AMHERST — Responding to written appeals from both Amherst and Pelham officials to begin discussions about the fiscal year 2026 operating budget for the regional schools, members of the Amherst Regional School Committee are committing to having a so-called four-towns meeting in September.

Even though the current FY25 $35.27 million budget went into effect on July 1, with the Town Council approving Amherst’s $18.84 million assessment and 6% increase in June, requests are being made to commence budget talks much earlier than in the past. Last year, the first four-towns meeting was held in December.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Amherst representative Irv Rhodes said school officials already know the outline of next year’s budget and that coming together with the other member towns, including Shutesbury and Leverett, makes sense.

“We need to have those conversations, especially with Amherst, now,” Rhodes said. “We don’t even have to wait for a four-towns meeting to have those conversations with Amherst.”

In June, the Amherst Town Council sent a letter to the regional panel asking that discussions begin by Aug. 1, due to concerns about how the budgeting process played out, and wanting to avoid a situation in which its financial guidelines were overridden, with the School Committee initially requesting 8% increases in the assessments for each town — far more than the usual 3% or so increase.

“A first step is for the Regional School Committee to engage in discussions among all four towns to understand our ability to support education in our municipalities and in the region,” the Town Council wrote.

Amherst ended up shouldering a 6% assessment increase to support the regional schools budget. A concern from Town Council is that the next year’s regional budget be based on an assessment increase percentage that doesn’t include in the base the additional $355,440 provided to meet the town’s obligation that was over and above the 4% assessment hike that was initially agreed to. 

A similar message is also coming from Pelham’s Finance Committee, which sent communication this week.

“We echo the town of Amherst’s request for the budgeting process to begin earlier this year to give all four towns ample opportunity for planning and input, and we stand ready to support the Regional School Committee in its efforts in any way we can,” the letter reads.

Pelham’s letter also asks the committee and Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman and her team to adhere to budget increases in the traditional 2.5% range, “though we understand that will be challenging and may entail difficult decisions. We wholeheartedly believe in the importance of the regional schools to our town’s children, but at the same time, we are faced with fiscal realities that must also be taken into consideration”

Committee Chairwoman Sarahbess Kenney of Pelham said a four-towns meeting will be scheduled sometime in the next month, adding that Herman has been looking at the budget and budgeting process.

But Kenney cautioned that solid projections can’t yet be provided. “It’s far too early to be trying to make those guesses and be accurate enough to put that information out there,” Kenney said.

Still, Shutesbury representative Anna Heard said officials should look at the numbers and is concerned that the demand for limiting town assessment increases to 2.5% may not be possible. and “which I personally feel is unrealistic for the coming fiscal year.” Such constraints for the next budget year would be extremely damaging for the district, she said, especially since federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief is no longer available.

“Due to the ESSER funds ending and not being able to carry over to FY26, and other constraints that are occurring,” Heard said.

Leverett representative Tilman Wolf said he agrees on the need to talk “dollars and cents” as soon as possible.

The committee’s discussion about ramping up budget discussions came after Tracy Novick, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, offered expertise in state education funding during a “70 on 70” presentation, focused on the state Chapter 70 funding law.

Novick walked committee members and other town officials through how school budgets are funded and impacts of the state’s Student Opportunity Act, which ensures no district gets less foundational Chapter 70 aid going forward, and always get an increase of at least $30 per pupil.

The Student Opportunity Act covers six years of school budgets, with fiscal year 2025 the fourth year of that implementation, Novick said. This has provided increases in the dollar amount per pupil for English language learners and low-income students.

The Fair Share Amendment, also known as the millionaire’s tax, has also provided districts an additional $74 more per pupil of minimum aid, she said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.