AMHERST — Representatives on the four-town Amherst Regional School Committee are giving the go-ahead for sixth graders to be taught in the middle school building as soon as fall 2023.
The 7-1 vote on Tuesday, with Pelham representative Sarahbess Kenney voting against and Leverett representative Gene Stamell abstaining, paves the way for Amherst to have its sixth-grade students, who currently attend Fort River, Wildwood and Crocker Farm schools, move to the regional building.
The Amherst School Committee earlier in October voted unanimously to move those future sixth graders contingent on the regional vote. The move is necessary to accommodate a new elementary school project at the Fort River site that would replace or renovate both the aging Fort River and Wildwood schools with a 575-student school, but with a K-5 model, for fall 2026.
Details on the space rental agreement, likely a payment from the Amherst elementary schools to the regional schools, will be resolved at a later date, said School Committee Chairwoman Allison McDonald.
The vote allows any of the four regional towns to have their sixth graders taught in the middle school, but only Amherst has made such a decision.
Amherst representative Peter Demling said great work is already being done by teachers and staff at the middle school, and that the education will only get better by having sixth graders in the building.
“I see this addition from a regional point of view as only enhancing that,” Demling said.
Kenney said a worry for Pelham residents is how integrated their sixth graders will be when they arrive for seventh grade under this new model.
Superintendent Michael Morris said there are already different sixth-grade programs in Amherst from those in Leverett, Shutesbury and Pelham, pointing to the Caminantes dual language instruction at Fort River.
“Our programs don’t look exactly the same now. They’ll continue to evolve whether the Amherst students are in the middle school or located in the Amherst elementary schools,” Morris said.
Morris said should the other towns decide to send their sixth graders to the middle school, as well, there would be an opportunity for future collaboration.
“From my vantage point as superintendent, I think we can think creatively about that,” Morris said.
Margaret Stancer, the other Pelham representative, said her affirmative vote was not about the future of Pelham sixth graders, but rather about giving the OK to meet Amherst’s needs.
“I am not voting about moving Pelham sixth graders,” Stancer said.
One unanswered question came from Stamell, who asked Morris if families in the smaller towns could choice their children into the sixth grades at the middle school. “It is a concern of ours,” Stamell said. Morris said any decisions on opening up choice slots would be made by the Amherst School Committee.
Sullivan said Shutesbury is confident that its elementary school program will remain intact and that sixth graders will want to remain at the elementary school, though that could change if the middle school offerings for sixth graders increase. “If sports teams and drama take off, then in two or three years I might worry about it,” Sullivan said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
