After hours of public comment on special education and staffing, Northampton committee votes to seek $600,000 midyear appropriation

Northampton — The Northampton School Committee voted 8–2 on Feb. 13 to direct the superintendent to request a $600,000 midyear appropriation from the city after several hours of public comment alleging missed special-education services, staff shortages and safety incidents in district schools.

The vote came after more than an hour of public testimony from teachers, parents and other community members who described classroom violence, staff assaults, long waits for interventions and declines in reading achievement among students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Committee members debated the timing and fiscal consequences of a midyear funding request before approving a motion that calls for immediate action.

Public testimony: teachers, parents and specialists describe systemic strain Public comment predominated the meeting and featured detailed first‑hand accounts from staff and families. Kimberly Schlichting, a world-language teacher at JFK Middle School, told the committee that world-language staffing and schedule changes left her responsible for more than 150 students this year and urged restoration of positions so students could access language classes earlier in their education.

Kate Fontaine, History and Social Studies department chair and a leader with the Northampton Association of School Employees, read a list of reported staff assaults dating to August and said the district faces a staffing problem that affects safety and instruction. "We have a staffing issue problem. My question to this body that's elected to oversee the schools is how are we gonna meet the needs of our kids, protect the safety of all, and how are we gonna fix this?" Fontaine told the committee.

Parents and advocates described widespread IEP…