PELHAM — Amid ongoing discussions about its long-term viability, Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman is pledging to families and staff that she is fully engaged in the work needed to sustain Pelham Elementary School.
At a caregiver question-and-answer session Thursday evening in the school gymnasium, Herman told the 40 or so people gathered that future educational options she presented to the Pelham School Committee Jan. 22, including combining the kindergarten and first grade class and having next year’s sixth graders tuitioning in to Amherst, should not be seen as done deals that would mean an end for the school. Rather, they should be viewed as conversation starters for a challenging budget year.
“No decisions were made that evening,” Herman said. “The presentation was to be exploratory and not directive.”
Yet the fallout from that meeting has included 90 minutes of oral comments brought to a joint Pelham Amherst and Regional committees meeting Tuesday, along with numerous written comments to the panel, appealing that the school remain open. One parent also said the possible school closure was a main conversation at a child’s birthday party the previous weekend.
Venuta Carulli, a Pelham resident since 2015 who has a child in fifth grade, said the uncertainty about whether her child will still be in Pelham in the fall, or going to the Chestnut Street Academy, a wing of the Amherst Regional Middle School, is a concern.
“When can I tell her what is a go for next year?” Carulli asked.
“Right now, there is not even a go,” Herman responded.
Joined by most of the other administrators from the central office of the Amherst-Pelham schools, Herman offered an apology for “crossing the line” at the earlier meeting.
“My intention was not to alarm, not to harm,” Herman said, adding she understands the stress caused families, as well as the children and staff at the school.
But even as she is “deeply rooted in success for Pelham,” Herman said strategies for dealing with a potential $140,000 deficit are necessary, especially since the deficit could grow if Pelham needs to make a commitment to its assessment for the Regional Schools budget, and take more money from the elementary school budget.
Herman acknowledged what she floated are “drastic measures” that will demand significant research by Shannon Bernacchia, the executive director of finance and operations, who has looked into a similar tuition-in model for Erving students into the Gill-Montague district.
The ideas were also developed from a meeting with Pelham finance officials who said they couldn’t commit to much of the $6.5 million in capital needs at the school. There were also questions about going beyond the $500,000 in school choice revenue applied to the budget, possibly using $1 million, which would deplete that account and leave the school with no contingency.
“That meeting was very startling for myself and Shannon,” Herman said.
While succession planning has been the terminology, Herman said it’s more about ensuring stability at the school no matter the leadership, pointing out she is the fourth superintendent in the role in less than a decade.
While the question-and-answer session was not a Pelham School Committee meeting, four of the five members were present. Herman said the committee is responsible for the educational direction, the operating budget and her oversight.
Chairwoman Margaret Stancer handed out an information sheet about how the budget is developed and encouraged participation. “Thank you for continuing to share with us and be with us,” Stancer said.
The next step in the process comes at its Feb. 3 meeting.
“Our intention on Tuesday is to answer the questions you’ve asked, to the best of our ability,” Stancer said.
One came from Jess Steier, a Pelham resident, who asked what can be done to stay involved and help find solutions.
She was told to advocate to the Select Board and Finance Committee as well as school officials, and to show up to vote at annual Town Meeting in May.
But of the 127 students, 66 are from families who choice in.
Mollie Stavropulos of Belchertown, a special education teacher, is one of those choice families who have unanswered questions, including where the school choice money is going. She said there is also concern about the possible impact of changes to accepting children into the Regional schools.
This is also a question for Sarah Brickey-Nguyen, also of Belchertown, observing the school and its staff have offered a phenomenal experience for her child.
“It’s been a positive, affirming environment here in Pelham,” Brickey-Nguyen said.
Herman concluded the nearly 90-minute event by saying there will be more forums and she is preparing a frequently asked questions document that will go online.
“I think we are going to be able to get through this together,” Herman said.