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Date: 3/15/2023
NORTHAMPTON — During a special hybrid School Committee meeting on March 7, the School Committee discussed some of the major footnotes of the budget for fiscal year 2024 (FY24).
Interim Superintendent Jannell Pearson-Campbell and school district Business Manager Bobbi Jones presented the proposed FY24 budget, which is projected to be $37.7 million, or a 7.4 percent increase from FY23 due to cost-of-living adjustments for salaries.
There is, however, a $1.2 million deficit in the proposed school budget since city contributions to the school budget would amount to $36.5 million.
According to Jones, if the district does not absorb the deficit for the FY24 year, then difficulties for involving the stabilization of future budgets will arise. Essentially, this means the deficit between the proposed level service budget and city contribution to the budget will continue to increase.
“At some point, we need to make some cuts so we can keep up with the times, or get the state to fund us the way they should,” said Jones.
To supplement this deficit, the district is proposing holistic changes like increased class sizes, cuts to special education and more movement of staff. According to Pearson-Campbell, reductions are generally recommended around all six schools.
For example, Pearson-Campbell said that the JFK Middle School will have to stay at two teams instead of three and a sixth-grade special education instructor will have to be eliminated, along with a paraeducator at Leeds Elementary School. RK Finn Ryan Road Elementary School, meanwhile, will experience a reduction of building-wide behavior support.
At the high school, Pearson-Campbell said the class sizes will experience an increase where already there are many sections of classes with 25 to 28 students while the range of course offerings will be reduced to accommodate low enrollment and greater efficiency in scheduling.
According to Pearson-Campbell, as enrollment across the district has declined about 7 percent since 2014, services for students have increased based on the needs following the coronavirus pandemic. The reduction of paraprofessionals, meanwhile, will affect the number of support in the classroom helping the neediest students.
A large issue with public education in Massachusetts, especially in Northampton, is the amount of local contribution is going up while state and federal aid is going down.
Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra expressed contempt towards the state during the special School Committee meeting for not providing enough aid while requirements for school spending continue to increase for Northampton.
“We have an overall decrease in state aid of $84,422,” said Sciarra. “Required net school spending increased significantly, but Chapter 70 [aid from the state] only increased by a small amount.”
According to the data, required school spending increased by 4.4 percent this year, while Chapter 70 aid only increased by 1 percent.
Gwen Agna, the vice chair of the School Committee, said Northampton has consistently ranked last among all 136 Massachusetts cities regarding Chapter 70 aid from the state. According to Jones, the lack of Chapter 70 funding is mainly due to a substantial drop in enrollment within the city.
“We only get the minimum aid,” said Jones, who added that the only way Northampton can secure more funding is by either increased enrollment or if the state changes their funding formula. ”
The School Committee will vote on the budget at a later committee meeting.