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 violations and long-standing literacy shortfalls. Jennifer James, a parent and member of the district’s dyslexia committee, said: "We know, and you know, that Northampton High School is graduating kids that can't read." Andrea Bertini, a parent who cited winter iReady diagnostic scores, told the committee that among students with IEPs she reviewed, roughly 70% of sixth-graders, 63% of seventh-graders and 77% of eighth-graders were below grade level in reading; she added that 52% of students on IEPs in eighth grade were three or more grade levels behind.

Several special-education staff and parents said the district’s cuts have forced administrators into constant triage. A middle-school staff member who identified themselves as a special-education teacher said they had submitted a resignation because they could not continue working amid what they described as unsafe, understaffed conditions. "I put in my notice of resignation today, because I can no longer deal with physically or mentally the crisis at JFK Middle School," the teacher said.

Superintendent and committee discussion on an urgent funding request Member Mike Stein moved to instruct the superintendent to request a midyear appropriation from the mayor and city council of $600,000 to restore staff and services. Stein said the request would allow administrators to fill urgent positions quickly and return with line-item recommendations. "If we put a dollar figure on it...we can decide which ones those are. The Alt team can present a recommendation," Stein said.

Superintendent Augustine Bonner cautioned that midyear hiring faces contractual and timeline complications, and that many hires made after the school year begins are treated in staffing contracts as provisional. "Some of our contract language, particularly unit A, is that if we hire after the start of the school year, it is an automatic pink slip at the end of the year," Bonner said, describing the hiring risk for staff asked to accept midyear roles.

Mayor Julie Sharra, who also chairs the committee, warned members that midyear dollars that are not built into recurring revenue can create recurring shortfalls in future budgets. The mayor outlined the city's fiscal-stability practice of relying on conservative recurring‑revenue projections and treating certified free cash as a nonrecurring resource.

The committee voted 8–2 to instruct the superintendent to request the midyear appropriation. The motion was made by Member Mike Stein and seconded by Member Sarah V. Cox. Members Davis and Mayor Sharra voted no; the motion carried.

Other votes at the meeting - MSBA: The committee authorized the superintendent to submit two Statements of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) — one for a JFK Middle School roof replacement and one for a possible heat‑pump conversion to replace aging boilers and add cooling. The motion passed 9–1, with Member Stein casting the lone no vote. Members debated referring the application to the Budget and Property Subcommittee for further review, but approved the statements in order to meet the MSBA statement-of-interest deadline.

- Technology budget transfer: The committee approved a $20,000 intra‑departmental transfer to cover software renewals and an Aspen annual invoice; the transfer passed unanimously.

What committee members said in debate Supporters of the appropriation argued urgency: Member Stein said the district was in crisis for students and staff and that a lump-sum request would allow administrators to implement targeted restorations without further delay. "We can't control if we get the money, but we can control whether or not we ask for it," Stein said.

Opponents warned about recurring cost risks. Mayor Sharra said she had previously used one‑time funds to bridge problems and warned that reverting to nonrecurring solutions could reintroduce deficits that require later cuts. "You have to understand that unless you're talking about just doing a three-month one-time fund...unless it's built into the base...it's gonna turn into a deficit," she said.

Next steps and community context Superintendent Bonner said he would work with his administrative leadership team to prepare a formal request to the city and to prioritize hires or services to be included if the city approves funds; he noted the time required for posting, hiring and integrating new staff would put many hires into March and April. Members of the Budget and Property Subcommittee and other committee chairs signaled they would also press for a fuller discussion of specific staffing priorities and the longer-term fiscal plan during the regular budget process.

Public records and evidence cited at the meeting included a parent and teacher‑compiled list of staff injuries and a set of current iReady diagnostic results presented by parents. Several speakers asked the committee to make special-education services a top priority for any new funds and to consider urgent, recurring restorations for paraeducators, interventionists and reading support.

The committee ended the business portion of the meeting and moved to executive session on personnel and strategy. The superintendent and committee chair said they would return with administrative choices and timelines for any approved midyear funds.