GREENFIELD — The Ways and Means Committee continued its review of the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget Tuesday evening by discussing $25.7 million in education expenses.
The total education budget, representing a 2% increase over fiscal year 2026, includes $24.1 million for the Greenfield School Department and $1.53 million in assessments for Franklin County Technical School and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. Education expenses make up 36.67% of the total $70.02 million city budget proposal.
Greenfield’s public schools
Superintendent Roland Joyal Jr. said the schools have learned from last year’s tense budget cycle and will be dipping into revolving funds to cover more of the FY27 budget. In March, the School Committee approved a $24.1 million budget that uses $2.7 million in revolving funds and leaves the schools with a balance of $2.8 million in reserves at the end of FY27.
Ways and Means Committee members said they appreciated the school district listening to feedback from last year, and added that they were pleased that using the revolving funds has allowed the district to maintain all programs without pushing the city into needing a Proposition 2½ override.
“We are one city and every single person on City Council cares about the schools,” Precinct 4 City Councilor John Bottomley said. “When faced with cutting off your arm or your leg, it can create some tense situations. … We can’t afford to sit on a lot.”
“The rainy day has come,” added Precinct 6 Councilor Patricia Williams.
Williams asked how much of the budget covers administrative costs, to which Business Manager Andy Paquette replied 11%.
Increases in the budget cover the restoration of two positions: an English language learning teacher at Federal Street School and a float custodian. Other increases include out-of-district special education tuition and special education transportation, which are increasing by 19% and 21%, respectively.
“We’re not gonna waste your money,” Joyal said.
Joyal added that the amount of state aid Greenfield will get for FY27 is still unknown, and likely will not be finalized until July. In the Senate Ways and Means Committee’s version of the budget, which was published earlier this month, the state had accounted for just over $17 million in Chapter 70 aid for Greenfield. Senate debate and amendments to the state budget are underway.
During public comment, resident Molly Merrett encouraged the committee to increase funding for Greenfield’s schools, and said investing in the schools is an “investment in our city’s future.” She added that City Council should prioritize school funding over other city departments, such as the Police Department, whose budget she called “inflated.”
“A lot of parents I know are talking about where they’re going to choice out their kids because they see the schools underfunded year after year,” Merrett said. “I think our kids are more important. … The kids should come first.”
Joyal said he sees the city and the schools as working together, and he understands the city is in a tight spot and needs to balance the financial requests of many departments, not just the schools.
“I don’t want to start pitting us against anyone else,” Joyal said.
Franklin Tech
Franklin Tech Superintendent Richard Martin and Business Manager Liz Bouchard told Ways and Means Committee members that Greenfield has 129 students attending the tech school, and for FY27, the city’s assessment will be $1.48 million. This equates to $11,478 per student, which Martin said is less than the county average of $13,640 per student. The number represents an increase of $134,966 over the current fiscal year’s assessment.
Franklin Tech will have a total $16.8 million operating budget, which was approved by the School Committee in April. The total budget is a 3.72% increase from FY26’s numbers, and includes five positions being cut. Martin said the cuts were necessary to address increases in health insurance costs, as well as plans to reduce student enrollment.
Franklin Tech had previously been a member of the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust (HCGIT), and after facing several mid-year rate increases, opted to leave it. Bouchard said switching insurance providers has allowed the school to go from a 12% rate increase for the year to approximately 6%; however, the FY27 insurance budget is still being increased beyond 6% to accommodate any claims the school will be responsible for covering during the transition period.
“I don’t have a crystal ball; it’s a big leap and we put a lot of hard work into this,” Bouchard said regarding the insurance switch.
Martin said the school has 647 students enrolled currently, and design plans for the proposed new school building could accommodate 600 students. He said he would like to see staffing levels be reduced over time in preparation for the decrease in students, rather than have a larger number of staff be eliminated at once when the new building opens.
When asked about the new building plans, Martin said the school is working with Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) architects to design a “no-frills building” and reduce the footprint for any space that is not reimbursable by MSBA, such as hallways and office spaces. They are also looking for creative ways to maximize space efficiency, such as having a cafeteria that could double as an auditorium.
“I would have been more than happy to renovate it, until I learned it’d cost more than a new building,” Martin said of the existing facility. “It’s just a building; the teachers and kids are gonna make it a school.”
Greenfield is also being assessed $50,480 for students attending Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton.
The Ways and Means Committee will continue reviewing the budgets for other city departments in the coming weeks. Its next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, to review a slew of departments, including the Council on Aging, Greenfield Community Energy and Technology (GCET), and the Greenfield Public Library.
