Town vs. Gown

Cushing Academy is a 140-year-old co-ed college prep boarding school in the town of Ashburnham, Massachussetts, that has a strong program for students with learning disabilities.

According to the local paper, relations between the town and the school haven't always been smooth, as both the head, Willard "Wink" Lampe, and Board Chair Mark Tuller agree.   Lampe was appointed in the fall of 2000:

"When I came to Cushing, I was aware that the relationships between the town and the school could use some work from the school to the townspeople," he said. "There was an area where I could make something of a difference being new. So, I consciously took that on as one of the tasks of coming in as head of school."

One of the factors that contributed to the disharmony between school and town was a drop in local students. Currently only about 7% of the enrollment is from surrounding towns, but on the other hand, Cushing has been able to maintain its identity as a boarding school.  Only 10% of the student body are day students. 

The local district merged with a neighbor in the late 1990s, forming the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, and build a high school. 

"We were obviously more connected back in the day when our citizens were going  there [Cushing Academy] ...for high school," Jonathan Dennehy, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said.

Local citizens' complaints seem to center around the services the Academy uses (public safety in particular) while the Academy, being non-profit, does not contribute to the local property-tax tax rolls.

Life-long resident John Deslauriers said he does not care about the donations or the other benefits from the school.  He said the things that the school does is basically "throwing bones" to the town.  "I'd just as soon see a regular tax base," he said. "I think they should give more. They have a lot of tax-free buildings."

Many other residents have a more global view, pointing to the revenues brought into the area by boarding students and faculty.  Others point out that the school shares its athletics resources (fields,  stadium) and has contributed to public safety needs.

NIMBY and Private Schools:

Phillips Brooks
Community School in Ketchum, Idaho

Comments

[Richard Goguen]

I do not agree with private prep schools getting non profit status and not paying taxes. The more Cushing Academy makes, the more they buy other buildings in Ashburnham and the town loses tax dollars. It's understandable that public schools should be Non Profit but it is totally wrong to say a private prep school does not make a huge profit. They are a business and they should be paying huge taxes to the town. The laws need to be changed in this country to have schools like this pay taxes.

[Paul Marks]

I graduated Cushing in 1972 and while I was there I thought the school was greatly contributing to the local economy. We always spent our money in the vicinity and I noticed that most all of the workers maintaining the Academy, from food, laundry to grounds etc... were local. This is a Non-Profit school which has been helping educate students from all over the world for nearly 150 years. I think they should be given quite a bit of credit for their achievements. I believe over this period the surrounding area's benefited greatly from Cushing Academy. Think about it!

[Mitch Meads]

Ah Richard you are the epitome of the product of the American public school system... Jealous of the more opportunate. Listen if you really hate preppies why don't you work really really hard and get one of your 8 kids to private school and while your doing it learn some selflessness so he/she/it? may appreciate what good private schools do to this capitalist country of ours