SHEFFIELD, Mass., JUNE. 10, 2024 – During a School Committee meeting held on Thursday, June 6, Southern Berkshire Regional School District was honored with the Donald D. Johnson Operational and Cost Efficiency Award. The award was presented by Margaret Driscoll, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials (MASBO). The award recognizes the accomplishment of a district that has implemented a program, activity, or initiative that resulted in increasing efficiency to save funding.
“I am thrilled to have the privilege of accepting this award on behalf of the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Regulbuto. “We have earned this award because of the school committee, the administrative team, and everybody in the district who has worked incredibly hard to be innovative and resourceful.”
SBRSD’s actions to keep assessments down include advocating to state legislators for district and rural aid, writing and receiving 1.5 million dollars in annual grants to increase opportunities for students while trying to lessen the burden of the school community, allocating most ESSER funding to replace the HVAC system on the main campus so that the member towns did not have to incur debt, implementing ways to offset or reduce rising costs of energy by installing a rooftop solar array on the main campus, and receiving credits from the utility companies related to HVAC updates and working in collaboration with other districts and community members to expand offerings and share services.
“The award nomination explains that the district is not only committed to being effective and efficient with their resources but also promotes alignment with student needs and strives to keep assessments to the towns manageable, with a focus on district sustainability,” said Driscoll. “In alignment with the district’s Strategy for Continuous Improvement Plan and through the lens of student interests and needs as the priority, a key focus has been on program design enhancements highlighted by the designation of the Early College program. Stemming from the Superintendent’s conversation with a 4th-grade student, Dr. Regulbuto and SBRSD staff went to work to ensure that all students had the option to participate in college without barriers and to create a program that provided skills and competency that were tangible and transferable whether or not they decided to go into higher education, the military, or enter the workforce.”
This award is made possible through MASBO’s partnership with Voya Financial Advisors. Included in the award is a $2,500 student scholarship awarded to the district, a plaque in recognition of the implementation of the cost-saving initiative, and a trip where the district’s Superintendent will attend the Association of School Business Officers International Annual Conference and Expo.