AMHERST — Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools’ $37.08 million budget for fiscal year 2026, recommended by the Amherst Regional School Committee, won final approval Monday, with the Amherst Town Council unanimously agreeing to the town’s $19.74 million assessment.

The total spending plan for the regional schools, including the middle and high schools and Summit Academy, is up 5.13%, or $1.81 million, over this year’s $35.27 million budget, and will mean reducing staff by more than 11 full-time employees. The budget, though, preserves the middle school academic team schedules and two counselors at the high school,

Town Council’s 10-0 vote, with three members absent, means the budget has won approval from three of the four member towns, with Leverett and Pelham voters agreeing to their assessments at annual Town Meetings on May 3 and May 10, respectively. Shutesbury has its annual Town Meeting May 31, but the vote on its assessment would just be a formality.

The assessments for the four member towns for fiscal year 2026 are being calculated by a formula, including in the regional agreement, that factors in enrollment and community wealth. The Town Council previously approved using this formula, rather than a revised methodology in place in recent years. The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education then informed school officials that only the formula in the regional agreement can be used.

The $19.74 million assessment for Amherst was recommended by the Finance Committee. It is a 4.81% increase over fiscal year 2025, the smallest percentage increase among the four member towns.

District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chairs the Finance Committee, said there was no divergence from what the Regional School Committee presented in the recommendation. “We are endorsing what came to us from the regional school,” Schoen said.

The council’s financial guidelines also indicated there would be sufficient revenue to cover this increase. Between the four towns, the assessments are going up 6.5%, with the budget also supported by state aid and other sources.

But declining enrollment and continuing to provide a strong educational program for students are challenges, Schoen said. “We will need to work together with the other towns to plan for the future,” Schoen said.

And similar increases each year will not be possible. “Absent new sources of funds, such increases will not be sustainable,” Schoen said.

The Finance Committee is also concerned about the move of sixth graders to a distinct academy in fall 2026, and lack of integration of these students into the middle school, where it could be housed. This may lead to unexpected costs associated with running a separate school.

District 5 Councilor Bob Hegner cautioned that spending may be too high for the schools. “We recognize that these increases are not sustainable,” Hegner said. “We need to figure out a way to somehow reduce the growth of this expense; we can’t afford it.”

District 4 Councilor Pam Rooney said she hopes that school officials find ways to better handle escalating costs.

The Finance Committee report cites inconsistencies in the regional schools budget book, such as certain departmental payroll increasing by more than 10%, without a change in the number of full-time equivalent employees, and no explanation where offsetting decreases are.

Council President Lynn Griesemer said while there are lots of talk of cuts at the school each year, the staffing trends and additions and reductions in staff don’t always match what happens.

A chart accompanying the Finance Committee report shows that in 2021-2022 more than 14 full-time equivalents had been planned to be cut, but the regional schools instead ended up adding four positions, reaching 335 full-time equivalents. In 2024-2025, the regional schools were down to 319 full-time equivalents, but only eight of the 13.5 full-time equivalents planned reductions were cut.

“I am going to ask that at some point in the fall... we get a report back that tells us just exactly where we are with relationship to cuts in staffing and student enrollment, as compared to previous years,” Griesemer said.

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