Budget Shortfall Looms for District Schools in FY26. District Committed to Protecting Undocumented Students

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Regional School Committee, December 10, 2024

The meeting was held in the Town Room of Town Hall and simulcast on Amherst Media Channel 15. The recording can be viewed here. The meeting was moved to Town Hall because there was no heat in the high school because of a malfunctioning boiler. 

The meeting began with a short public comment period. Three attendees spoke; one addressing the venue change of the meeting, another addressing concerns about undocumented students under the incoming Trump administration. A third commenter could not be heard due to microphone issues. The committee then voted to go into executive session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the Amherst-Pelham Education Association (APEA).

Protecting Undocumented Students
When the committee returned from executive session, Chair Sarabess Kenney (Pelham) gave her report. She reminded everyone of the school policy that calls for the protection of undocumented students, meaning that ICE agents or other agency personnel doing immigration enforcement will be refused entrance to the school property unless they present a warrant signed by a judge to the superintendent and district council. 

She also mentioned that a middle school student, Lena, served as superintendent for a day as part of the Superintendent for a Day program. Lena’s main concerns were increasing student voice (not just “good” kids but all kids!), increasing morale, and creating more accessibility for special ed students.

Kenney also thanked the member towns for their support for the upcoming track and field project. She projected that bids for the project would be taken in January, and construction would occur during the summer. The district has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the town for the use of the middle school pool for the adaptive swim program. Finally, Irv Rhodes (Amherst) announced it would be his last in-person meeting until April. He will be attending meetings virtually until then.

Robust Discussion of the FY 2025 and 2026 Budgets
Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) gave a brief update. Some highlights included equity training for all coaches of winter sports, which was applauded by Jennifer Shiao (Amherst). Dr. Xi said that the training will be continued for all coaches going forward. She also discussed the recent snow day and reminded all parents to sign up for Parent Square and monitor Facebook and other district social media for information about delays and closings. Finally, she gave some updates and highlights about the music program and some classroom highlights from around the district.

Dr. Xi then gave the FY 2025 budget first quarter update. She informed the committee that  district spending has been higher than anticipated, due to higher amounts spent for special education, central administration, and facilities. There are a lot of front-loaded costs in those departments, according to Dr. Xi, and the district will be closely monitoring spending in those areas going forward.

The committee then held a conversation about preparing for the next Four Towns meeting on December 14, when the FY 2025 and FY 2026 budgets will be discussed. Dr. Xi gave a presentation in which she laid out the goal of establishing agreement on the base budget and assessment method for FY 2026. She stated that it’s really difficult to expect the district to plan for the 2026 school year in June or July of 2025, which is why she is hoping to obtain clarity on which scenario to anticipate now. 

Rhodes told the committee that he believes that Amherst Town Council is on board for the 6% base with a 4% FY 2026 increase scenario, but encouraged Regional School Committee (RSC) members to speak to individual councilors at the Four Towns Meeting to see where they stand. [Editor’s note: the Town Manager has recommended a 3% increase.] Sarah Marshall (Amherst) agreed that it was unrealistic to expect a resolution at the Four Towns meeting itself, but that all parties could at least leave committed as to “what to fight for.” Deb Leonard (Amherst) said she thought it would take the town until the end of January to have the full state budget information it needs to determine how much funding increase they would commit to. 

Bridget Hynes (Amherst) said, “I would love for one of these models to show what it would be like to fully fund our schools, instead of starting from the basis of making cuts…,” given that even the 6% base and 4% increase would mean cutting $1.2 million from the school budget. 

Dr. Xi responded,  “My purpose is to make sure we have good programming for students and that as many student-facing jobs as possible can be saved.” In her presentation, she laid out six strategies for closing the budget gap : staffing optimization (also known as cuts to staff), program review and redesign, transportation cost savings, alternative revenue streams, procurement and operations, and facilities management. 

There was considerable discussion by committee members about the use of earlier start times as a cost-saving measure; several committee members were concerned about student and parent pushback and reduced student learning due to the biology of the teenage brain. 

In discussing how to save money, Dr. Xi mentioned the district’s high special education spending. She said that it attracts parents and students because of its high quality, but may not be affordable, considering the 1-1 staff-to-student ratios. “Equity is not equality,” she said, explaining that not every student needs 1-1 support and that it may not prepare them for the “real world.”

Leonard encouraged the town and community to work with State Senator Jo Comerford to push for state funding for specific budget areas as we become aware of them, noting that she had found the senator very supportive and willing to work with us.

Finally, the Amherst and Pelham committees adjourned and the RSC went back into executive session to discuss negotiations with the superintendent.