Hampshire Regional OKs $19.8M budget, but cuts and fee hikes still expected

WESTHAMPTON — Hampshire Regional High School is expected to lose two staff members along with a variety of other reductions next fiscal year after the School Committee this week approving a budget of $19.8 million, with members attempting to balance cuts to the high school alongside reductions in their own town budgets and elementary schools.

The budget approved on Monday represents a $175,000 increase from the committee’s agreed upon preliminary budget approved in February. The final budget, however, is still $280,000 short to maintain current services at the high school.

The meeting drew many students and teachers who voiced their support for level-service funding, or funding closer to level services, for the high school.

“I understand the cost,” HRHS student David Adzigirey said at the meeting. “I understand it will be expensive but I do not believe that a dollar spent towards education especially in a rural community is a dollar wasted.”

Many school committee members were reluctant to increase the budget, stressing to those in attendance that any increases to the high school’s funding adds further financial strain to their towns, many of which are in “dire” financial situations and are responsible to fund their elementary schools.

Southampton representatives and town officials noted that their town is facing at least a $1.7 million deficit to level services for both municipal operations and at Norris School. They expressed concern about what an increase to the high school’s budget would mean for the town. Norris lost five full-time employees last year along with numerous hour reductions for staff members after a failed override vote.

“I’ve said before, Southampton is over 50% of our students here [HRHS],” said Chesterfield representative Trish Colson-Montgomery. “We cannot afford to lose Southampton students, that will impact our program way more down the road.”

The likely cuts as part of the HRHS budget include eliminating an administrative assistant and a wellness teacher, along with late buses, certain professional development and teacher leader services.

Reductions will be made to technology services, school supplies, textbooks, virtual programming and retirement savings. Students will also have to pay $75 more for athletic fees and will have to pay for their own advanced placement exams, which cost $99 each.

With the previous preliminary budget approved in February, full-time employee cuts would have included an administrative assistant, wellness teacher and the school adjustment counselor and music teacher.

The $175,000 increase could theoretically cover the costs to avoid cutting the music teacher and adjustment counselor, which is the hope of School Committee representatives who were lobbying for the extra funds. However, it is ultimately up to the district’s administrative team to decide how that additional funding is spent.

If the music teacher is lost, middle and high school band will be eliminated, which currently enrolls 27 students. The cuts could potentially change graduation requirements and change other services.

The $19.8 million budget still needs to be approved by voters of at least four of the five member towns, at annual town meetings this year which take place in May.

Several of the representatives advocating for a level-services budget came from Williamsburg who said they do not face a deficit to level services for their town.

“As a regional committee we are tied to each other and we are responsible to each other, and when people do make detrimental decisions about funding our education, it impacts all of us,” said Williamsburg representative Sarah Crowther. “That’s not an arrogant statement, that is fact. And in Williamsburg we do have the money to do level services, which makes this even more difficult for us.”

Southampton resident and former HRHS teacher Jules Marciano said she would happily pass an override to maintain level services, saying she sees her tax rate as a “bargain” for the amount of services she receives.

“I’m here to say something that I don’t think you will hear often. I want my taxes to go up. I want to pay for it,” Marciano said. “I’m specifically speaking to the representatives from Southampton tonight. I really would like to urge you to ask for level services and funding.”

Southampton representative Jennifer Johnson said that she is in favor of funding schools, but every dollar that goes to the high school will come from Norris Elementary. She and other representatives said that the high school’s budget relies on town’s passing overrides.

“If we can figure out a way that you can get all of the people in Southampton to magically decide that they’re going to vote for two possible overrides, I’m all for it. I’m 100% for it, but that is not going to happen,” Johnson said.

If more than one town rejects the budget, it would go back to the committee to decide how to proceed. But if a budget isn’t passed by July 1, then the budget would become a “1/12 budget,” which Superintendent Vito Perrone said would be “devastating.”

This kind of budget is an interim budget that uses 1/12 of last year’s approved budget on a monthly basis, until a new budget can be approved.

“We need to keep in mind that we can’t be expecting towns to decimate their elementary systems because that is going to impact us if we lose those kids at elementary, and they choice out in elementary, then we will lose them,” said Colson-Montgomery. “So I really feel that we need to take a balance in looking at it, as to the needs of the high school but also the needs of the elementary.”

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