Letter: Open Letter to Lanesborough Board of Selectmen / Williamstown.com

Wasted Opportunities: Open Letter to the Lanesborough Board of Selectmen on Mount Greylock

Several weeks ago the Lanesborough Board of Selectmen discussed a motion to send a letter to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to request a delay in their decision on the Mount Greylock Regional School renovation/addition. Though the meeting was announced only 48 hours in advance, around 60 people turned out.

Not one person spoke in favor of the delay; the voices were united in support of our school and the building project, which has been discussed and debated for years. I was impressed with the board that night: they allowed people to speak, and they listened to their constituents and chose not to send their letter.

Shortly afterwards, iBerkshires reported:

Lanesborough Town Administrator Paul Sieloff told the Mount Greylock School Committee that the Lanesborough Board of Selectmen has no plans to address the Adams-Cheshire proposal.

'I don't think so,' Sieloff said. 'We passed that on to the School Committee. It's been clear it's in their bailiwick.'

Unfortunately, the situation changed Monday night, when the board decided to bring the dissolution of the region back to the voters. While I strongly support the democratic process, as a Williamstown parent of two children in the district, I am saddened by how events unfolded. First, the board limited public discussion to just five minutes at the start of the meeting. During their discussion, they refused to allow comments from the multitude in the room (or in the hallway outside, as attendance was so high that not all could fit inside). They reiterated several times that public comments were not welcome and would not be heard. I counted at least five members of the Lanesborough Elementary and Mount Greylock school committees who were prevented from speaking.

We could have provided useful information, as well as refuted false claims stated by the Selectmen. Our voices were welcome before; I leave it to the readers to ponder why they are not welcome now.

From a recent iBerkshires account of the meeting:

But on Tuesday, the three-member Board of Selectmen decided to put the question to voters, citing concerns that the [Lanesborough] School Committee did not adequately study the question. 'Based on the meeting at Mount Greylock at 10 in the morning, we don't feel they gave that a fair shot,' Chairman John Goerlach said. 'It seemed odd they'd schedule a meeting like that during the day at Mount Greylock. ... [The question] had to go to the School Committee. It was not our choice to decide yes or no. But we don't feel like it got a fair shake.'"

This is false, as we could have explained if given a chance to speak. The school committees have discussed the proposal in public, and done significant research which we posted online to share with the community (see https://sites.google.com/site/mgrsdwiki/). Further, over the past two years, the board has appropriated money twice ($1,000 on 1/13/2014 and $300 on 2/13/15) to survey residents of the town on school affiliation. I believe no surveys were actually conducted. The board appointed an Education Options Research Committee that held more than a dozen public meetings from November 2014 to May 2015 and concluded that no better options exist than the plans Mount Greylock is currently pursuing.

I wish I and my colleagues had the opportunity to say these words to the board Monday night, but they were not willing to listen. I hope they will listen now, and act responsibly (or at the very least, act by taking a vote on a concrete proposal!). Rather than clearly document and advocate for their own proposal, they hide behind claims that unnamed, voiceless supporters need a secret ballot to express their desire for some ill-defined alternative. Their behavior appears deliberately designed to obstruct and sabotage the will of the majority of people in Lanesborough as has been and will be expressed at town meetings.

Time and time again the board has obstructed without taking a stand. Enough studies have been done, enough research performed, enough opportunities have passed. As the elected leaders of the town, it is time for the board to stand up and be counted, or get out of the way of the many people from Lanesborough and Williamstown who are working so hard to support our schools.

There are only so many hours in the day; every time we need to revisit and deal with delays and obstructions is time that we could spend working and advocating for our school (not to mention the ill will such behavior creates). Leaders should lead, and they have a responsibility to make their positions known to the voters.

I hope the Lanesborough Board of Selectmen will go on the record and do so without further delay. The voters will then be able to understand exactly where the Selectmen stand and to decide whether to support their policies -- and whether they merit re-election.

Steven Miller is a member of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee but is submitting this letter on his own behalf as a Williamstown resident and parent.