NORTHAMPTON — Come the upcoming municipal elections in November, at least half of the Northampton School Committee members will be different from the ones who started at the beginning of the current term.

Three members of the committee — Ward 1’s Holly Ghazey, Ward 6’s Margaret Miller and Ward 7’s Kerry LaBounty — announced on Thursday they were not seeking reelection to their respective seats. They join at-large member and School Committee Vice Chair Gwen Agna, who last month announced she was not seeking reelection.

“It’s been an honor to work for and with the Northampton schools in various roles for the last 30 years,” Ghazey said during the committee’s Thursday meeting. “However, I have family commitments that are requiring more of my time and energy, so I would be happy to speak with anybody who is considering pulling papers for Ward 1 and share my experiences.”

Immediately following Ghazey’s announcement, Miller stated she too would not be running again.

“I will not be running again after this term, although I am absolutely dedicated to the work we have to do until next December,” Miller told the committee.

LaBounty followed with a similarly-worded statement shortly afterwards.

In addition to the four members not running for re-election, the next municipal election will also determine a permanent member to fill in for Karen Foster, who resigned from her Ward 2 seat earlier in the term. The seat is currently occupied by Anat Weisenfreund in an interim role, although Weisenfreund has yet to pull nomination papers to run again for the position. The seat currently has one candidate, Angela Wack, according to the city clerk’s office.

The high number of committee members not seeking reelection comes after two tense budget seasons that have seen strong public backlash against perceived inadequate support for the school district. Though the city increased spending on schools by more than 8% for the current fiscal year, numerous staff positions were cut from the district, with the city facing similar prospects for its upcoming fiscal 2026 budget. Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has maintained that spending any more on the schools would by financially irresponsible for the city.

During discussions on recommendation for the school’s upcoming fiscal budget, Ghazey stated that the school’s budget situation contributed to her decision to not seek reelection.

“I really think that next year we are going to be in such a hole, it’s probably one of the reasons why I’m thinking of getting off,” Ghazey said. “I’m tired of always feeling sick to my stomach about the whole thing.”

Candidates for the upcoming elections have until July 21 to submit nomination papers to the Registrar of Voters for certification of signatures, with Aug. 4 being the last day to submit nominations to the city clerk. The municipal election will take place this year on Nov. 4.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.