My name is Robby Meeropol. I am the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, executed by our government when I was 6 years old for Conspiracy to Commit Espionage. My adoptive parents, Abel and Anne Meeropol, were both New York City public school teachers, I graduated a public high school, my children are graduates of the Springfield Public Schools, and my grandchildren now attend public school. I believe public education is a cornerstone of our democracy and have a strong bias in favor of funding it. That’s why I am a member of Support Our Schools (SOS).

I am also the founder of the Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC). The RFC is a public foundation that provides for the educational and emotional needs of children of targeted progressive activists in the United States. I’ve dedicated my adult life to helping children in need. As executive director, I managed the growing RFC budget. I am very comfortable with numbers. That is why I became dismayed when I learned about Northampton’s public school funding crisis and looked into its budgetary priorities.

My concern grew once I noted a pattern of the mayor justifying her funding priorities by providing financially accurate, but misleading, information. I only have space to list three.

  1. We’re told that it’s the commonwealth’s fault because Prop 2.5 limits the amount of extra money the city can raise to pay teachers, etc. They leave out that Northampton is unlike nearby towns because our restaurants, music venues, and countless cannabis shops generate, along with new growth and interest income, about 40% of our revenue. That money could be, but has not been, applied to our school budget. In the past three years, total city revenues have increased by more than $5 million each year. We’re not as constrained by Prop 2.5 limitations.
  2. We’re told Massachusetts says we shouldn’t use “one-time funds” for multi-year needs. We’re not told the commonwealth also says that it’s OK to use such funds responsibility. Moreover, for over a decade, Northampton has enjoyed annual budget surpluses of $4 to $6 million. It is misleading to call such consistent annual surpluses, which are more than adequate to close recent school funding deficits, “one time.” I know from experience how easy it is for a budget manager to guarantee annual surpluses.
  3. We’re told we have insufficient funds in our reserves to have prevented past layoffs and ongoing attrition at the schools, but Northampton, which is the 64th largest municipality in the commonwealth has the 8th largest reserve. We have the cash; what’s lacking is the political will.

It took a meeting of the School Committee last spring at which teachers outlined the heartbreak of dealing with underfunded, understaffed public schools before the mayor even acknowledged the funding crisis. This is alarming because our schools have about twice the number of children of color (30%) as Northampton in general, and almost three times the poverty rate (33%) with 40% of students considered high need. Thus, SOS echoes the priorities of my work at the RFC by helping innocent children in crisis.

The mayor’s supporters have dealt with our factual presentations by focusing on our tone or accusing us, without providing examples, of engaging in “magical thinking.” I deplore name calling by all sides because it distracts from the facts. To be blunt, I care about the kids more than I care about tone. I expect astute readers will realize that focusing on tone changes the subject.

SOS has been attacked just for raising these issues. Some residents bemoan political controversy for causing disagreements and angry City Council meetings. However, a healthy body politic requires vigorous political discussion. Presenting policy alternatives is how democracy works. This is the first contested City Council election in 12 years in my ward. Contested elections are far superior to uncontested ones, at which those in power anoint candidates, guaranteeing maintenance of the status quo.

The mayor and her supporters have also accused people like me of bringing Trumpian politics to Northampton. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Trump administration is trying to undermine public education. SOS argues that Northampton should resist this, rather than carrying the Trump administration’s water by underfunding our schools.

Too many progressives in town have mistakenly placed their faith in the mayor, but political decisions should be based upon facts, not faith. As someone who has worked for progressive causes for over half a century, I assure Northampton voters that voting for SOS endorsed candidates, isn’t a betrayal of your progressive values, it is an affirmation of them.

Robert H. Meeropol is the founder of the Rosenberg Fund for Children and lives in Northampton.