(a) Any member town may petition to withdraw from the regional school district under terms stipulated in a proposed amendment to the agreement provided (1) that the town seeking to withdraw has paid over to the regional school district any operating costs for which it became liable as a member of the district, and (2) that said town shall remain liable to the district for its share of the indebtedness other than temporary indebtedness incurred in anticipation of revenue, of the district outstanding at the time of such withdrawal, and for the interest thereon, to the same extent and in the same manner as though the town had not withdrawn from the district, except the such liability shall be reduced by any amount which such town had paid over at the time of withdrawal and which has been applied to the payment of such indebtedness and interest.
(b) Said petitioning town shall cease to be a member town if the proposed amendment is approved by the regional district school committee and accepted by the petitioning town and each of the other member towns, acceptance by the petitioning town and by the other member towns to be by majority vote at an annual or special town meeting.
(c) Money received by the district from the withdrawing town for payment of funded indebtedness and interest thereon shall be used for this purpose only.
Section XI. TUITION STUDENT
The regional district school committee may accept for enrollment in the regional district school pupils from towns other than the member towns on a tuition basis and on such terms as it may determine.
Section XII. ASSIGMENT OF PUPILS
Pupils shall be assigned by the Superintendent of Schools, who shall take into account but not be bound by any recommendations of the School Committee, consistent with the Educational Reform Act of 1993; provided that any time the assignment of students results in more than 10% of the pupils of the whole school being from out of town, then that reassignment shall require a 7th/8th School Committee vote in favor. So called "School Choice" students shall be exempt from this requirement.
Section XIII. CONFLICTS
Whenever there is a conflict between the express terms of this agreement and any state or federal law or educational regulation to the contrary, the law or regulation shall prevail.
Section XIV. REVIEW
Five (5) years from the effective date of this Amended Agreement, and every five years thereafter, the School Committee shall itself review and/or appoint an advisory committee to study and recommend amendments to this Agreement; however, the failure to do so shall not affect the validity of this agreement.
Section XV. EFFECTIVE DATE AND JURISDICTION
This amended agreement shall take effect, except as provided below, on the first day of the month of _____________ in the year 2004, if prior to that date the Towns of Phillipston and Templeton at town meetings held in each town have voted affirmatively on this amended agreement, and shall thereupon supersede the district agreement executed as of January 26, 1955 as amended through 1975.