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Date: 3/22/2022
AMHERST – The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee voted on and unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget of $32.98 million during their March 15 meeting.
The FY23 budget is a 3.95 percent increase from the FY22 budget. One of the largest increases was to the Special Education Department, which went up by $53,041 to a total of $968,710.
Regional School Committee member Jennifer Shiao noted that the special education line was higher than the regular education costs and asked school Finance Director Doug Slaughter if he could explain the driving forces behind the increase.
Slaughter responded by saying among a few other factors, a big reason for the increase is based on the students’ needs.
“Depending on who students are and their needs impacts on how budget plays out,” Slaughter said. “We’re seeing some uptick in severity of need for some students. Who our students are and what their needs are is a big driver there.”
Superintendent Michael Morris added that one factor is there are a number of students placed out of district and that these per-pupil costs exceed six figures.
Shiao also asked Slaughter about staffing trends, noting that while enrollment has declined since FY20, staffing has increased at the same time. Shiao again asked Slaughter to provide context to the decision.
Slaughter noted that as special education costs rise, it often adds up to more staff being added to help and address the needs of those students. He also mentioned with new electives based on curriculum choices also led to the hiring for new staff.
“There are a number of small pieces contributing to those increases,” Slaughter said.
The last item discussed by the regional committee under the FY23 Capital Plan saw the committee vote 8-1 in support of replacing the high school track and field that has been worn down over the years. The cost for the replacement of this track sits at $4.7 million, but school officials hope $3.2 million will be raised through donations and other funds outside the school budget in support of the project.
The vote approved the borrowing of $1.5 million to pay for the proposal. Members of the committee shared that they have received a lot of support from the public for this idea.
Board member and Leverett representative Gene Stamell was the lone disenting vote, citing that he was unsure how far Leverett would be willing to go in support of this project.
In the public comment period, students from Amherst Regional High School voiced and wrote in support of the artificial turf option for the new track. In addition, athletic boosters and coaches also spoke in favor of the need for a new field. One sports referee spoke to the committee and said he felt “our track is an embarrassment.”
One student said to the committee, “We need a track that we can actually race on. Please give us a track and please give us a turf field.”
With the final votes on approving the proposed FY23 budget, all budget formalities for the town and district will be decided at Town Meetings and by the Amherst Town Council.