District Schools Receive Grants for New Anti-Bullying Program

Report on the Meeting of the Regional School Committee,  October 22, 2024

The Regional School Committee met in the Amherst High School library on October 22. The meeting was live streamed and recorded by Amherst Media. The recording can be viewed here.  (Note: the first 59:07 of the meeting were held in executive session and appear on the tape as an introductory screen for the meeting. The public portion of the meeting begins at time stamp 59:08)

Subcommittee Updates
After the meeting was called to order, the committee went into executive session. Upon returning, there were no public comments, so the first agenda item was subcommittee updates. Sarah Marshall (Amherst) reported that the budget and audit subcommittee would be meeting Wednesday, October 23, to discuss possible comments from the region regarding the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School’s request to expand enrollment. Jennifer Shiao (Amherst) reported that the fiscal subcommittee met Monday,October 21. William Scherr (Pelham) announced gifts and warrants. Superintendent of Schools Xiomara Herman’s update included her plan to play basketball with the students during morning movement at the high school, her release of a 100-day celebration video, and an update on the budget process. Dr. Xi also proposed formalizing agreements between the district, the Amherst Recreation Department, and the Amherst Department of Public Works regarding use of facilities. 

Maureen Fleming, the Mental Health and Behavioral Administrator for the Amherst Regional School District, presented on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Welcoming Schools initiative.  As part of the district’s commitment to robust trainings for staff in the wake of the harm done to students, particularly LGBTQ+ students, over the past year and a half, they are hoping to implement Welcoming Schools district-wide, making the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District the first district in the United States to receive the HRC’s Seal of Excellence. The evidence-based training modules will be delivered over a period of two to three  years, and the district was able to secure approximately 75% of the necessary funds for the first year. Amherst LGBTQ+ Caucus member Amy Cronin DiCaprio, through her work with the Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth (SPIFFY Coalition), successfully advocated for SPIFFY to provide the remaining support necessary for the district to move forward with the initiative.

The first training session will be held virtually on November 5 and will cover intersectionality.  HRC will administer pre-and-post surveys and provide the district with data, and SPIFFY will also continue to collaborate with the district on this project. The RSC expressed excitement and gratitude. Bridget Hynes said, “I just want to say thank you also…I know that when Welcoming Schools came to present to us on the Title IX subcommittee, and we brought it to this committee, [which] voted to bring it forward, we weren’t hopeful for this quick of a timeline at all…this speed of action is much needed, but also pretty impressive, so thank you.” Deborah Leonard followed up, “This is what we pledged to the community: that it wasn’t just a one and done, but we would continue to work on this, so well done: thank you.” 

Shiao announced the gift of $8,000 from the SPIFFY Coalition to support the Welcoming Schools initiative, which the RSC unanimously accepted.

Block Scheduling
A team from ARHS gave a presentation on block scheduling at the high school, offering data on best practices, survey data from staff at ARHS, and budget considerations. It seemed that the 4×4 block system with a short flex period at the end of the day offered the best opportunities for students to fulfill their academic subjects and be able to incorporate a good number of electives. It was the system preferred by the majority of staff and students, and was also the most cost-effective.

Future agenda planning included inviting community members to present on a petition circulating in Amherst regarding a resolution asking for state reimbursement for the full cost of charter school tuition for low and moderate income school districts. 

The Amherst School Committee and Union 26 then voted to enter executive session to discuss collective bargaining with no intent to return to open session.