Letter: Speak Up In Support of School Budget

by Amber Cano-Martin and Allegra Clark

Recently, Amherst parents and public education advocates made their voices heard at the Town Council and Town Finance Committee meetings (4/1 and 4/2) to ask them to fully fund the Amherst Regional School budget as passed by the Amherst Regional School Committee. Just to recap, this budget restored about 20 teaching positions in the middle and high school that had been cut in the proposed superintendent’s budget- including cuts to world language instruction in middle school, the restorative justice coordinator in the high school, and paraeducator positions essential to providing adequate services for special ed students, among others. If the Town Council does not fully fund the school budget, these cuts will happen anyway.

We are now at the pivotal next step of this process. Town Manager Paul Bockelman will be submitting a budget to Town Council on May 1st, in which he will propose an amount to be included for the Regional Schools. It is critical that we make our voices heard now while Bockelman is in the process of deciding what he will present to the Town Council on May 1st. Please take a moment to email and or call Paul Bockelman to ask him to fully fund the Regional Schools budget as passed by the Amherst Regional School Committee at:

Paul Bockelman, Amherst Town Manager: 413-259-3002
townmanager@amherstma.gov

In writing to the Town Manager you might explain how valuable the programs that are on the chopping block are to you and your children. Let him know why these cuts are unacceptable. Let him know that if the town chooses to overrule the Regional School Committee and force these cuts, it would be sending a strong message that town government does not value our children’s education. 

By working together with a school committee that is truly doing the work of representing us, we are almost there to prevent these drastic and unacceptable budget cuts!

Amber Cano-Martin and Allegra Clark

Amber Cano-Martin and Allegra Clark are parents of students in the Amherst Public Schools and were candidates for Town Council in District 2 in the last election.