At its April 26th meeting, RSDPB recommended that the two districts merge to form a single K-12 regional school district among the eight towns, maintaining all existing elementary and middle schools, but creating a new merged high school grades 9 — 12 to be built on the campus of the current Monument Mountain High School. Among the 23 members of the RSDPB, the vote was 16 in favor, 6 opposed, and one absent.

The RSDPB’s next steps will be further development of the selected model, and drafting of a new regional school district agreement for consideration in the 8 member towns. A new 8 town regional school district will be formed only if a majority of the voters in each of those towns approve entering into a new regional school district agreement.

While the RSDPB’s April vote signals its interest in pursuing the recommended model, much work and community outreach lies ahead. The Board agreed to dig into further details regarding transportation, special education, facilities, and food service.

As the RSDPB continues its work, Berkshire Hills Regional School District is working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to secure state funding for a new or renovated high school. Should the 8 towns vote to proceed with a merger of the two districts, the new high school could be designed and built as a state-of-the-art facility to serve the students and larger community of all 8 towns.

There are many ways for members of the public to learn more about the RSDPB’s work and to provide direct input. Virtual community meetings are scheduled for the evenings of June 28 and June 30. Additionally, the public is invited and encouraged to attend meetings of the RSDPB, which are held virtually on Zoom and include time for public comment, and to visit RSDPB’s website at www.8 towns.org and to contact RSDPB Project Manager Jake Eberwein at jakeeberwein@gmail.com