If approved, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District – comprised of Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge – would merge with the Southern Berkshire Regional School District — Sheffield, Alford, Egremont, Monterey, and New Marlborough.
Steve Bannon – chair of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District school committee, chair of the Great Barrington selectboard, and member of the Regional School District Planning Board – says he supports combining the two under enrolled districts.
“All schools from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade stay as they are, and the high schools would merge into a single new school on the Berkshire Hills Regional School District Monument Mountain campus. There would be a new regional agreement, which would change the way we allocate our funds to the eight towns.”
Critics say there isn’t enough evidence to support the move, and have expressed concerns that it could negatively impact the districts’ respective economies.
The Great Barrington vote is set for 6 p.m. at Monument Mountain Regional High School.
