Special Town Meeting 10/23 Decides School District Merger, Library Grounds

The Selectboard has set Monday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. for a special town meeting that will vote on the proposed merger of the South County's two largest school districts. The meeting will be held at Monument Mountain Regional High School.

The meeting will also consider a citizen petition related to use of the grounds of the Mason Library in Great Barrington.

Read the meeting warrant here.

The last day to for unregistered voters of Great Barrington and Housatonic to register to vote is Friday, Oct. 13 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Town Clerk's office (the office is closed 1:00-1:30 for lunch).

For the merger to move forward, each of the eight towns impacted must approve the proposal of the 8Town Regional School District Planning Board. Information about the merger can be found here, at 8Towns.org.

The proposal calls for a merger of both under-enrolled school districts, with only the two high schools merging into a single building; middle and elementary schools in each district would remain in place. The merger would also clear the way for more robust vocational and technical education.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting.