New Leadership for Amherst School Committee

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst School Committee, January 21, 2025

This meeting was held in a hybrid format and was recorded.

Present
Bridget Hynes, Deb Leonard, Sarah Marshall, and Jennifer Shiao. Irv Rhodes participated remotely.

Staff: E. Xiomara Herman (Superintendent) and Nyby Douglas (Administrative Assistant)

Shiao Elected Chair of Amherst School Committee
Jennifer Shiao replaced Sarah Marshall as Chair of the Amherst School Committee (ASC). She was nominated by Bridget Hynes and elected by a 3-2 vote over Marshall. Marshall and Irv Rhodes voted for Marshall. Hynes was elected Vice chair over Marshall, by the same votes.  Deb Leonard was elected Secretary unopposed. All three will serve on the Union 26 committee with representatives from Pelham.

Shiao stated that her three years on the school committee has provided her with a grasp of the big picture of the issues facing the district, and that she values a chance to take on a leadership role. Hynes welcomed the chance to participate in agenda setting to align with established goals and said, after a year on the committee, that she understandsthe breadth of the issues facing it. Leonard also said that she has learned much in her first year on the ASC and is ready to take on a leadership role.

Shiao thanked Marshall for her year of service as chair. The remainder of the meeting was chaired by Shiao.

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman said that the administration is working on documenting, updating, and clarifying guidelines. She said a major focus has been to standardize the policy for promoting children to the next grade. As part of this effort, she said the district is seeking more timely engagement with parents, possibly with a second parent-teacher conference in the spring that would focus on students who were struggling. She also said she was working with teachers on revamping report cards. Herman planned to have separate guidelines for grades K through 6 and 7 through 12.

Marshall raised concern about graduating 6^th graders who are three years behind in math, which sets them up for failure in middle school. Herman agreed, saying Curriculum Director Tanya McIntyre is working on guidelines about what must be mastered before promotion, but that the schools need to consider social-emotional needs as well as academic benchmarks. She said that McIntyre has met with educators in the areas of Special Education and English Language Learners to assure that the educational needs are met, but that all students are offered the same curricula as those in general education.

Herman’s Report of Entry Findings (her assessment of the state of the district at the start of her tenure as Superintendent) showed that 21.7% of Amherst students have some kind of disability, as opposed to the state average of 20.2%. However, 79% are fully included in general classes, as opposed to 66% statewide. She listed major challenges for Amherst schools as facility needs, communication with families, need for fostering diverse community partnerships, increasing attendance, narrowing achievement gaps, supporting English language learners, and supporting economically disadvantaged students.

She then highlighted recent events at the three elementary schools. Fourth grade students at Wildwood had a visit from children’s book illustrator Raul Colon. A community meeting at Fort River had fifth graders sharing their New Year’s resolutions. Crocker Farm had a visual and musical assembly hosted by the Eric Carle Museum.

Principals Working with the Superintendent to Plan for New School
With the new elementary school slated to open in the fall of 2026, the superintendent said she is working with the three principals to plan for the sixth graders to move to the middle school and the students in grades K through 5 to be consolidated in the new school and Crocker Farm. Herman noted that each school building has its own culture that children are comfortable with, so combining them is not as easy as it seems.

She also stated that enrollment is difficult to predict. As of now, it is expected that there will be 146 6^th graders in the fall of 2026. She said incoming families at UMass increased enrollment at Wildwood between September and October, so that an additional teacher was needed in two grades. Also, class sizes at Wildwood and Fort River are greater than at Crocker Farm. All of these factors figure into the realignment that will need to occur with the new school. Also, there are implications as to how many students will be accepted through school choice. 

Public Hearing on the Budget Set for February 25
Interim Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia said that this year’s budget is fairly on track, with 39.3% being spent half-way through the year. However, the budgets for Special Education and special transportation have exceeded the budgeted amount, largely due to an unprecedented number of students with high needs entering the system. Some of this additional cost will be refunded by the state, and some money has been saved from unfilled positions. 

As for the budget for the upcoming year, more will be known after January 31 when the cost of health care will be set, and the governor’s budget will be released. As of now, the projected deficit for FY2026 is between $1 million and $1.4 million. This would require a reduction of 8.2 positions in the elementary schools to balance the budget. Bernacchia said she will make the proposed budget and projected positions to be lost available publicly by February 17, so that members of the public can study it before the public hearing on the budget scheduled for February 25. 

Future Discussion Matters
Leonard stressed the need for the schools make their capital needs known early in the year. She said the window between when free cash (budget surplus) is certified in late October and when the Town Manager submits his proposal for spending it on town projects is almost nonexistent. The ASC did not learn of the surplus this year until three days after the Town Manager proposed his projects. She advised that the committee be more involved in advocating for additional money, both in the allocation of free cash and in the Budget Coordinating Group and Joint Capital Planning Committee meetings. Rhodes pointed out that, even though one elementary school will be new, Crocker Farm has capital needs.

Shiao felt it was imperative that the committee address ways to protect students, families, and staff from potential actions by immigration officials, given the stated goals of the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants. Rhodes noted that, as a sanctuary city, Amherst may be a target of early action by ICE. Marshall thought that the state Attorney General would be developing guidelines for schools in the near future.

The ASC will next meet on February 25 for the public hearing on the budget.