STALEMATE BETWEEN FOUR TOWNS ON REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING
Superintendent Michael Morris speaks at the Four Town meeting in the Amherst Regional Middle School, 2/1/20. Photo: Toni Cunningham
At the “Four Towns” Meeting on February 1st, representatives from Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury failed to reach agreement on an assessment method for apportioning the bulk of the $32.9 million Regional School District’s fiscal year 2021 (FY21) operating budget.
After a presentation by Superintendent Michael Morris and new school Finance Director Douglas Slaughter, each town went into a huddle to discuss their preferences. Representatives included members from each town’s School Committee, Select Board, and Finance Committee, as well as the Amherst Town Council and Town Manager.
When they regrouped to report where they stood, Amherst, represented by Finance Committee Chair Andy Steinberg, and Leverett both expressed a preference for “adhering to the two-year plan” that they had agreed to last year of using a 40% assessment method (meaning 40% of the assessment calculated using the “statutory” method and 60% calculated using a five-year rolling average of enrollment). Pelham and Shutesbury supported a 45% method. [See this article for a more detailed explanation of assessment methods.] Although it was not mentioned at the meeting, at a Regional School Committee meeting a few days earlier, Superintendent Michael Morris had proposed, and the Committee had agreed to, the 45% method as the best compromise. It was not immediately clear why the Amherst group stayed with the 40% figure.
A spokesperson for Leverett said, “The most equitable would be the five-year enrollment but that was derailed by Shutesbury’s desire to move away from it.” A representative from Shutesbury responded that “Our tax rate now is over $24 (per $1000 assessed valuation). We’re really up against a limit. Even the 45% is a real compromise from us.”
A tense back-and-forth ensued between Leverett and Shutesbury, with Regional School Committee Chair Eric Nakajima intervening to defuse the situation. “We can’t keep doing this,” he said. “Your issues and your needs are deeply felt and they’re real. There’s not an easy way out of this.”
As the table below shows (data from meeting handout), using either the 40% or 45% assessment method would result in increases in the total amount owed by Amherst, Pelham, and Leverett (compared to the current fiscal year – FY20) and a reduced amount owed by Shutesbury. The differences in the amounts owed by each town under the two methods are small in absolute dollars (all are less than 1% of the total assessment for each town).
| Town | FY20Total Assessment | 40% Method (total assessment and change from previous year) | 45% Method (total assessment and change from previous year) | Difference Between 40% and 45% Methods (total dollars) |
| Amherst | $16,444,279 | $16,825,174 (+2.32%) | $16,832,712 (+2.36%) | $7,538 |
| Pelham | $911,736 | $ 913,217 (+0.16%) | $ 914,889 (+0.35%) | $1,672 |
| Leverett | $1,467,637 | $ 1,507,381 (+2.71%) | $ 1,510,936 (+2.95%) | $3,555 |
| Shutesbury | $1,775,203 | $ 1,735,676 (-2.23%) | $ 1,722,910 (-2.95%) | $12,766 |
As the Four Towns meeting drew to a close, Nakajima, and Regional School Committee member Peter Demling both expressed concern for the future of the Regional School District, with Demling encouraging the Towns to have discussions with their communities about whether or not it makes sense for them to continue as members of the Region.
The assessment method will be taken up again at the next Regional School Committee meeting on February 11th. A vote is scheduled for sometime in March and then each town will vote on the final budget at their annual Town Meeting, or, in Amherst’s case, by the Town Council.