In a draft of its final report to the town’s Select Board, the Dublin Education Advisory Committee has determined that the ConVal School District Articles of Agreement were no longer serving Dublin’s best interests.

“The current structure is unsustainable for Dublin, unless we were to become exclusively a town of multimillionaires,” said committee chair Jay Schechter to the Dublin Select Board Monday evening. “The [ConVal student population] has declined approximately 9% in the last six years, and the cost has gone up 36%.”

As one of the nine towns within the ConVal School District, Dublin contributes about $35,000 per student to the district. The DEAC believes the per-student cost will continue to rise, and additionally states that the ConVal School Board is resistant to considering a renegotiation of the articles. 

The DEAC’s report is the result of the committee’s months-long effort to determine the best and most cost-effective way of providing public education to students in Dublin. It came after a failed effort to amend the Articles of Agreement that could have led to the closure of Dublin Consolidated School and Town Meeting passage of an article calling on the district to conduct a feasibility study of the town’s withdrawal.

The report contains the committee’s findings on the cost and quality of education in ConVal, as well as four suggestions for potential directions for Dublin to take if the town withdraws from the district. The DEAC considered five aspects of ConVal in its report: education quality, demographics, community impact, financial impact and feasibility.

To gauge the quality of ConVal’s education, the DEAC looked at test scores, which they found have been consistently below the district’s target of 75% proficiency in reading, math and science for “many years,” according to the report. In 2023, an average ConVal High School student’s proficiency is 56% in reading, 28% in math and 35% in science.

When it comes to student demographics, the DEAC estimates that only 55% of Dublin’s school-age children attend ConVal, a market share the report calls “dismal.” The DEAC determined that the remaining 45% are likely in private school or being home-schooled.

The DEAC also found that ConVal’s budget has steadily increased by an average of 3.7% annually over the last seven years, even as student enrollment has declined. Dublin's contribution to the ConVal system is over $5 million. ConVal has also proposed a $40 million renovation project to be bonded within the next year. The DEAC estimates that, if Dublin remains in ConVal, costs could exceed $50,000 per student within the next five years.

Finally, despite ConVal's Feasibility Study Committee presenting high cost estimates, the DEAC feels that the district’s own data indicates that Dublin could run its own elementary school while maintaining or enhancing options for higher grades.

The DEAC has presented four possible options for the Select Board to consider moving forward: remain in ConVal on a restructured basis, withdraw from the ConVal District and remain in the School Administrative Unit, withdraw from the ConVal district and leave SAU 1 or remain in ConVal while converting Dublin Consolidated School to a specialty/magnet school, with the potential for other districts to tuition in.

Dublin’s ability to withdraw is dependent on the ConVal Feasibility Study Committee determining that Dublin’s withdrawal is feasible. The DEAC thinks this is unlikely, and is preparing to potentially present a minority opinion to the state Board of Education.

If the state board determines withdrawal is feasible, district residents  would vote on withdrawal. The measure would be approved if a majority of voters across the district are in favor, or if withdrawal garners 60% in Dublin  without 60% across the district voting against it.