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Date: 4/24/2019
CHICOPEE – The Chicopee School Committee met on April 17 to discuss, among other things, the potential allocation of state funds to the school district’s upcoming budget.
John Miarecki, director of budget and finance, told the Committee that the school district will receive an extra $120,000 in Chapter 70 state aid if Gov. Charlie Baker approves the measure. Miarecki said that Baker won’t sign off on the funds until late July or early August.
“We were disappointed,” Miarecki said, though he added that he thought the financing and budget subcommittee was putting together a strong budget.
“We’re going to lose our teachers,” said David Schryver, the Ward 8 school committeeman. He said that only being allocated $120,000 was “very insulting and disgusting.” David Barsalou, the representative of Ward 2, called it “a joke.”
“It’s sad that they’re doing this,” Ward 1 Representative James Tanhauser said of elected officials on Beacon Hill, and said people “just got to vote them out.”
The good news, Miarecki said, was that city costs were down $800,000 from last year.
It was announced at the meeting that this year’s school registration will be organized differently than in years past, as the school district has implemented a central enrollment system. All Chicopee school district registration will take place at the Central Office Administration Building, located at 180 Broadway, Chicopee.
Parents can register children entering kindergarten in the fall between April 29 and May 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening registration sessions will be conducted on May 2 and 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Criteria for enrollment includes the child’s birth certificate, any previous school records or consent to obtain them, any guardianship or custody documents, and two current proofs of residency, with the exception of cell phone bills. Children must be age 5 by Sept. 1 to be enrolled. Further details can be found on the Chicopee Public Schools website, www.chicopeeps.org.
Suzanne Parker, of Girls Inc. of the Valley was invited by Mayor Richard Kos to attend the School Committee meeting to talk about the expansion of Girls Inc. into Chicopee schools. She brought with her two Girls Inc. teens, Emily Almonte and Skyla Mitchell. The girls spoke about their experiences with the organization and, specifically, with Eureka Summer, a program which immerses teen girls in STEM areas of learning, often on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus.
It was also announced that on May 4, Chicopee Comprehensive High School will be competing against Belchertown High School on the quiz show, “As Schools Match Wits.” The show, a knowledge-based competition in which high school students in Western Massachusetts face their peers, is produced at Westfield State University and aired on WGBY.