For the past 58 years, our nine ConVal towns have partnered together to educate our children and ensure our greater Monadnock region continues to thrive for the generations that follow us.

As a cooperative district, we have created strong economies of scale by pooling our buying power, sharing our staff and resources and spreading our risk.

Withdrawal will alter our district in a multitude of ways. If approved by voters, our cooperative district will become a multi-district SAU. Francestown and Dublin would become independent school districts overseen by their own school boards. The ConVal district would comprise the remaining towns and be overseen by the ConVal School Board.

The SAU would provide superintendent services for each of the three districts and would be overseen by a fourth board comprising members of each district. The practice of weighted voting would give the ConVal district representatives an overriding vote on all matters pertaining to the SAU’s operation and budget.

A multi-district SAU will be costlier and more difficult to manage. Dublin’s withdrawal plan states their intention to remain within SAU 1. While members of Francestown’s school committee have expressed an interest in leaving the SAU, their own withdrawal plan does not mention this. They have produced no plan or budget to independently operate an SAU. Given their lack of planning, it is premature to consider these claims until voters have been informed.

Through withdrawal, the independent districts would gain full control over their elementary schools, but they would lose board representation in the ConVal middle and high schools. They will have no voice or vote on issues central to the quality, cost and future direction for over half of their students’ education.

Both towns began pursuing withdrawal when the fate of their elementary schools hung in the balance of last year’s consolidation vote. At that moment, it made sense for them to study a path to keep their schools. But today, both elementary schools remain open. The ConVal School Board has gone on record in saying that the vote on consolidation last March will be respected and honored. Both towns have indicated they wish for their students to tuition right back to ConVal.

Withdrawal may or may not solve the issues of Dublin and Francestown. It would certainly bring them a dearth of new challenges, and they will inherit the same challenges facing ConVal today such as declining enrollment, difficulty hiring and the rising costs and needs for special education services.

Withdrawal does not address the challenges currently facing the towns of Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon and Temple. It will only compound them. For these remaining ConVal towns, it is safe to assume that vital efficiencies will be lost, costs and taxes will increase and no benefit will be gained for students at ConVal.

I believe that the era of cooperation is not behind us. I believe that we are stronger together.

Curtis Hamilton represents Greenfield on the ConVal School Board. His opinions are his own.