Easthampton school panel reaffirms MCAS defiance

By NICOLE SEQUINO, Staff Writer

Thursday, February 6, 2003 -- EASTHAMPTON - Despite the state's threat to slash education funding, the School Committee said Wednesday it will stand by its decision last week to grant diplomas to seniors who fail the MCAS but meet other graduation requirements.

The school system is now one of four that has challenged the state law that requires students to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests to receive a high school diploma. The other districts are Hampshire Regional, Cambridge and Falmouth.

The Easthampton School Committee voted 4-3 to adopt the policy on Jan. 30. The committee will vote again Feb. 13 because of a procedural error.

Heidi Perlman, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, said Wednesday that the state could withhold funding to those school districts or bring the cases before the state Attorney General.

"It's akin to breaking the law," said Perlman. "The consequences are pretty serious ... and we're not bending on this issue."

Nine seniors at Easthampton High School have not yet passed the exam.

School Committee Chairman Bruce A. Gordon said requiring the Class of 2003 to pass the MCAS is unfair since those students began learning the state curriculum only a few years ago.

"They didn't have all the frameworks the state is issuing now," Gordon said. "Plus, the state isn't providing the resources schools need to help students pass the test."

Committee member Tammy Kuchyt agreed. "Students should have the curriculum for a good number of years before they're tested on it," she said.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik said the state should provide an "avenue" for students who cannot pass the exam.

"We have an opportunity to send a message to the state," said Tautznik, also a School Committee member. "We've been waiting for the DOE to come up with a solution because we can't just discard those children."

As for the potential loss of local aid, Tautznik said the city cannot run its schools without state funding.

The state provides about $7.5 million in local aid toward the school district's $13.5 million budget, Tautznik said.

However, Tautznik said he expects the courts to rule in favor of the six students from Springfield, Holyoke and Northampton who failed the MCAS and are suing the state. The students' lawyers assert that it was not the intent of the state Education Reform Act of 1993 for the test to become a graduation requirement.

Nicole Sequino can be reached at nsequino@gazettenet.com.