NORTHFIELD – The Pioneer Valley Regional School District will go “back to the drawing board” after a proposed $14,851,290 operating and capital budget failed for a second time in two months.
A public hearing immediately followed by a School Committee meeting added up to 3½ hours of discussion Tuesday. The meeting included lasting debate around the proposed inclusion of a world language program for elementary schools in the budget.
The School Committee met last month to vote on the same budget figure, which at the time included changes required for a potential move of the sixth grade to the Pioneer Valley Regional School. That budget vote failed in a 6-6 tie, and Superintendent Jonathan Scagel later recommended the district delay the six-grade move until fall 2023 but keep the $14,851,290 budget figure.
During the public hearing this week, members heard from Director of Finance Tanya Gaylord who addressed changes in the budget since the committee voted to delay the sixth-grade move. After closing the public hearing portion of the evening, members deliberated ahead of a vote on the budget.
Vice Chair Mike Townsely, chair of the Budget Subcommittee and a Bernardston representative, made a motion to amend the budget to include world language instruction for elementary schools. Leyden School Committee Member Karen O’Neill said the Curriculum and Policy Subcommittee, which she chairs, met last week to hear a presentation on the benefits and requirements for including world language, and the subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend the exploratory world language program.
“Our plan would be to offer it as a special, once a week in a 30-to-40-minutes block for students in preschool through sixth grade,” Scagel said. “It’s called a flex program, so it’s an introduction to the world languages at the elementary level.…”
Gaylord said this exploratory program would require roughly an additional $36,800 for salary and supplies, bringing the budget to a new total of $14,888,181. After deliberation, a vote to include the world languages amendment failed 6-3, with two members absent.
Members then went to vote on the entire FY22 operating and capital budget by line item, but when they reached the athletics budget line, the vote did not pass 6-3 with two members, Michelle Giarusso and Nathan Swartz absent. Townsley being one of the dissenting votes argued that he would be willing to pass the athletics budget if the committee reconsidered including the $36,000s for the world language program.
A new vote reconsidering the motion to include world languages failed again. Members then re-voted on the budget by line item, and that too failed at the athletics line for a second time. After 31/2 hours of debate, and with some members absent or having left early, the School Committee voted to adjourn without approving a budget, though Chair Julie Burke said she wished to stay and pass a figure.
“So we will need to go back to the drawing board,” Burke said. “Thank you everyone for your participation this evening; we still have a lot of work cut out for us but we will adjourn for tonight.”
At this time, no date has been set for the School Committee to reconvene and continue to discuss a budget. According to Gaylord, the district needs to present assessments to district member towns no later than April 30. Once approved by the School Committee, the budget will need to go to district towns and pass at three out of four Annual Town Meetings for Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield and Warwick.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.