Williams to help with Mt. Greylock Regional High School budget crisis

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 27, 2003–Williams College announced today its intent to help Mt. Greylock Regional High School address its budget crisis.

“Several factors have come together to result in a very serious budget crisis for our community’s public high school, even with the passage in Williamstown of an override of Proposition Two and a Half,” Vice President for Administration and Treasurer Helen Ouellette said. “The school and the community face a long-term challenge of figuring out how to make Mt. Greylock financially sustainable, while maintaining, or enhancing, the quality of the education it offers.

“To buy time for this important process, the college intends to make a one-time donation to Mt. Greylock of $250,000, all of it dedicated to retaining as much as possible the school’s academic program for the coming year. At the same time, Williams is committed to working with Mt. Greylock faculty, administrators, and school committee members to explore possible ways of increasing college/school involvements. While Williams can’t solve all the challenges Mt. Greylock faces, there may be ways in which greater engagement with the school by Williamsstudents, faculty, and staff could benefit both institutions and the community as a whole. The college is certainly involved with the school in many ways already but we’re happy to explore what more might be done.”

Even with the Proposition Two and a Half override, the school faced the prospect of laying off more than ten teachers, in addition to funding only one-third of the cost of all school activities, including athletics.

Williams’ current involvement with the high school takes many forms. Mt. Greylock students who have exhausted the school’s offerings in a subject area can take a course in that field at Williams for a small fee. The college grants financial support each year to teachers at Mt. Greylock for projects focused on professional or curricular development. These Olmsted Awards go also to Williamstown Elementary School and McCann Technical School. Williams made a founding donation of $25,000 to the school’s Sustaining Educational Excellence Fund. Mt. Greylock teachers and administrators take part each year in the college’s Summer Program for Teachers–educational offerings provided free of charge.

Forty-four Williams faculty and staff members have volunteered to be called on by Mt. Greylock faculty and staff as educational resources. Williams students volunteer in the school throughout the year and especially during January as members of the college’s “Teaching Practicum” Winter Study course. Several Mt. Greylock athletic teams use college facilities for practice and for home contests, which dramatically reduces the school’s capital costs. The school’s AP Chemistry course holds lab sessions in the college’s new Science Center. Students from the college’s Multicultural Center conduct community-building workshops for Mt. Greylock students. The Williams College Museum of Art’s program of outreach to schools includes Mt. Greylock. The museum offers teacher training, curricular packages, and reimbursement for the transportation costs of field trips.

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Published May 27, 2003