Northampton is a place that understands that education has the power to transform lives and communities.
Our outstanding schools led by creative, caring educators are one major reason that families find Northampton attractive. But it’s impossible for our schools to remain competitive without the proper funding.
The Northampton Education Foundation was founded in 1991 to fund projects and programs that expand educational opportunities, foster creativity and enhance academic experiences in Northampton’s public schools.
We are proud that our budget helps fund innovative projects, but we can’t come close to covering the basics. Essentials such as teacher salaries, building maintenance, textbooks and more must be covered by the Northampton city budget.
Proposition 2½ limits increases on property taxes to a maximum of 2½% annually, which does not keep pace with the city’s annual cost increases of 3.4%. Without remedy, this will mean drastic cuts to our schools. In addition, the education budget has been hit hard by the charter school funding formula.
Every Northampton student who attends a charter school (none of which are located in Northampton) is able to do so because our city gives the charter school a tuition payment. This is mandated by the state, which covers only 10% of this payment. Clearly this formula needs to change, but until it does, we cannot abandon our children and teachers.
An override will help our city fill the gap to provide vital resources to many important departments, and will keep our schools strong for another four fiscal years. We urge you to vote “Yes” for the Proposition 2½ override. An investment in our schools is a smart investment in our community’s future.
Lisa Papademetriou
Jennifer Sanders James
Florence
The authors are co-presidents of the Northampton Education Foundation.