GREENFIELD — Tensions rose between City Council and School Committee Wednesday in the wake of Mayor Ginny Desorgher’s announcement that the city cannot fund the School Department’s nearly $25.59 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, a $1.89 million increase over the current fiscal year.

Both Desorgher and Greenfield School Department Superintendent Karin Patenaude were asked to appear before the council and discuss the budget. Earlier Monday, Precinct 1 City Councilor Katherine Golub sent Patenaude a list of budget-related questions, which the superintendent began to answer with the help of School Business Manager Andy Paquette.

As Paquette answered the questions, Precinct 4 Councilor John Bottomley made a point of order to note that a school budget presentation was not listed on the agenda and seemed inappropriate.

“A budget presentation was not on the agenda. So I just wanted to say it’s really hard, because I was at two School Committee meetings so far, with numbers read at me,” Bottomley said. “If we’re going to really discuss budget and numbers, it needs to be submitted and the committee can review it, otherwise I can’t ask any meaningful questions on this.”

Patenaude spoke briefly in response to Bottomley’s comment before leaving the meeting. She said she does not believe the School Department is provided ample opportunity to chime in on citywide decisions that directly impact it.

The interaction between Bottomley and Patenaude later sparked debate among councilors about the role of time limits and pre-written questions during City Council interviews.

“As a superintendent, it’s my responsibility to really present information that is in the best interest of our students and really thinking about what impacts any reductions will have,” Patenaude said. “It seems that the schools are being left out of some of the decisions that are being made here tonight, so I would appreciate being part of these conversations.”

When Desorgher sat before the council to answer questions Wednesday, Precinct 3 Councilor Michael Mastrototaro asked Desorgher to read out loud an email sent to the city’s department heads on Nov. 21, which informed them of FY26 cuts and advised them to submit requests for level funding.

Mastrototaro’s request, to which the mayor complied, was made in reference to Patenaude’s remarks at Monday’s School Committee meeting in which she said she was “caught off guard” and she had not been given proper notice of the mayor’s budgetary changes. Desorgher added that she has been meeting with Patenaude and other school officials on a biweekly basis.

“This is not good and it’s not getting better. We’ve lost 250 students in three years. It’s predicted to go down in the next few years. … We all know what’s happening federally with the health insurance costs. I’m not making this up,” Desorgher said of the city’s finances. “You can do what you have to do and harming people along the way, it’s going to be really pretty harmful. We have a city to run, not one department or another, but a whole city.”

In response to Golub asking the mayor how the School Department would be able to maintain its educational standards amid the expected cuts to 19 positions that Patenaude said would be necessary under Desorgher’s proposed school budget of nearly $23.7 million, Desorgher commented that the city’s spending per-student will still be higher than the current year’s as enrollment has continued to drop.

The mayor added that the department’s Special Education Revolving Account had some unused funds that could be used for stabilization before At-Large Councilor Michael Terounzo noted that it was the School Department’s responsibility — not the mayor’s — to fund the schools within its budget. Terounzo also noted that the schools, he believes, spends too much on administrative positions, calling the three business administrative roles a “colossal waste of money.”

“The superintendent makes these decisions. They make the decision on what to do with the money that is appropriated to them, just like every other department head,” Terounzo said. Referencing Patenaude’s proposed business administration office funding of nearly $273,00 in FY26, he asked, “How many positions would that supply for the schools? How many teachers would that pay for? … That department [is] crying poor when they could be making their own adjustments internally.”

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