HADLEY — Significant reductions to teaching staff and education support professionals at the Hadley Elementary School and Hopkins Academy might be necessary should a projected shortfall in the fiscal year 2027 operating budget come to pass.
With Superintendent Anne McKenzie and Chris Desjardins, director of finance and operations, presenting to the School Committee on Monday a possible $754,060 shortfall in the $10.33 million budget proposal that would maintain current services, elected officials are beginning to form a strategy for staving off cuts and preserving programming.
While a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget is not scheduled until April, numerous families and staff were on hand at the virtual meeting as McKenzie explained the local contribution, or what the town provides for education, would be dropping by $640,000, or 8.21%, from $7.8 million this year to $7.16 million next year.
The budget proposal is a 2.3%, or $233,236, increase over this year’s $10.1 million spending plan. That is consistent with recent annual increases, she said.
“Our school budget growth has been modest and controlled,’ McKenzie said.
But with insufficient revenues and pressure from health insurance increases, McKenzie said the anticipated deficit could equate to 10 teachers or 30 educational support professionals, based on salary data. Because the Hadley schools are not heavy on administrators, with no assistant principals, curriculum directors or grant writers, the 125 employees across the two schools are mostly student facing.
“Chris [Desjardins] did a meticulous deep dive,” McKenzie said, adding that no stone was left unturned to find reductions. “So it would have to come from personnel.”
The schools could apply an additional $291,257 in school choice, increasing that total from $1.68 million to $1.97 million. However, this strategy carries risks; by fiscal year 2028, the district may no longer be able to cover a balanced budget or support essential capital costs.
McKenzie said Hadley is the only town in the region that has a net decrease in choice and charter tuition costs between fiscal years 2022 and 2026 , whereas South Hadley had a $930,000 increase in those costs.
In addition, Hadley school funding makes up 34% of the overall town budget, much lower than the 53% in Amherst and Belchertown, 43% in Northampton and 37% in Easthampton.
For Humera Fasihuddin, who chairs the committee, there has been hard work in recent years to make the Hadley schools a destination for school choice students, while also stemming the tide of resident students leaving for other schools.
Fasihuddin said any layoffs would affect staff morale, put a strain on resources and create problems in other areas in an attempt to remain whole.
“We have got to come together as a team, we will need families to advocate alongside us, we’ll need educators to advocate alongside us, as well,” Fasihuddin said.
She also suggested that families advocate for rural funding with the local legislators, with Hadley getting only $63,781, rather than the $318,000 it should be entitled to. But Fasihuddin said the real need is to focus efforts on the Select Board and Finance Committee.
Committee member Christine Pipczynski said any reductions would be unacceptable and would lead to a downward spiral if the schools can’t sustain programs.
“There has to be a better way to address this,” Pipczynski said. “The only reason that we’re doing as well as we are doing is because of the people we have, and we don’t want to lose them.”
Committee member Tara Brugger said the discussion on losing staff is infinitely harder than any she recalls during the pandemic, and cutting any education support professionals would be devastating as they go above and beyond their job descriptions.
“When parents advocate and rally, their voices are heard and seen, and I think it’s really important for people to voice their concerns and stances right now,” Brugger said.
Committee member Ethan Percy said the schools will need advocacy from families and alums and this will be a project that will help the schools for the long term.
“I think in terms of advocacy, we have to be loud and we have to be proud,” Percy said.
Committee member Paul Phifer said there needs to be a determination of what a reasonable ask is, such as whether it’s support for a Proposition 2 1/2 tax-cap override or focus on how to contain health insurance costs.
One parent who spoke expressed concern for what she is seeing.
Sarah Goodwin, who has two children in elementary schools, said that school choice revenue has helped close funding gaps, but also led to too many children in some classes.
“I hear a lot of commentary about the number of students and how difficult it is with that many students with a single teacher,” Goodwin said. “So I am gravely concerned about continuing to increase class size.”
Kristin Lively, with students at both at the elementary school and Hopkins, also said class sizes got bigger in fourth and fifth grades and became more challenging for one of her children. But Lively said she hopes that families don’t have to worry about any cuts to programs.
Jennifer Dowd, the elementary school principal, said class sizes are up in some of the grade levels, likely because of school choice families who are coming to Hadley for the quality of teaching staff and programs. Dowd said this shows a healthy school district, adding that she would hate to see a drop in that trend.
“It would be more challenging for me to not welcome in school choice families,” Dowd said.
Susan Duncan, science teacher and a Project Lead the Way teacher at Hopkins, said that programs developed through the Project Lead the Way include engineering, health care and computer sciences, and help to bring in school choice students and retain resident students.
Hopkins also has innovation pathways in engineering, manufacturing, clean energy, health care, environment and information science, hands-on classes with transferrable skills that can be used in different job fields, with equipment purchased through grants.