This forum, aimed at Brewster residents, was conducted on Zoom and broadcast live on Brewster Government TV Channel 18.
A special election, called by the Nauset Regional School Committee (NRSC), is beginning by mail and ends with in-person voting on March 30. Voters from the four towns that currently make up the Nauset Regional School District (NRSD) – Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet – are deciding on a proposal for a needed renovation and modernization of our highly-ranked high school. This BCN forum will explore issues behind why a majority of our Select Board supports this, while a majority of our Finance Committee opposes it. The forum also will clarify how the voting process works, as well as the role of Brewster’s NRSC members in the decision-making process.
Under the proposal, Nauset High School will educate students from our four District towns. It will also continue to host pupils from Truro and Provincetown, where middle and high school facilities are not provided. The project is also sized larger to enroll many “School Choice” students from other districts. All students enrolled from outside our District come with no contribution to the renovation funding. Per the District’s regional agreement and current enrollment, Brewster’s youth represent about 31% of the high school’s student body, but Brewster taxpayers would finance over 46% of the renovation’s costs. While badly needed and intended to last for 50 years, the renovation is not currently designed for net-zero energy use or emissions.
Presentation topics and panel are as follows – you will also have good opportunity for questions and discussion:
- Nauset’s Strategy for Educational Excellence – Tom Conrad, District Superintendent*
- Taxpayer Implications of Renovation Project – Peter Lombardi, Brewster’s Town Administrator
- Implications of Regional Funding Formula – Frank Bridges, Brewster’s Finance Committee
- Why this Project Approach Is Good for Brewster – Brewster Rep*, Nauset Regional School Committee
- An Alternative Approach – Bill Dugan, member of “NRHS Taxpayers”
The forum’s agenda focuses on key trade-off information to help Brewster voters decide. Other aspects, like building design and the state funding formula, were covered in the BCN forum on this topic last year. You can read more of the story to prepare for the forum here: Nauset School Project The recording of BCN’s previous forum on this topic (27 Feb 2020) is here: Nauset School Choices
* NRSC has agreed to support this, but specific speakers have not been confirmed.