Regional School Committee Makes Case for More Funds from Amherst

Public Speaks Up in Support of Superintendent

Report on the Meeting of the Regional School Committee, January 28, 2025

This meeting was held in hybrid format and was recorded. 

Letter Sent to Amherst Town Council Justifying More Funds for Regional Schools
The Financial Sustainability Committee (Jennifer Shiao, Bridget Hynes, and Deb Leonard) drafted a letter to the Amherst Town Council in response to an earlier letter the council sent to the Regional School Committee (RSC),  asserting although the extra $350,000 in ARPA funds added to the FY2025 budget last June could remain part of the base funding for the region, no more than a three percent increase would be allowed for FY2026. Holding to this level would leave a deficit of between $1 and $1.4 million and result in the reduction of up to 20 positions, many of those student-facing. 

The draft letter from the RSC states that it is unreasonable for the RSC to keep budget increases to three to four percent until FY2029, when neighboring towns in other districts are budgeting a 6-8% increase. The limit stipulated by the council would also undermine the decisions on funding by the three other towns, the letter says, by prioritizing Amherst’s share. In addition, the request for limiting the budget goes against the town’s Master Plan, which states a goal to “support high-quality schools that are adequately staffed and properly equipped” (Chapter 8.4). The letter highlights the following pitfalls:

1) Limiting the budget increase in advance to 3-4% regardless of economic growth, inflation, or district needs, in an educational environment where neighboring towns have been seeing the need for increases of 6-8%.

2) Promoting a district decision making process that allows one town to take precedence over others in deciding the Four Towns budget. This goes against the regional agreement of a 2/3rd vote required to approve the annual regional budget, and is a practice that could financially devastate the regional schools if practiced by each town.

 3) Restricting the future capital budget so dramatically as to “avoid taking on new initiatives unless a source of revenue is identified to maintain the initiative in future years.” 

4) Creating both an unequal and an inequitable budget playing field for the regional schools. Unequal by not truly giving each area an equal percent, and inequitable by not recognizing the disproportionate responsibilities the schools hold for closing equity gaps. 

5) Planning an annual 5% surplus in Amherst town operating budgets. “We believe that is too high and results in operating budgets that require cuts.” 

6) Although Amherst says that its practice is to provide “an equal percentage increase in operating budgets for four major budget functional areas (Town, Library, Elementary Schools and Regional Schools). Exceptions have been rare, small, and for only one year,” when, in fact, equal percentages are more the exception than the rule.

In addition, Hynes stated that funds for retired employees at the elementary schools are included in the Amherst municipal budget, but the region must cover the costs of its retirees. Also, the council letter states that the regional schools have not reduced staffing to the same extent as the student population has declined, but the subcommittee pointed out that the percentage of students with disabilities has risen from 19% to 26% since 2010, which requires more staff. 

To ease the budget shortfall, the letter asks the council to consider:

● Lowering the targeted surplus. One percentage point lower (4% surplus) would mean an additional approximately $1 million for available operating budgets. 

● Allocating an additional annual amount equivalent to the 11.7% increase for the retirement costs of the Regional School District for a more accurate equal distribution. 

● Adding a base increase of 1.7% in FY 25 and FY 26 as restitution for recent years when the equal distribution approach was not applied. 

● Taking steps to rectify the imbalance in end-of-year surplus distribution, which excluded the schools in FY 25. 

● Recognizing the need to contribute additional funds allocated toward the school district’s disproportionate need to attend to gaps in equity.

There was a brief discussion of the letter, but no vote was taken. Tillman Wolf (Leverett) asked why the RSC was sending a letter only to Amherst and not the other towns, and if the representatives from the other towns had the right to sign it. Shiao explained that only Amherst had sent a letter mandating this “underfunding” to the RSC and that the response should come from the entire committee. 

The Four Towns meeting for further discussion of the regional school budget is scheduled for February 8.

Public Commenters Voice Support for Superintendent
Several members of the public spoke in support of Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman in regard to an anonymous complaint of her alleged mistreatment of staff. Ali Wicks Lim, speaking for the ad hoc LGBTQIA+ caucus of Amherst decried the unprecedented criticism raised so early in Herman’s tenure, when people remained silent while there was bullying of gay and trans students at the middle school in 2023 (see here and here). 

High school dean Lamikco Magee stated that Herman’s Report of Entry Findings addresses the issues that “have plagued the district for decades.” She added, “The status quo cannot remain—we finally have someone qualified to deal with it, and this is not the way to deal with them.” Staff member Georgia Malcolm cited the fact that, prior to Herman’s tenure, the athletic department at the high school only collected user fees owed for sports participation when seniors needed to pay in order to attend prom. She said Herman has directed the department to collect past fees, but it is difficult because there is no system in place.

Residents Megan St. Marie and Maria Kopicki also spoke in support of Herman. Kopicki said she found the new superintendent “refreshingly open and frank,” and pointed out that Herman inherited several crises when she came to Amherst. She said that an investigation of the anonymous complaint was happening, but she urged people who have a problem to go directly to the people they disagree with. “Let’s get to work,” she said, “and fix things that need to be fixed.”

Although the RSC has not responded to the anonymous complaint, Amherst member Irv Rhodes urged his fellow committee members to not allow the rumor, innuendo, misinformation and disinformation of the anonymous letter to rule the day. He said, “In my opinion, there will be no winners. The big loser that will be, and is now the loser, is the Amherst and the regional school systems. Once again we find ourselves facing an institutional crisis. Mischief loves a vacuum.”

Portrait of a Graduate Program Introduced
All schools in the district will be participating in developing a strategic plan that is linked to student performance. The “Portrait of a Graduate” program aims to determine what skills, personal competencies, learning, and habits students need at each transition in order to succeed beyond the K-12 school system. Dr. Allison Layland of the Academic Development Institute  (ADI) will be working with the district over the next year to develop and implement the plan. The program was developed in the mid 1980’s and has been used in many districts nationwide. 

Layland stated that to have a healthy organization and achieve the desired performance, the strategic plan must be owned by everyone in the schools, and the plan must pay attention to the individual needs of students and develop student-focused goals based on available data. ADI will be working with the schools throughout the year. The aim is to prioritize goals for a three-year plan, based on what is possible with available time and resources, and then evaluate and modify the plan each year.

Middle School Principal to Be Selected Soon
Herman announced that the three finalists for Middle School Principal have visited and toured the building and met with students, staff and parents. Herman hopes to announce her choice for principal in the next week or so. In addition to qualifications, she emphasized the candidates’ willingness to commit to the position, because there has been excessive turnover of principals at the middle school over the recent past.

Herman also stated that the middle school will not be housed in the high school for the next school year. 

Policies approved
The RSC unanimously approved policies ACE: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability and AC: Nondiscrimination and Harassment (amended). At the advise of legal counsel, it voted to “retire” the 1974 policy ACA: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation, because it is covered by the above policy AC.