Gator Bites 3/17/2025

Hello Gateway Families!

I hope you have been able to enjoy some time in the warming weather with your families!

With the spring comes "budget season" for schools, towns, and the state. With our local towns not having a huge business tax base, it is important for our communities to get as much state funding as possible so we can continue to support not only great schools, but also strong emergency response like fire and police, safe roads, robust library programming, assistance for senior citizens, and functioning town halls among other things. I know that our local town governments work hard to keep costs low for residents and to offer wonderful services that our hilltowns deserve.

Because of this, it is important to let our local legislators know that funding should be allocated to our rural schools. Based on the recently published Rural Schools Report led by a state commission to study school funding, rural schools should be allocated an additional $60 million to provide equitable services to students. Historically, the state has funding up to $16 million for rural schools, which is about 1/4 of the amount determined that would provide our students with the education we deserve.

Thankfully, Gateway does receive some competitive grants, and we have been really creative about how to make it all come together with minimal impact on students. However, we need to continue to reach out to our legislators to make sure that Rural School Funding continues to be a priority.

On Monday, March 24, 2025, at 11 a.m., there will be an important budget hearing focused on funding for schools and towns. The hearing will take place at the UMass Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA. This hearing is part of the state’s budget process, and decisions made will directly impact the resources our schools receive. Many districts are facing serious financial challenges because the current funding formula isn’t keeping up with rising costs. This means towns are being asked to cover more and more of the school budget, which has become difficult to manage. Additionally, there will be a public budget hearing during the week of April 7 where anyone can sign up to speak. This hearing will be held at the State House in Boston.

Why Does This Matter?

• Without additional funding, many districts may face budget shortfalls that could lead to difficult decisions like staff reductions or cuts to student programs.
• Advocacy groups have outlined a plan to address these funding concerns, but it’s important for state legislators to hear directly from families about how funding gaps affect students and schools.

I encourage you to consider writing to your legislators or attending these hearings in person. For more information about the rural school funding needs, you can visit this website https://www.ruralschoolsma.org/ which is organized by school committee members and families from Western MA. Thank you for your support in advocating for our schools!

Kristen Smidy, Superintendent

Monday, March 17-School Committee Budget Meeting

Tuesday, March 18-Half day for Students, Professional Development Half day for staff

Saturday, March 22-Gateway Education Foundation Trivia Night

Monday, March 24-Budget Hearing for Education at UMass with State Ways and Means Committee

Week of March 24-MCAS begins at the high school

Every Gator Bites, we will share a safety tip for our community.

As we approach the spring, we will have another round of scheduled fire drills to comply with the laws to practice these important evacuation plans. I have copied the fire laws pertaining to schools below for your review. Gateway staff is diligent about ensuring that we comply with these laws and work collaboratively with our great community partners.

School Fire Drills 527 CMR 1.00, s. 20.2.4.2.1.4 Fire departments are required to conduct fire drills in schools at least four times a year. Within three days of the start of school, students must be familiarized with the exit plan or participate in a drill.

Multi-Hazard & MERP Plans Acts of 2000, Chapter 159, Section 363 M.G.L. c. 69, s. 8A School superintendents are required to meet with the local police and fire chiefs to develop a Multi-Hazard Evacuation Plan. Schools must also develop a Medical Emergency Response Plan and resubmit it every three years. DFS has a School Bomb Threat Response Guide pamphlet to help with all-hazard planning.

Place of Assembly (Theatres, Auditoriums, Gyms, Cafeterias) 527 CMR 1.00, s. 20.1.5.10.4 Schools need a certificate of inspection from the building official, which will set the occupancy limit. Severe penalties may be imposed for violating occupancy limits and blocked egress. The regulations on school decorations, drapery, and curtains may also be relevant.

Crowd Manager Requirements 527 CMR 1.00, s. 20.1.5.6 A crowd manager is needed in facilities that feature live bands or recorded music generating above-normal sound levels and which have a specific area designated for dancing. Schools might need a trained crowd manager on-duty when holding school dances. For details on crowd manager requirements or to take the online training program, please visit www.mass.gov/dfs and search for crowd manager.

Upholstered Furniture, Re-Upholstered Furniture, and Molded Chairs 527 CMR 1.00, s. 12.6.2 Upholstered furniture releases toxic smoke when it burns and should be resistant to fire. This section sets requirements for furniture flammability testing. Some requirements under this section are different for sprinklered and unsprinklered buildings.

Decorations, Curtains, Draperies and Window Treatments 527 CMR 1.00, s. 12.6.1 This section sets the flammability certification standards for draperies, curtains, and other hanging or suspended furnishings and decorations.

Theatrical Special Effects 527 CMR 1.00, c. 65 DFS Advisory 1/5/2007 & 8/1/2014 Schools need a permit from the local fire department to use special effects and pyrotechnics, including flash powder and flash paper. Their use must be conducted only by licensed individuals.

Paper Wall Decorations 527 CMR 1.00, s. 20.2.4.4.3 This section regulates how, where, and how much paper decorations may safely be displayed on walls in sprinklered and unsprinklered buildings. When building new schools, consider this regulation and include covered bulletin board design to safely display paper materials.

Fire Doors 527 CMR 1.00, s. 12.4.1 Blocking or wedging a fire door open is prohibited.

Fire Extinguishers 527 CMR 1.00, s, 13.6 Emergency Wash Stations 527 CMR 1.00, s. 10.23 These sections define where, how many, and what kind of fire extinguishers and emergency wash stations schools need, as well as their testing and inspection requirements. Labs are required to have emergency wash systems (showers) or fire blankets and signage.

Fire Lanes 527 CMR 1.00, c. 18 This chapter covers regulations on designating, maintaining, and preventing the obstruction of fire lanes. Fire lanes must be kept clear at all times.

Fire Protection Systems 527 CMR 1.00, c. 13 This chapter requires schools to inspect, test, and maintain fire alarm, fire sprinkler, and kitchen suppression systems. Chemistry Labs 527 CMR 1.00, c. 26 Permits and special storage arrangements may be required based on the type and quantity of chemicals stored. Think about the life cycle and disposal requirements of lab chemicals when purchasing or storing them. (See also 527 CMR 1.00, s. 10.23, for emergency wash stations, fire blankets and signage.)

School Fire Reporting Law M.G.L. c. 148, s. 2A State law requires schools to report all fires to the local fire department. It also requires fire departments to report all school fires to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS). No Smoking in Schools 20 U.S. Code § 6083 M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22 Smoking is prohibited in most public places in Massachusetts, including all schools, colleges, and universities.

Fire Safety Education M.G.L. c. 71, s. 1 State law requires public schools to provide instruction on the prevention and treatment of burn injuries, such as that provided by local fire departments through the Department of Fire Services’ Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E) grant program.

Join me in welcoming Julie Merritt BSN, RN as our new District Nurse Care Coordinator. She is a Gateway grad, has 2 small kids and has been a Registered Nurse for 13 years. Her role in the district will be working on community health education, Managing our Gateway telehealth room, piloting a new alternative to suspension for vaping program and managing a caseload of students who have high use of the nurses office and high absentee rates. Just as all of our nurses are team players, you may see Nurse Julie in any of our buildings supporting our students in many different ways.

As you know, the district did not have a large enough enrollment to continue receiving the 21st Century Learning grant. The YMCA of Greater Westfield will be hosting a summer program at Littleville Elementary for all Gateway students ages 5-12 from 7am-6pm Monday through Friday for five weeks. The cost is $200 per week. Please see the information below to sign up. For more information, please contact Michelle Amamisis, the Youth Development Director at 413-568-8631 x 306.

Porter Memorial Library Events: March 2025

Blandford

All Month Long in March: Seed Swap!

Bring in seeds you don’t need to swap for others you do want! It’s a great way to trade and think ahead to spring.

Every Tuesday: 4:30-5:30PM Book Squirms

Stories, songs and sensory play for preschoolers and their siblings.

Every Wednesday: 10:30-11:30AM Book Squirms

Stories, songs and sensory play for preschoolers and their siblings.

Saturday March 29th: 10AM Caregiver Coffee Club

Drop in time for caregivers to relax, socialize and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Please reach out if you have questions or concerns!

Chester Elementary School:
Principal Vanna Maffuccio vmaffuccio@grsd.org

Substitute Principal Mark Folta mfolta@grsd.org

Littleville Elementary School:

Principal Melissa McCaul mmccaul@grsd.org

Assistant Principal Martha Gendron mgendron@grsd.org

Principal Dr. Will Sullivan wsullivan@grsd.org

Assistant Principal Valerie Zeh vzeh@grsd.org

Athletic Director Matt Bonenfant mbonenfant@grsd.org

Superintendent Kristen Smidy ksmidy@grsd.org

Gateway Regional School District

Website: grsd.org

Location: 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA, USA
Phone: 413-685-1100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatewayRegionalMA?mibextid=LQQJ4d