read the papers. You'll be forced to bus all your kids and won't be able o collect fees, but don't worry; The state will pay 100% of the costs..... when they feel like it. Regional transp funding was already slashed once this year and is on the chopping block for further cuts.
The state thinks regionalization is such a great idea, but the only towns that do it are the ones West of 128 so the funding for regional transp is the first thing to get cut when times get tough.

olga wrote:

I chose to live in Lunenburg because of the school system. It is superior in many ways to the North Middlesex system-especially at the high school level. The quality of the faculty, class size, and student expectations are superior in Lunenburg.
I would hope to hear a resounding "NO" to this adventure.

Sure. Just because Lunenburg students have been exposed to U.S. history and are able to spell "cat" you don't have to be uppity about it. But, do they know how to roll on a condom or do drugs? We have three people in the central office getting over $100,000 per year helping our $200,000 per year world class superintendent with "curriculum". Let's see you top that for commitment to the children!

townie wrote:

<quoted text>
Sure. Just because Lunenburg students have been exposed to U.S. history and are able to spell "cat" you don't have to be uppity about it. But, do they know how to roll on a condom or do drugs? We have three people in the central office getting over $100,000 per year helping our $200,000 per year world class superintendent with "curriculum". Let's see you top that for commitment to the children!

BOOOOOOOO to the proposal. NMRHS has some really weak teachers, especially in the English dept.

Before this becomes a total bashing session on the NMRHS teachers, please look at the data. By this, look at the AP scores from recent years. Sure, the English Dept has its problems, but the other departments are very strong. I'm sure both schools have their strengths and weaknesses. Also, if the schools do merge, some teachers (from both schools) will be inevitably let go. Hopefully, the best teachers from both schools will stay and make the soon-to-be-built Dr Maureen Marshall High School an educational utopia.

townie wrote:

<quoted text>
Sure. Just because Lunenburg students have been exposed to U.S. history and are able to spell "cat" you don't have to be uppity about it. But, do they know how to roll on a condom or do drugs? We have three people in the central office getting over $100,000 per year helping our $200,000 per year world class superintendent with "curriculum". Let's see you top that for commitment to the children!

Awe townie did you have to let the cat out of the bag about NMRS's central office payroll. We have a couple of Lunenburg political figures that will now use it to demonstrate the inadequacies of our central office administrators salaries. Maybe we can do a version of wife swap and call it front office superintendents swap.

Lunenburgian wrote:

<quoted text>
Awe townie did you have to let the cat out of the bag about NMRS's central office payroll. We have a couple of Lunenburg political figures that will now use it to demonstrate the inadequacies of our central office administrators salaries. Maybe we can do a version of wife swap and call it front office superintendents swap.

Lunenburgian's head is on straight. Great idea on the wife swap, but, we'll have to check with Quabbin first.

The merger of Lunenburg with NMRSD will not have a positive impact on Lunenburg. This is not about teacher bashing, but the statistics will show the inferior quality of the English dept. at North Middlesex. Check on the number of writing assignments, the quality of the writing assignments and the wisdom of the English department head who is more interested in promoting herself than than the advancement of her students. Talking about excellence has become an inside joke. One has to question the wisdom of such a merger.