Select Board members press for renegotiation of 1977 regional school agreement with Phillipston

Select Board members at a recent meeting pressed school-district and town officials to address a decades-old regional agreement they say has not been adjusted for current costs.

During the Narragansett Regional School District budget presentation, one board member (S10) said the town still operates under a 1977 regional agreement with Phillipston and warned that “the costs have not been adjusted.” He urged the towns to come together to negotiate a new understanding.

Another Select Board member (S11) responded that the district and town had already engaged legal counsel and compiled extensive documentation. “We went and paid money to our legal to say, what can we do? I informed the town of Templeton immediately what that answer was,” S11 said, adding that some remedies were constrained by how funds flow between member towns.

The exchange reflected frustration about the effort required and unclear next steps. S10 said resolving the issue likely requires both Templeton and Phillipston at the same table: “Not until someone gets both Templeton and Phillipston in the same room and makes them agree on something,” he said.

No formal vote or new action was recorded in the broadcast; the discussion signals continued attention among board members to the regional agreement and costs allocation.

Residents interested in the district budget and the status of the regional agreement were directed to district materials and upcoming Select Board meetings for more detail.