On Tuesday, Oct. 6, residents in 19 Western Massachusetts towns will decide whether to fund a new building for the county’s vocational technical school.
Advocates say a new Franklin County Technical School would pack plenty of benefits – but even when split 19-ways, some rural town leaders say the price tag is a red flag.
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In a county likely to see its population shrink in the years to come, the tech school found in Turners Falls has only seen its enrollment and waitlists increase over the years.
Opening in 1976, Franklin Tech is now up to almost 650 students according to the state, with many taking part in over a dozen technical and vocational programs.
“I think that it’s great for kids who do not do well in school - everyone learns differently,” Lauren Barton of Wendell told WAMC Friday. A former Franklin Tech culinary student, Barton says the school’s different options offer different possibilities for students with various styles of learning. “Everyone's brain works differently - that's why this school is great for a lot of people.”
That being said, Barton notes the building has long been showing its age and that she is in favor of a plan to overhaul it.
Built just over 50 years ago, the list of things that need to be renovated, rebuilt or replaced is long, on top of issues like overcrowded classrooms, “inadequate fire protection” and outdated infrastructure in general.
It’s partly why district officials have been exploring different options. Since at least last year, a rebuild has been in the cards, complete with the state’s school building authority signing on to reimburse almost half of the $236 million venture.
The borrowing needed is up for a vote across 19 communities Tuesday - all members of the Franklin County Technical School District.
But, even when split 19 ways, critics like Shelburne Finance Committee member Jason Cusimano say the costs are still too high, especially for smaller towns like his.
“The town of Shelburne generally sends about 9-11 kids to the tech school at an operating costs of somewhere around $250,000,” he explained to WAMC, weeks after both his committee and the select board recommended that residents vote down the funding measure. “On top of it, adding a capital cost of $250,000 is pretty untenable for most taxpayers. I think it's going to be really hard for a lot of people when they see their tax bills.”
He says it's an unfortunate dilemma. He has a son who attends Franklin Tech and says the school plays an important role in training electricians, mechanics and more.
But, as Shelburne Select Board Chair Andrew Baker added Saturday, communities like his are struggling to stay on budget as is.
He says raising property taxes and likely needing future overrides are tall orders and burdens for the town of 1,800.
“We’re looking at probably $250,000 a year in capital costs to the town of Shelburne - in our last budget, that we're in now, we're just $11,000-12,000 under our levy limit,” he said. “We're looking at overrides as far as the eye can see if this vote passes and that's really what we're trying to inform our voters about - you'll be looking at at an override every year, pretty much, going forward.”
Like Shelburne, many towns in Franklin County have low populations, with some even in the hundreds. And without much industrial or commercial tax revenue to draw from, property taxes end up being paramount for annual budgets.
Watching his daughter play soccer Friday, Franklin Tech parent Michael Liebenow said he knows a new school building won’t be cheap.
But, the Whately resident adds that the need is real.
“It's hard to put a price on education for students and I think that, given the climate of the economy right now, having kids going into vocational tech is pretty important,” he said as Franklin Tech hosted Smith Academy. “I know that my daughter's class is the biggest class that's ever come through the school and there are waitlists for people coming in. I think having a larger school would be a good look for everyone involved - being able to get more students into the vocations and maybe stimulate the economy a little bit.”
Polls across the Franklin County Vocational Technical School District open Tuesday. Polling times are available on each member town’s respective website.
In the case of six such towns — Bernardston, Gill, Leyden, Montague, Northfield and Warwick — an additional school district question is up for a vote: whether or not to form a new “Great River Regional School District” – a consolidation effort between the Gill-Montague and Pioneer Valley Regional school districts — in order to address issues including declining enrollment.
For the Franklin Tech vote, only an overall majority of voters is needed to pass, whereas the school district merger question requires a "Yes" vote majority in all participating communities, save for Warwick.
If the Franklin Tech funding measure is approved, district officials estimate construction could begin by 2028, with students moving in by 2030.
