GREENFIELD — The School Committee approved a $29 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, representing a nearly 8% increase over the current fiscal year.

Superintendent Karin Patenaude, presenting the figures on Monday, attributed the budget increase in part to the loss of the pandemic-era Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding as well as costs associated with the redistricting project. She added that out-of-district special education tuition increased by roughly $1.5 million.

“This budget was developed with students first,” Patenaude said. “The budget reflects what our students need and as superintendent, it’s my obligation to put forth what they need and what is best for them.”

The budget, which will go before the mayor and City Council before receiving final approval, marks a more than 6% year-over-year decrease in funding for the Academy of Early Learning, a 20% increase for Federal Street School, a 5% increase for the Discovery School at Four Corners, a 7% increase for Newton School, a 29% increase for Greenfield Middle School and a 18% decrease for Greenfield High School.

Patenaude explained that FY26 funds prioritize staffing and curriculum needs for English language learners, special education, student attendance monitoring as well as core curriculum such as science, English and math.

The School Committee’s approval of the budget comes amid criticism from the public, as well as City Council, that the department’s spending is too “top-heavy,” prioritizing administrative funding above positions that work directly with students.

“I talk to families in the community who have kids who are severely autistic and they tell me, ‘We’re going to a different school,’” Melissa Webb, the mother of three Greenfield students, said during public comment on Monday. “We need more boots on the ground.”

In discussing the budget, retired Newton School principal and current School Committee member Melodie Goodwin noted that roughly 70% of the district’s students cannot read at their grade level. She also argued that the budget is too top-heavy and proposed a roughly $600,000 cut, through the elimination of three administration positions, that could be used to increase special education funding.

“My heart is breaking because 70% of the kids are not reading at grade level, so I’m just questioning why there aren’t more requests for reading specialists at all the schools,” Goodwin said. “To me, that is a civil right that has gone unmandated and unfunded in our country.”

Goodwin’s motion was not seconded and the committee voted 5-2 in favor of the $29 million budget, with Goodwin and Mayor Ginny Desorgher, who serves on the School Committee, voting against it.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.