By Beth David, Editor
At their meeting on 12/9/25, the Acushnet School Committee made it clear that Old Rochester Regional High School (ORR) was their first choice for a second high school of choice for Acushnet students instead of Fairhaven High School (FHS), in addition to New Bedford High School (NBHS).
Acushnet has an elementary school and middle school. Students in eighth grade currently have the option of choosing NBHS or FHS, and getting in the lottery for Old Colony Voc-Tech.
Acushnet and Fairhaven youth athletics are blended, with kids from both towns playing on the same teams, not just as rivals.
Acushnet’s contract with Fairhaven expires in August 2026, leaving eighth graders unsure of where they will go next year.
Since August, four schools have given presentations to Acushnet to get their students: Apponequet (Lakeville-Freetown), FHS, NBHS, and ORR.
When opening negotiations with FHS, Acushnet offered to pay about $8,200 per student instead of the $12,500 (approximately) it is paying now. Fairhaven made it clear they did not expect to get less, and also wanted to be the only small school choice in the mix.
Both towns have discussed the issue at meetings and have attended each other’s meetings over the past few months.
During the public comment period on 12/9, Fairhaven School Committee chairperson, Brian Monroe, urge the Acushnet SC to continue the relationship with Fairhaven. Mr. Monroe stressed that the arrangement was more than a business deal. For more than 100 years, Acushnet students have attended FHS.
“And I can say that for at least the last 20 years this isn’t just a business arrangement. It is a deeply rooted partnership that has shaped both of our communities,” said Mr. Monroe. “We in Fairhaven believe your children are worth more than the bare minimum.”
He said Fairhaven was caught “off guard” when the negotiations started. They expected to be negotiating staffing or programming.
“We didn’t expect an attempt to set the clock back 17 years,” he said, adding they were dismayed to be painted as villains at a November meeting.
He spoke about the costs of educating students and what each district spends, including some disagreements about the amounts.
“And I want to be clear this is not about money. It’s about tradition, relationships, and more importantly investing in the future of Acushnet’s students,” said Mr. Monroe. “Your high school students do not become a number when they move on from eighth grade and they are worth just as much as your K through eight students.”
Jessica DeMedeiros also spoke in favor keeping Fairhaven as a choice. She said they should extend FHS’s contract until they can get the numbers right.
She said beyond the numbers the decision affects “real people.” Acushnet students have strong relationships with Fairhaven teachers, programs, sports teams and the community. Many have grown up expecting to attend FHS.
Acushnet resident, Evan LaMontagne, a senior at FHS and standout athlete, said he attended ORR for seventh and eighth grades.
“And while I appreciate the opportunities that ORR offered me and the friends I made there, if I’m being honest, I never felt like I was truly at home,” said Evan. “While I was kindly treated, I was always a guest.”
He said his life has always included kids from Fairhaven .
“We shared the same fields, the same coaches, the same experiences. They were never strangers to me. They were just my friends,” he said, adding that is why he decided to transfer to FHS as a freshman. “From day one, I was always welcomed.”
He said there were no awkward introductions, no feelings of being an outsider: “I was just one of the Blue Devils.”
He said he had the honor of being the quarterback for the state championship winning football team this year, and is a three star athlete.
“Don’t fix what isn’t broken,” said Evan. “We are two towns that over the years have become one community.”
He said he was also speaking for all the younger students in Acushnet.
“Those who look up to me, those who look up to us, whose dream is to wear a Blue Devil jersey,” he said. “Keep giving Acushnet students the opportunity to thrive at Fairhaven High School and leave our community intact.”
Evan’s father, Eric, also spoke, saying that his older son went to ORR, and both schools have “fantastic academic options.”
But, he said, that alone is not enough to change what they currently have. He said a wrong decision and the community could suffer for years.
The elder Mr. LaMontagne said that as “kind as they were” at ORR, it never really felt like hoe.
He said every event the family felt was something they got to take part in. It is different at FHS, the kids arrive already being part of the community. Starting high school is hard enough, he said, don’t make it harder.
“I’m horrified that a decision of this m magnitude is being made by five people, he said, noting that a few years earlier or later it might be five different people with a different outcome.
“I again plead with you not to tear apart our community. Fairhaven High School is not just an option, it’s a home for most of our kids.”
Assistant Superintendent of Fairhaven Schools, Mark Balestracci, also spoke to the committee.
He said the true measure of a school is the connections students form with the people around them, teachers, peers, coaches, administrators.
“FHS is a community grounded in trust, pride, and unwavering support,” said Mr. Balestracci. “If I hadn’t known from my administrator role that Acushnet students attend FHS, I would never have guessed. There is no divide. There is no Fairhaven student or Acushnet student.”
He said the school does not profit financially from the arrangement, but they absolutely profit in ways that matter deeply: in human capital, when they provide a first class education to all students, graduates succeed and contribute to their communities and represent both towns with great pride.”
“We are all FHS Blue Devils.”
Acushnet Schools Business Manager, Aldo Petronio, gave an explanation of the numbers, to clarify where the confusion seemed to be. He said the state’s formula is complicated. He explained where the numbers were coming from and said there was no discrepancy.
Dr. Bailey presented an overview of the process since August. In October they issued a survey to parents, and FHS and ORR were the top two chosen.
“It was, you know, very close…as their preferred high school choices,” said Dr. Bailey.
She noted that SC members evaluated each school individually based on 25 criteria.
Their order on both Rubrics was a bit different than the parent survey, with FHS coming in third or fourth.
Dr. Bailey expressed her opinion that she would like to see FHS as a choice.
Dr. Bailey also said that the existing contract with Fairhaven allows for students to sign up for next year because they make the choice in the spring,
Four of the five School Committee members went down the list of schools, explaining what they liked about each one. They said they wanted to provide as much choice as possible for Acushnet students, so Apponequet was out of the running because they insisted on exclusivity. At first, Fairhaven also fell into that category, but Dr. Bailey clarified that an email that day from Fairhaven Superintendent, Tara Kohler, said the Fairhaven SC had said they preferred to be the only small school choice, but they were willing to negotiate that point.
SC member Ebony McGlynn, noted that in the parent survey, “Fairhaven came in really high.” But she said they believed it was because of the history with Fairhaven. She said they might change their minds if they knew was ORR had to offer.
“Change is scary, for children and for us,” said Ms. McGlynn. “But change doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
In the end, the board voted unanimously to authorize negotiations with New Bedford and ORR for tuition agreements starting next year
The board also voted for Fairhaven to be a choice utilizing the existing contract. If that presumption about the option is incorrect, then they will talk about a one year extension.
The board voted to continue negotiating with FHS about a long term agreement and having them added to the school choice options, “obviously contingent on them being willing to let go of their preference being the only high school,” said Acushnet SC chairperson, Ronald Houde.
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