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Date: 12/15/2021
AMHERST – The Amherst Town Council gave its State of the Town Address to the public and all those in virtual attendance of their Dec. 6 meeting.
The address began with Town Council President Lynn Griesemer speaking on behalf of the Town Council and all the work that has been done in the past year and going forward, crediting town staff as the people who “keep government moving.”
Griesemer discussed a variety of town accomplished projects and what they continue to work on across the board for the town. For climate action she credited the formation of a Climate Action Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (CAARP), the ongoing work on putting solar on the landfill under construction, and the five-year capital plan that includes an overall assessment on climate for the town. The goal of fighting against the climate emergency has consistently been a focus of the Town Council and other town officials based on their discussions and action on the topic.
In the address was also information on how the town is progressing in making Amherst a safer and more equitable place for all. A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department (DEI) is being funded and staffed for the town and $80,000 has been placed in the fiscal year 2022 (FY22) budget to support racial equity work.
There are also ongoing discussions between the Town Council and the African Heritage Reparation Assembly in bringing reparations to those members of the community in the same effort of creating racial equity. This as well as the appointment of a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)-majority Community Safety Working Group, illustrates the town making the necessary efforts to have town officials reflect the community and give voices to community members who have been left out in the past, accord to Griesemer. There has also been the implementation of Implicit Bias Training and Government Alliance on Race and Equity, showing signs the town is willingly attempting to make positive changes based on feedback from community members.
The address then moved onto capital investments for the town. Two of the biggest capital investments the town is currently focused on are the new elementary school building and the Jones Library renovation and expansion. Griesemer shared that the town is doing the necessary work through their financial model that provides their path forward. She also shared the town has secured a AA+ bond rating from S&P Global, who focuses on financial information and analytics for businesses and communities, and credited the many officials in town who work together to make something like that happen.
Following Griesemer’s address on behalf of the council, Allison McDonald, chair of both the regional and Amherst school committees, gave some updates and comments on the progress the schools have made in the past year. The address began with the mission of the schools.
“The mission of our schools is to provide all students with a high-quality education that enables them to be contributing members of a multi-ethnic, multicultural, pluralistic society. We seek to create an environment that achieves equity for all students and ensures that each student is a successful learner, is fully respected, and learns to respect others,” McDonald said.
McDonald went on to share facts about the current Amherst Elementary Schools including a breakdown of how many of the 998 grade K-6 Students are in each school and their $24.4 million budget. Fifty-four percent of students in the elementary schools are BIPOC and for 27 percent of students, their first language is one other than English. More than half of students are classified as High Needs as 39 percent are economically disadvantaged and 23 percent have disabilities.
In explaining an overview of the elementary schools, McDonald said the town has an “excellent statewide reputation” and is consistently meeting state progress and accountability goals, though a gap remains among high needs students and some other groups.
For the regional schools, the two secondary schools in town serve 1,270 grade 7-12 students from the four towns. Student population at this level is highly diverse, seeing 42 percent of students being BIPOC. Forty-five percent of students are High Needs including 33 percent as economically disadvantaged and 22 percent with disabilities. The regional school budget sits at $31.9 million.
McDonald said the reputation of the regional schools is also excellent and have dedicated staff and educators that bring a high-level education to the students in the region. The regional schools also offer a diverse selection of AP courses with two-thirds of upperclassmen in high school (juniors and seniors) completing advanced courses and three-quarters of all Amherst Regional High School students taking arts courses. The region also has over 40 after-school clubs available and 50 athletic teams, providing a multitude of extracurricular options.
In closing, McDonald shared the overall district goals going forward for the schools. First mentioned was the continuation of the School Building project and the move of 6th grade students from the elementary schools to the regional middle school.
Pandemic responses are still a top priority as well as students continue to adjust to coming back to in person schooling. This also includes fine-tuning the change in school start time, something that was changed during the pandemic and is something school committee members are looking to keep.
Following a report on the schools, Town Manager Paul Bockelman took the virtual floor to go over the town’s finances and give credit to town officials on the hard work they all put in.
“It’s time to take stock and reflect all we’ve done,” Bockelman said. “The state of the town is strong. We certainly have work to do, but I want to get in on why we should all feel good about this work.”
Bockelman credited those in town who have dedicated their professional careers to the public, thanking every town employee. He then began speaking on how well the town’s finances have been, saying they are strong and in a great place based on the numbers and the AA+ bond rating from S&P Global.
“While our finances are strong, we must be vigilant to keep this footing,” Bockelman said.
The main challenges in finances the town still faces, with the positive assessment of their work according to Bockelman, are getting pressure off taxpayers and the preparation for capital projects.
“We are fortunate to have elected officials who take on these roles, not for accolades but for commitment of public service and making this town a better place,” Bockelman added.
In closing, Bockelman said the town has organized their work to meet the town council’s goals. This includes climate action and making infrastructure improvements through economic vitality. He also mentioned the DEI and Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service programs being implemented and the positive impact it will have on racial equity and social justice.
“I am glad that together as a town we are thinking how to make every community member feel safe,” Bockelman said.