Easthampton educators and residents urge 'Yes' as superintendent lays out cuts tied to June 9 override

Superintendent Michelle Balch told the Easthampton Public School Committee on May 19 that two possible budgets tied to a June 9 Proposition 2½ override carry sharply different consequences for the district.

"A successful override still requires us to find $922,603 in cuts," Balch said in a presentation the committee released to the public, while an unsuccessful override would force $2,771,418 in reductions. She said personnel account for about 68–70% of the district budget, meaning staff would bear the largest share of cuts in either scenario.

Why it matters: the superintendent and dozens of teachers, specialists and parents described what those cuts would look like in practice. Will Wagler, the Mountain View Middle School librarian, told the committee that eliminating a certified librarian is not an operational tweak but "a reduction in literacy, support, information education and equitable access for your children," and urged voters to back the override.

Balch outlined program-level effects for each scenario. With a passed override, the district would still need to eliminate select positions (including an elementary classroom teacher, a special-education teacher and a registered nurse at Mountain View) and trim stipends, some clubs, professional development and supplies. With a failed override, the district lists deeper reductions: at Mountain View the scenario includes elimination of up to 24 positions across preschool, elementary sections, special education, nurses, librarians and speech-language staff; at East Hampton High School the list includes multiple ELA, math, health, special-education and program positions, plus cuts to Bright programming and librarianship.

The public response was extensive and personal. Kelly Rodrigue, a pre-K school psychologist, summarized testimony from roughly 40 staff who received nonrenewal notices and warned that reduced staffing would mean larger classes and "fewer enrichment opportunities" that could lead families to seek schools elsewhere. A sixth-grade student, Rosalie Loisel, said, "If you vote against the override, you will crush kids' dreams," and asked voters to consider the extracurricular and elective programs at risk.

Union leaders and school administrators framed the issue more broadly. Adam Surwick, president of the Easthampton Education Association, said losing "more than 40 educators" would be "devastating" for a district of the city's size. Principal Bill Evans thanked the community for long-standing support but said the cuts would touch the core of the district's offerings.

Committee members and the superintendent answered detailed questions about class sizes and transparency; Balch said kindergarten and lower-grade class sizes could rise from about 20–21 to roughly 23–26 students under the deeper cuts and that slides and documentation would be posted on the district website. She also explained that some proposed reductions are planned as conversions of licensed roles into paraprofessional or assistant roles where legally permissible.

The next steps: the override vote is scheduled for June 9. The school committee will have to adopt a revised budget after the election reflecting whether the override passes and which of the proposed cuts will be implemented. Speakers closed the meeting by urging residents to read the materials carefully and to vote.

Balch said she had crafted "the hardest presentation" of her tenure and urged the community to weigh the trade-offs. "We are committed to continuing to provide that safe and supportive educational experience for all of our students," she said. "There are no easy options here."