Amherst Regional school board warned that schools face 2026 deficit, job cuts

Amherst Regional High School.

Amherst Regional High School. STAFF FILE PHOTO

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 01-15-2025 4:25 PM

AMHERST — Up to 24 staff positions would be eliminated at the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, including four teachers and three paraprofessionals at both the middle and high schools, based on a possible deficit of $1 million or more in the schools’ $37.7 million fiscal year 2026 budget.

With an anticipated need to make significant spending cuts in the face of projected deficits that could range from $1.02 million to $1.4 million, depending on how assessments are calculated and then divvied up for Amherst, Pelham, Shutesbury and Leverett as the four member towns, the Regional School Committee was presented Tuesday with a glimpse into the cuts that could happen.

“The overall total is 24 positions in the district,” said interim Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia, explaining that under a $1.27 million deficit, there would be at least 14 student-facing positions lost, along with five clerical workers in the two schools, four positions in the business office and operations, such as facilities and food service, and one position in the central office.

Bernacchia said specifics of these staff reductions won’t be made until this spring and when the four member towns agree on an assessment method for determining what each community will pay, and possible approval of that method by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman said if the deficit goes beyond $1.27 million, which it might depending on how assessments are apportioned, more jobs would be lost.

“We are looking at at least four more positions, so we’re looking at anywhere from 28 to 32 positions that would need to be cut to hit that $1.4 million deficit,” Herman said.

Last year, about eight student-facing positions were cut at the regional schools, or about half of the 15 that were originally on the chopping block. Northampton’s K-12 schools last year cut about 20 positions.

Amherst representative Bridget Hynes expressed concern at building a budget based on what elected and finance officials from the four towns have appealed for at joint “four towns” meetings in the fall. Instead, Hynes said the committee should be advocating for what the schools need.

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“This is feeling like backroom, backwards planning, but this is upside-down backwards planning,” Hynes said.

“I’m elected by the voters of Amherst, and of all of my constituents, no one has come to me to say, ‘cut the schools, year after a year, at $1.5 million,’” Hynes said. “I’m not hearing that at all.”

Bernacchia walked the regional panel through the $37.7 million level services budget, and recent adjustments that includes $80,000 for leasing three electric buses and $148,000 for Other Post Employment Benefits. That budget is $2.42 million, or 6.9%, more than this year’s $35.3 million budget.

The assessments for the four towns, which combined with state aid and other sources of funding, would need to total $25.5 million, or about 10% increases for each community, to meet the $37.7 million level services budget. A $1.02 million deficit is created under so-called modified statutory method, which is written into the four towns’ regional agreement, that would limit the four towns to a combined $1.32 million, or 5.7% increase, with the assessments rising from $23.2 million to $24.5 million.

Further applying so-called 4% guardrails to all assessments, meaning no town would see an assessment increase beyond that, would increase the deficit to $1.4 million.

Herman said part of the work taking place is to get the towns back to the modified statutory model in the regional agreement, which hasn’t been used in several years. “It was hopes and prayers,” Herman said.

School Committee Chairwoman Sarahbess Kenney applauded Bernacchia for the detailed presentation on the budget. “First of all, thank you, Shannon,” Kenney said. “This looks like a lot of mind-boggling work.”

Hynes, too, praised the work, though remained concerned about the framework for discussion. “Shannon, amazing work,” she said.

Amherst representative Sarah Marshall said the committee needs to have a scenario showing a 3% increase for the Amherst assessment, which is in line with the financial guidelines set by the Town Council.

But Jennifer Shiao, another Amherst representative, said the schools should build the budget based on a higher bottom line.

“I think that we should push them, and I think we shouldn’t allow Amherst to tell us what they are going to give us without us giving them input on what we need,” Shiao said.

Leverett representative Tilman Wolf said the financial planning may need to look at the maximum percentage increase the small towns can afford, rather than basing financing on a 3% or 4% increase for Amherst. A 13% increase for Leverett’s assessment, he said, wouldn’t be approved at Town Meeting.

“For small towns, these percentages do matter and I do think it’s important to respect the percentages,” Wolf said.

Herman said she is pursuing other changes at the district office, including shifting and collapsing positions at the central office. Those will include creating a new director of operations position and reestablishing the assistant superintendent position.

The director of operations will supervise facilities, custodial maintenance, construction projects, food and services. Herman said it’s about taking all operational units and putting them under one umbrella position, with three program managers to work under this person.

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