AMHERST — Amherst’s Finance Committee is recommending that $120,000 be added to the proposed $29.48 million elementary school budget to restore reading and math interventionists that might be eliminated.
The committee Tuesday voted 5-0, with the three resident members also endorsing the advisory, that the elementary school budget included in Town Manager Paul Bockelman’s $107.1 million spending plan be increased. Should the Town Council take such action, capital spending would likely be reduced by a corresponding amount.
But even if two-thirds of the full Town Council agrees to increase the budget for the primary schools and override the town manager’s fiscal year 2027 budget plan, the budget would still fall short of the $29.98 million requested by the Amherst School Committee.
School Committee Vice Chair Bridget Hynes said at a recent budget hearing that approving a budget lower than the 5.85% increase recommended by the panel would mean cutting both interventionists and sacrificing specialists, at a time when many students are not doing well on MCAS tests.
District 1 Councilor Jill Brevik, who serves on the Finance Committee, said she wanted to show support beyond interventionists, observing that with the opening of the new Amethyst Brook School and the start of the Chestnut Street Academy, there will be teachers who will be stressed, with an extreme workload, and teaching students who are also going through a big change.
Brevik suggested a $290,000 increase, meeting the School Committee more than half way.
“I think it’s important that we allow some funds to give them the opportunity to staff that up appropriately,” Brevik said.
But District 2 Councilor Lynn Griseemer said she could only reluctantly support the additional $120,000, with concerns about cutting capital and money for road improvements.
District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chairs the Finance Committee, said it was always thought that the new school would mean being able to operate with fewer staff, and that it was unfortunate that integrating sixth graders into the middle school didn’t happen because of guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Schoen said trying to add more specialists doesn’t make sense, especially at the new Amethyst Brook, since many of spaces are not designed to accommodate multiple specialists, such as art and music teachers.
Resident member Cathleen Mitchell said there was a consensus that schools are struggling to provide services to students with the budget Bockelman proposed.
“When the School Comittee, superintendent and people who have kids in the school tell us the resources aren’t adequate, that’s at least something I want to listen to,” Mitchell said.
School Committee Chairwoman Deb Leonard told the Finance Committee she was disappointed that it would not be recommending getting to the proposed budget, but appreciated the members’ diligence in examining the budget and having an extended discussion.
Bockelman said cutting $120,000 from cash capital will lead to additional pent-up demand for various building and infrastructure improvements.
“We have been habitually lowering commitment to capital, which we can’t keep doing that,” Bockelman said.
One avenue for covering the potential loss of $120,000 would be to transfer free cash for some of these projects later in the year, said Finance Director Sean Mangano. But for now the anticipation is that town officials would reduce what is going to road projects.
At a hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan Monday, Mangano outlined a five-year vision, with $11.5 million being spent in fiscal year 2027, including debt payments for new buildings such as the elementary school and the expanded and renovated Jones Library.
The plan includes $200,000 for visioning of the Wildwood School and Hampshire College campuses, $1.2 million for road repairs and resurfacing and $200,000 for the sustainability director to complete projects related to the town’s climate action plan
Mangano said there is not enough money to address all needs, and the plan also doesn’t have enough funding to complete both a new Department of Public Works headquarters and South Amherst fire station. While a new DPW may be possible in two years, the town is about $10 million to $12 million short of the target of $30 million needed to get the fire station done, as well, he said.
