[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6199734,"mediaKeyId","3824232-905eefd69c73459f04eb13c106975618","parentId",3824232,"title","Northampton School Committee approves transfers, grants and contracts; hears student scheduling concerns","audioSeconds",1772,"startMs",2380000,"endMs",4152000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3824232-905eefd69c73459f04eb13c106975618&start=2380&end=4152","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3824232-905eefd69c73459f04eb13c106975618/thumbnail_2380000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6199734/Massachusetts/Northampton-School-Committee-approves-transfers-grants-and-contracts-hears-student-scheduling-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6199734-56b2c3749a886ec64bb4c072a7e2f302/orig.mp4?Expires=1770428687&Signature=Q~cWBpQ1UWCt7zgFDkQ6j95vrP2z1Lz8qlvsq7Nxvut9lKrr0AcE3N45F~y7JEOahbToA4zHZJgZshit3b1GL7vXRgv7GSrz2ET0fSIlDdELBzeLFUGVrbcJuslXB2a9FbY4BUXYLDaHPFD5qXiyCA4ExTltTGrUlPcF0D-BMtTPDGgoZsIotMo9e41olDyxzmA0VRNdA7jHU~0qUKr8zOzqDqsoq~qLbIb3BJoerHFmtHYZ~nRbcrb7fv8QU4pXi0b86I9u~euZ-YzOPrk0UUOyYSks~LQZyCvwwMyofsDiztRztc0gzsXNyryYVSVQBVzlXMPqSOQQAfevuKxoew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Northampton City, MA","date","2025-06-14T18:26:40Z","article","The Northampton School Committee approved a slate of procedural and financial items on June 12 while spending the bulk of the meeting hearing public comment on a scheduling crisis at Northampton High School.

Key approvals and actions

- Approval of meeting minutes: The committee approved the minutes of prior meetings as presented.

- Transfers: The committee approved multiple budget transfer requests, including a $16,000 transfer into district-wide software license fees for IT (item B) and a $62,940 transfer related to special-education tuition accounting (item C). Committee members said transfers were intended to correct coding choices and reduce duplication within IT lines.

- Revised 2025-26 school calendar: The committee approved a revised school-year calendar that shifted one professional-development day (to accommodate a primary election) and corrected a miscalculation in the number of school days.

- Northampton Education Foundation (NEF) small grants: Members voted to accept NEF small grants totaling $32,950.35 to fund 11 school projects including robotics, literary magazine printing, visiting-artist series, and field trips for elementary grades. The NEF endowment committee also presented two larger endowment awards totaling $40,000+ in multi-year support for elementary initiatives (Grow Food Northampton and Math Recovery certification support); the committee accepted those grants as well.

- Special-education transportation contract: The committee approved renewal of the district’s special-education transportation contract with the existing vendor, citing limited vendor options in the region and ongoing discussions about long-term transportation strategy.

- Leeds before/after program rates: The committee approved changes to early/late program pricing at Leeds Elementary (including a small per-hour increase and a new sibling discount) and referred program-level details to the Budget & Property subcommittee for further review.

- Business-administrator contract negotiation authorization: The committee voted to authorize the superintendent to enter contract negotiations with the business administrator and to consult with the committee in executive session before returning any final contract for public vote.

Procedural notes and next steps

Committee members and staff repeatedly said the one-time funding and transfer items were intended to address operational coding and short-term needs; members emphasized that true recurring budget changes must be addressed in the regular budget process. The committee also requested more detailed follow-up reports on how newly identified funds would be used and asked the administration to return with a plan at a June 25 special meeting when relevant.

The meeting further included a lengthy rules-and-policy discussion about proposed limits on student cell-phone use in schools; that item remained a policy discussion with direction to the superintendent and subcommittee for further community engagement, including student input, rather than an immediate policy vote.

Ending

The committee adjourned after ordering immediate administrative steps to address NHS scheduling gaps and scheduling a follow-up special meeting. Several pro-business and nonprofit grants were accepted; various transfers and the transportation contract were approved by roll call.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Northampton School Committee | June 12 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its June 12 meeting the School Committee approved multiple procedural and financial items — including minute approvals, budget transfers, acceptance of NEF grants and renewal of a special-education transportation contract — and heard extended public comment about NHS scheduling gaps.","taxTitle","Northampton City, Hampshire County, Massachusetts","taxId",68541,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6199739,"Students, parents and staff say Northampton High schedule gaps stem from teacher cuts; committee authorizes temporary staffing",7000,720000,7720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3824232-905eefd69c73459f04eb13c106975618&start=720&end=7720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3824232-905eefd69c73459f04eb13c106975618/thumbnail_720000.jpg","/articles/6199739/Massachusetts/Students-parents-and-staff-say-Northampton-High-schedule-gaps-stem-from-teacher-cuts-committee-authorizes-temporary-staffing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6199739-1012e204ff87560148627b693323d63e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770428687&Signature=A4eG4J1MfJrQqGyhKe342WwpzYvGoe5asxPyXA1SLiv9cGv9PaBYqX63McpTNBLRavxTeyls7cYx6ljd4T9budhOJRzCfZN-u7T-yO6yzXBhTbLpNThykSMEudYx8P7aU0c1wKTRxl0u9yjs6P0vi1QBpQXOr1rapAk6MnabdC0hm2a47lMzasd0LDXZG~UC3iRAla75evBGQd9smO0tveQC4hCLf6Q7wqquBKg4W2V5vwe30DLRcClHeUlIePIqJYHRBPkZNk1NzygTRLHvoxl4mWp7wU8PgkSLQ6lcf46ptoQg4knP7pppzB1sGyN2R8E6dJR-IMM1WuPADioxZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Students, parents and staff told the Northampton School Committee on June 12 that recent staffing cuts have left rising Northampton High School seniors and other students unable to take desired classes, damaging college competitiveness and school community cohesion.

At the meeting, the two student representatives reported a “scheduling crisis” at Northampton High School (NHS): many seniors face an empty slot in period 3 because the school cannot run enough class sections. Student speakers described being offered asynchronous college classes or reduced course loads, being placed in classes not on their alternate lists, or being told to take multiple courses off-site at Smith College for the semester.

Artis Mann, introduced himself as “the newly elected president of the student union,” and said he was removed from Honors Spanish 5 because the school could not run two sections. “Most colleges I’m looking at require four years of a foreign language,” Mann said. “Being unable to take it would harm my admissions process.”

Students and parents said the problem disproportionately affects juniors and seniors and also harms students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Andrea Bertini, a parent, said the district’s approach risks violating the least-restrictive-environment standard (LRE) for special education by forcing students into partial inclusion or off-campus instruction. “This is educational neglect,” Bertini told the committee.

Several students and speakers urged immediate hires. Anna Lucia Ohm, a student, said counselors and teachers had tried to rework schedules without success: “We tried AP calculus, AP statistics, AP world, AP lang, AP chemistry… none of them fit into my schedule.” Scarlett Bowman, another student, said the lack of NHS sections had eroded school morale and warned that families with means would leave the district.

Paraeducators and staff echoed the students’ concerns. Paula Ragano, a paraeducator at NHS, said: “It is our responsibility to educate these children. It is not Smith College’s job.” Other speakers noted that offering multiple Smith College classes to students effectively removes them from the school community for much of the day and creates equity problems for families without transportation or flexible schedules.

Committee members acknowledged the urgency. The superintendent and business administrator discussed available budget lines and possible one-time funding sources during the meeting. The committee voted to authorize the superintendent to act quickly to address immediate staffing needs at NHS, including posting to fill two prioritized positions and restoring funding for the district garden program; the superintendent said she would return to the committee with use of any remaining funds at the next special meeting.

Why it matters: Students described concrete harms to college planning and classroom continuity. Committee members and speakers framed the scheduling gaps as the downstream effect of prior budget cuts and staffing shortfalls, and they urged rapid action to prevent further disruption to rising seniors’ academic plans.

What the committee directed: The School Committee authorized the superintendent to proceed with steps to restore prioritized high-school positions and to allocate funds for the garden program, and it requested that the superintendent or administration return to the committee at the June 25 special meeting with details on remaining funds and proposed next steps. The committee also asked staff to continue analyzing one-time funding options and to coordinate with Budget & Property subcommittee work.

Ongoing questions: Speakers asked how the district will prevent similar scheduling gaps in future years, how families without transportation will be accommodated if students take off-campus college courses, and how the district will track the number of students affected. Parents and students requested clearer public timelines for any hires and for scheduling changes so families can plan for the fall.

Ending: Committee members said they expected updates before the start of school and reiterated that solutions would likely include both short-term hires and longer-term budget decisions. Several students thanked the committee for hearing them and urged follow-through so rising seniors do not lose educational opportunities.

","Students, parents and school staff told the Northampton School Committee on June 12 that budget-driven teacher shortages have left more than 75 rising NHS seniors with “holes” in their schedules. The committee authorized the superintendent to move quickly to restore positions and agreed to seek additional one-time funding for related needs.","actionData","errors"]

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Northampton School Committee approves transfers, grants and contracts; hears student scheduling concerns

Students, parents and staff say Northampton High schedule gaps stem from teacher cuts; committee authorizes temporary staffing