NORTHAMPTON — Following debate over whether the School Committee should have first say in matters involving school buildings — including for capital projects — the City Council is unanimously supporting a $160,000 order to replace the roof at JFK Middle School.
The money is not new funding, but is being reprogrammed from a previously-approved project to renovate the school’s tennis courts.
The John F. Kennedy (JFK) School roof, now 29 years old, has reached the end of its useful life and has been leaking, according to the order approved at the council’s May 7 meeting. The roof replacement was identified as a priority for the city, and in February 2025, the School Committee voted to allow the superintendent to submit a statement of interest for the project to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which invited the city to take part in an Accelerated Repair Program (ACR).
Councilors discussed allocating the funding for the School Department and MSBA to conduct a schematic design of the roof repair, with all except for Ward 6 Councilor Chris Stratton and At-Large Councilor Meg Robbins in agreement that the money should be promptly approved.
Robbins reasoned that the School Committee should be the first body to review major school construction proposals because members are responsible for overseeing school funding and staying informed about developments affecting the district.
“It doesn’t mean it’s not a great idea, but I feel very strongly that the School Committee really takes responsibility for knowing that this is money that is being spent the way that they are part of that conversation,” she said.
Robbins requested the Council further discuss funding the roof replacement with the School Committee, adding that some committee members, including Michael Stein, had written to councilors suggesting that they bring the matter before the committee.
Ward 3 City Councilor Laurie Loisel reminded Robbins that only the School Committee chair or vice chair is authorized to speak on behalf of the committee, not individual members. Loisel also noted that the School Committee voted to contact the MSBA seeking support for the project last year.
Council Vice President Deborah Klemer echoed Loisel’s remarks, explaining that a roof repair on a municipally-owned building falls under the city’s jurisdiction, not the School Committee. She also expressed a sense of urgency to start planning the roof repair so work can be done before the roof’s condition further deteriorates.
“The charter says the School Committee oversees ordinary maintenance, which is paid through the school budget. The city owns the buildings and is in charge of capital projects to protect our buildings,” Klemer explained. “These are capital projects and do not fall under the ordinary maintenance, so they are not under the purview of the School Committee, and the roof is leaking — I don’t know what the question is about this [or] why there’s even a question.”
Ward 4 City Councilor Garrick Perry echoed Klemer’s remarks, mentioning that while he understood the value of courtesy to the School Committee, the reallocation of funds addresses an urgent structural repair and falls under the city’s purview.
Stratton, however, argued that the project does fall under the School Committee’s purview, arguing that to not include the School Committee from discussions on the roof project would disregard some of the fundamental values associated with local government.
“We can dispense with the claim that this is not in the purview of the School Committee, because, in fact, the MSBA required a vote of the School Committee to even begin the process. It’s in the purview of the School Committee,” Stratton argued. “The School Committee started; they said, ‘Yes, we are interested in this,’ but they haven’t been kept in the loop … No, we shouldn’t be having a straw poll of the School Committee conducted by city councilors, that’s not how government works. The School Committee is a public body, just like ourselves and they have a process for speaking as a body.”
Stratton moved to postpone the matter until the City Council’s next scheduled meeting and no councilors seconded the motion.
Perry then moved to approve reprogramming of funds, which the councilors passed in a 7-2 vote, with Stratton and Robbins voting “no.”
