Write a Letter In Support of the Override
Write a letter to the editor to the Daily Hampshire Gazette (up to 200 words is best). Please recruit a friend to write one, too.
Let them know that the national crisis is coming home - and Northampton is not exempt. This is not the usual budget gap scenario.We are all in this together - this is not just about schools, it's about everything: plowed roads, public safety, senior services and education. We need to work together, join forces and find solutions together. If we all pitch in, if everybody makes a contribution, we will all lose less -- both in jobs and services.We need to pass an override as part of the solution.
OP-ED: Public education a critical investment
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 9, 2009
Byline: MARY BATES, JANIS TOTTY and ROB ADAMS
The Northampton Public Schools have enjoyed an excellent reputation for many years. Our high school graduates attend outstanding colleges and universities and experience much success in their careers. Parents from surrounding communities make the choice to send their children to our city schools when there are openings. And many people, whether or not they have children, move to our city because of the reputation of its schools, which they equate with a vibrant and economically thriving community.
In our city there are approximately 3,000 students enrolled in public pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 education. The investment we make in their education is an investment from which we all benefit, as these young people grow, contribute to and eventually lead our society. Not only our future, but our very real present-property values, crime rates, and the local economy-is inextricably linked with the quality of our public schools.
The funding for our schools is complicated and not solely in our city's control.
Under the Massachusetts Education Reform Act, Northampton receives money from the state through a formula that has resulted in the consistent underfunding of our schools over the years, in contrast to many surrounding communities. The city has provided a substantial share of the balance through tax revenues, the major portion of which comes from local property taxes. The city may not increase property taxes by more than 2½ percent per year, unless there is an override by the voters.
School expenses here and elsewhere in the country, however, have increased at an annual rate of more than 2½ percent, due to The No Child Left Behind Act, the rising cost of health insurance, and other factors. The result for the Northampton Public Schools has been yearly budget gaps, and cuts and cuts and cuts.
Over the past eight years, the elementary schools alone have lost the following personnel and resources:
- Guidance counselors (one out of two eliminated per school)
- Assistant principals (eliminated)
- School psychologists (time reduced)
- Remedial math services (eliminated, except for one year at Bridge St. School)
- Remedial reading services (reduced, including the elimination of Reading Recovery teachers)
- Instrumental music (eliminated)
- Classroom aides in first grade (eliminated)
- Recess and lunch aides (eliminated)
- Cafeteria staff (reduced)
- Maintenance staff (reduced)
- Classroom teachers (reduced)
The John F. Kennedy Middle School and the Northampton High School have experienced similar cuts. District-wide cuts also have impacted the schools, including elimination of the associate superintendent for curriculum, instruction and equity; and the elementary curriculum coordinator. None of these positions or programs has been restored.
The impact of these cuts, year after year after year, has been absorbed largely by the teachers and administrators, who work longer hours and juggle a multitude of duties. Class sizes have increased in all schools, with as many as 28 students in some elementary classes.
Our superintendent, our principals, the professional staff at the elementary schools, and parents and other community members, all have worked diligently and creatively to try to maintain the quality of education in the Northampton Public Schools despite the significant budget cuts.
Teachers, administrators and other staff now routinely work 50 to 70 hours a week - before school, after school, through lunch, at night and on the weekends - to try to make up for the cuts in services and staff. Parents and community members have created a large army of volunteers who: help out in classrooms, the cafeterias and school offices; provide library and reading support; build and rebuild playgrounds; paint halls and classrooms; reduce costs and waste through recycling, composting and other measures; and raise money through bake sales/movie nights/bowling nights/green galas/silent auctions/dance parties/games nights/coffee sales/book fairs and more.
All of these efforts by the staff of our public schools, and by the many parent and community volunteers, are valiant and noteworthy. They have made a real difference in the lives of our students and in the life of our city. We have a thriving school community with dedicated professionals and with students who, by and large, love their schools and are motivated to learn and succeed. But we now face a crisis.
The city is short millions of dollars. The public schools and other city departments face severe cuts. The elementary schools are slated to lose 17 teachers and aides, with projected class sizes of 25 to 36 in many classrooms. The high school stands to lose 11 teachers and aides, and funding for athletics, after-school and extra-curricular activities. The middle school also is projected to lose 9 teachers and aides, and funding for extra-curricular activities. The impact of these and other projected cuts on our schools and our community will be profound.
This is our town. These are our kids and our schools. It takes a village to raise a child and we all play a part. It is our hope that at this time of crisis we can come together for the common good. We ask that you, the citizens of Northampton, do all you can to support our public schools and the children of our community.
This column was submitted by Mary Bates and written by Bates, Janis Totty and Rob Adams, all teachers at Jackson Street School.
The public comments on Northampton's override
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 9, 2009
To the editor:
Northampton residents are fortunate to live in a safe community with effective police and fire Departments and where our children have the opportunity for an excellent education. For many years city officials have struggled to balance the budget with small revenue increases that have not kept up with rising costs. Once again the city faces rising costs, but the amount of State Aid has plummeted by $2.5 million. With this sharp reduction in revenues, drastic cuts in personnel and services will be necessary for a balanced budget. On June 16 the Citizens have the choice to make a sacrifice to preserve essential services, our tranquil community and the opportunity for our children to succeed. Please vote Yes on June 16.
Kitty Callaghan
Florence
Letters on the Northampton override (I)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 6, 2009
To the editor:
A few mornings ago some of the volunteers of the Vote Yes campaign met at the senior center to discuss issues and questions concerning the override on the ballot for June 16th.
I would like to make clear one point as we all mull over this decision: The override is not and shouldn't be considered a referendum on the mayor or city policy. I have encountered many people who are against the override because they have negative feelings towards the mayor or other city officials. A yes vote on the override is our best way in the short term of maintaining the services that our city provides and to ensure that the children of Northampton continue to have a decent level of education.
As state and federal funding decreases, and costs increase, the override is one of the ways that we can directly support our community.
Mandy Gerry
Northampton
Letters on the Northampton override (II)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 6, 2009
To the editor:
I live on a small income in a condo I own, where I pay a monthly fee for services, in addition to city property taxes and fees. I have been a homeowner in Massachusetts for over 20 years and have no children.
Before buying my first home in 1984, I was a renter and paid property taxes via my rental payments. I have probably paid more in taxes and fees, and given more in time and resources, to my communities (first Greenfield, then Northampton), than I have received in services. I was around before Proposition 2½ and remember the state election when all four western Massachusetts counties voted against Prop. 2½.
It is not a failure of local government to ask the voters to approve an override. It is a failure to continue, without amendment, this tax limitation law that has no reasonable link between the cost of living and other legitimate factors causing the cost of service delivery to rise.
I cannot afford the rising cost of all the usual basic expenses (e.g., medical, food, gas, etc.), so I will have to be even more creative in my already frugal spending. I can afford a relatively small contribution to the cost of services in Northampton.
Our tax increase contributions, when pooled, creates greater value. Unfortunately, the dire global, national and state fiscal situation, as it impacts local government, is bigger than what can be solved by this override vote. We will see a reduction in services, either way. It is frightening to imagine what will happen to city services if this override does not pass.
Wendy Foxmyn
Leeds
Letters on the Northampton override (III)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 6, 2009
To the editor:
This morning, while filling up my Jeep at ZeeMart across from Cooley Dickinson Hospital, I heard the sudden engine roar of a BMW Z4 hardtop blaze through the Locust and North Elm Streets intersection.
To my surprise, within two or three seconds, I also heard the siren of a Northampton Patrol car, which quickly pulled over the vehicle. Had a person been in the nearby crosswalk, they would have likely been injured.
Kudos to the responding Officer and the Northampton Police Department, they will get my vote on June 16th.
Edward P. Cahillane
Florence
Letters on the Northampton override (IV)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 6, 2009
To the editor:
I support the Proposition 2½ override and will whole-heartedly vote "yes" on June 16. I'm doing it because I believe that city government costs money and I'm willing to pay a bit more for it. Good city government, good schools, safety - these things are investments to me and well worth the price. Is our city government perfect? Of course not. Could some things be changed here and there? Of course. But is this a reason to gut schools and our police force?
Although opponents raise political gripes and complaints, they don't seem to offer evidence of millions of dollars worth of waste that can be eliminated. I wonder if for many opponents, voting against the override is a way to express disgruntlement with any aspect of city government or services they don't like. I hope they'll find more effective ways of changing things, because eliminating teachers, police officers, and gutting services isn't going to do it.
Cathy McNally
Northampton
'Yes' power on override
Daily Hampshire Gazette, June 4, 2009
To the editor:
I have spoken to over 50 people about the June 16 Northampton override vote. Many were for it and some were against it. From those against it, I heard answers varying from they want to vote "yes" but are really feeling the "pinch," to anger at how their taxes are spent on the federal, state and local levels.
This year our state Legislature has provided less money to Northampton than in 2003 and it will be worse next year. The City Council has put an override on the ballot because municipalities are allowed only one way to raise taxes and that is property taxes.
If the override passes June 16, many of the threatened cuts to our municipal services can be averted. Our school system has already endured past cuts of vice principals, counselors, teachers, etc. Our DPW has been severely limited and our firefighters are now forced to consider providing ambulance service to avoid further, unsafe, cuts to staffing levels.
The override would cost the average homeowner $3.11 per week. I have participated in many efforts to raise funds for our community and I was proud when we raised $20,000 for the schools last year.
But the gap this year is enormous and the override will match my $3.11 per week at a 12,500 to 1 ratio; and raise $2.1 million for our community.
In tough times, it is time to come together to provide for all of us. I encourage us all to vote "yes" - "yes" to our neighbors who work for our town, "yes" to the firefighters and police officers who risk their lives to provide us with safety and "yes" to the 2,500 children who expect us to provide a quality education.
Philip Korman
Baystate
Readers weigh in on the planned Proposition 2½ override vote (I)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 31, 2009
To the editor:
As a resident of Northampton, it is with deep dismay that I have watched the gradual disintegration of my neighborhood's streets and schools.
I grew up an Air Force brat and have had the opportunity to see many communities around the world up close. For most of my life I've taken pride in knowing that ours was a country that prioritized public education and civic well-being. But I feel the last 10 years have turned us as a nation towards something different. We seem to have lost our bearings and no longer see the wisdom in sharing the cost of basic community resources.
I would like it to be known that I believe we still need quality public education, safe city streets, roads free of potholes and public employees who are rewarded for their work. While there may be many things our government has wasted money on, these are not among them. Please join me in voting for the tax override on June 16.
Dorrie Brooks
Florence
Readers weigh in on the planned Proposition 2½ override vote (II)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 31, 2009
To the editor,
It may surprise some readers to learn that the residential property tax rate in Northampton has fallen by more than 28 percent since 2000.
According to numbers provided by Northampton Finance Director Christopher Pile, the rate for single family homes was $16.07 in 2000 but $11.48 in 2009; this is a drop of $4.59, or about 28 percent of the 2000 rate. This has happened because the relevant Proposition 2 ½ limits are not indexed to inflation or to changes in property values.
The current low tax rate, in combination with deep cuts in local aid, steep rises in health insurance costs, and the national financial crisis, makes it impossible to fund even the most basic and essential services. In the long term this problem must be addressed by reforming the tax system, but right now an override is needed to protect the health and safety of our community. Please vote "yes" on the override on June 16.
Lee Spector
Northampton
Readers weigh in on the planned Proposition 2½ override vote (III)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 31, 2009
To the editor:
I've been living in Northampton for 20 plus years and I expect to be living here for the rest of my life. I love Northampton. I chose to live here because of the unique nature of the community.
It's heartbreaking for me to see this city face massive economic cuts because of a $5 million dollar budget shortfall. It's not just the schools that will be impacted by these cuts, though the prospects there are grim. If the situation doesnt change, my daughter could be in a fifth grade class with 36 students. We are also looking at the possibility of drastic cuts to basic city services that we all benefit from just by virtue of living here. We will all feel the loss of police, fire and other city services.
Some say that weve faced budget shortfalls in the past and its turned out ok, but this shortfall is significantly larger than any we have yet faced.
In addition, over the past 10 years, many critical staff have already been cut from the schools and other city departments. An override is the only way we have locally to prevent the proposed additional cuts from happening.
I understand the reluctance people feel about an override. Many of us are stretched to the financial breaking point. If the override passes, as I understand it each homeowner would pay $62 a year for every $100,000 of the value of their home. That's $5 a month. Is that too much to ask? The override proposal does include a tax rebate for seniors on a fixed income so that they would not be impacted by the increase. I am planning to vote for the override because I am afraid of what will happen to this city if it doesnt pass.
Nancy Jessup
Florence
Readers weigh in on the planned Proposition 2½ override vote (IV)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 31, 2009
To the editor:
When you go to the polls to vote on Tuesday, June 16th, I ask you to separate the economics from the politics and vote Yes for the property tax override.
Simply stated an effect of Proposition 2½ is that municipal income has declined whenever inflation rises above 2.5%, which it historically has since the proposition was implemented in 1982. Currently, we are all facing the same financial pressures in our personal budgets as is the city: the economic downturn, the increased cost of living and skyrocketing health insurance. We've also experienced years of relatively low property taxes, but it has been to the detriment of city services, public safety and our public schools.
The Northampton school system in particular has been cut to the bone (supply shortages, deferred maintenance, program cuts and loss of staff) as a result of a decade of being underfunded.
Cuts as deep as are needed to balance the FY2010 budget cannot be made without its effects being felt. As a result of larger class sizes, reduced services and weakened public safety, we can also expect to see a drop in home values. A $2 million override is relatively modest ($1 million of that is to be allocated to the schools). The owner of a home valued at $200,000 will pay an additional $3.11 cents a week.
If you want to blame someone than point the finger at Beacon Hill for cutting the state local aid that used to make up the shortfall. If you want to send a message to our town officials, don't reelect them. But if you want to support our public schools, maintain our current level of city services and public safety than vote Yes.
Anna Clark
Florence
A perfect financial storm is striking our communities
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 31, 2009
To the editor:
The financial difficulties facing Northampton in 2010 could arguably be unprecedented, and could easily be called the Perfect Financial Storm."
We face a three-part financial maelstrom: a tightened local revenue stream, a poor system of revenue sharing from the state, and a national financial meltdown.
I would argue that local revenue has been challenged beginning with passage of Prop 2-½ in the 1980s. Revenue has increased at a slower rate than costs. After government excesses were stripped away the city tried to provide the same services with less people. New busing/sport fees came into being and roads are in poorer shape, to name a few of the results. Higher city permitting "fees" were also the norm.
If costs increase 3 percent yearly (like most wage packages have) and your revenue is set at 2-½ percent, the only way to balance is to give up some cost element that you hope you can do without. Eventually you run out of things to give up. The current maelstrom has pushed us to the brink. I believe we are at the point where all the fat is gone and now we're faced with giving up muscle.
If the city's employees show us that they want to help save their jobs and those of their peers by giving up their 2010 wage increase then the rest of us should join them by passing an override. City workers who feel put upon for being asked to forgo their negotiated wage increase, consider, since you haven't actually received the increase, you haven't really lost anything. You will, however, find yourself in the same boat as those on fixed incomes. That, too, is a tough spot when being asked to give more.
This override will not only help save 2010 but it will also help to support the city's future budgeting endeavors which portend to also be difficult.
Eric Stahlberg III
Florence
Tax law primer for Proposition 2½ needed
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 23, 2009
To the editor:
I appreciate your editorial emphasizing the need for us as a community to focus on the Proposition 2½ override in Northampton. Having read a recent letter to the editor, one way this newspaper could be helpful is in educating people about how Proposition 2½ works. It is a complicated law and there are many misconceptions about it.
Some people believe that if the value of their home increases and their taxes increase, the city will receive more revenue (and thus negating the need for an override vote). What they don't understand is that the city is limited in how much it can take in total, so if one person's taxes go up a lot, other people's taxes will go down. The people whose taxes go up usually make the newspaper, but there are many whose taxes have either remained the same or decreased over the last several years.
In addition, the formula that determines the amount of state aid Northampton receives has not given the city the revenue it needs to keep up with escalating costs. How the formula is derived and its effect on the city would also be useful articles for you to cover.
Jon Sass
Florence
More support for override
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 4, 2009
To the editor:
In response to Tuesday's letter from the city employee who feels she is doing more than her share in these hard times:
I do not work for the city. I am not expecting a raise this year. My share of my health insurance costs will increase by approximately $30 per month, with higher deductibles.
I will be giving strong consideration to voting for an override to help minimize the damage to vital city services. I want you to know you are not alone.
Mark Augarten
Northampton
An override is the only answer
Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 2, 2009
To the editor:
To respond to Eugene J. LaFrance's comments (April 29) about the Proposition 2½ override, I disagree with what he says.
He claims that this proposition is not the answer to Northampton's budget problems. Although an additional $2 million supplementing our local economy probably isn't going to be a cure-all for our fiscal woes, it certainly would help ease the difficulty of the situation, especially since so much is currently being done to stretch every penny. He shows more ire with consideration that it would be an additional $2 million permanently, as well, although this would certainly be a more stabilizing and workable situation, by a budgeting standpoint, than a one-time capital injection.
It sounds to me like Mr. LaFrance is not so concerned with Northampton's budgeting responsibilities, as he claims, as he is about his own. He censures many of Northampton's City Councilors as "folding like so many useless accordions when faced with making truly difficult decisions for their constituencies." Our councilors are looking out only for the good of the public, and at times raising taxes are an inconvenient, if necessary step. Neither our councilors nor our mayor are folding; if anything, they are standing strong with their views in a time of critics who are themselves "useless," refusing as they are to give more money to the city when it needs it most.
Paul Casey
Northampton
Op Ed: Tax override is community's choice
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 29, 2009
By: Mayor Mary Clare Higgins
Northampton is facing the worst fiscal crisis in the 16 years I have been working in city government. We are living together through unprecedented times.
I have outlined in presentations and on our Web site the many steps Northampton has taken to make spending cuts and hold the line on costs. But we have a serious revenue problem that can't be fixed with cuts alone. The fact is that in FY2002, we lost $2 million dollars in State Aid that has never been fully restored. We have lost $2 million more dollars in revenues this year. And we may stand to lose even more revenue when the budget process in Boston completes.
In preparing the FY2010 budget, I have identified a gap of $6.1 million to meet our needs - more than $2 million of that gap is the loss of state aid and other revenue and the balance is increases in fixed costs. We are pursuing several significant areas concurrently. One is shifting the city's health insurance to another provider. Another is asking city and school employees to take a wage freeze. And I have asked the City Council to put a Proposition 2½ override on the ballot.
We received competitive bids on our health insurance contract and, by changing carriers, we will save more than $1,047,000 next year. The new health plan will offer comparable coverage for current employees as this year's plan.
I have asked all of the city's labor unions to negotiate taking a wage freeze in FY2010. If all of them agree, the city will save approximately $1.6 million next year, which is not enough to prevent the loss of all positions or programs, but which will help to close our gap. For example, without a wage freeze, the School Department projects having to lay off 16 teachers and one educational support professional and to cut one custodial position to half time in order to fund those salary and wage increases. If those unions agree to a wage freeze, the School Department can keep those 16 teachers, and four ESPs, and maintain the custodian at full-time hours.
I asked all the unions to communicate their decision back by this Friday, May 1, so city departments have time to prepare layoff notices and the City Council has the information it needs to make an informed decision about the proposed special election to consider an override before the end of June. That is when I am required by law to present the City Council with a balanced budget plan.
City employees are meeting with their colleagues and considering the city's proposal with great care and thoughtfulness. They are concerned, and rightly so, about accepting a wage freeze in uncertain times. I am concerned about the impact on our community and local economy of more people losing their jobs and the consequences of reducing public services at a time they are most needed. If the labor unions decide they are unable to agree to a wage freeze in FY2010, the city will have to lay off more staff to be able to afford those wage and salary increases which were negotiated before the recession hit the commonwealth so hard.
Because I believe in basic equity in our workplace, I will not agree to a selective wage freeze. I truly believe this is a time for us all to pull together. Across all the departments and different areas of responsibility, we are, at heart, one city. Every employee is similarly invested in the city's well-being and has a part in helping the city ride out this crisis. Our employees have been doing this for years, by changing the ways we provide services, sharing more resources among departments, regionalizing when possible, and holding the line on spending. This wage freeze proposal is another way city employees can continue to do their part by controlling costs in the city. There is no question it is a sacrifice we are asking of our staff, and it is not a sacrifice I am willing to let some employees take, and others forgo.
The proposed $2 million override will move forward if the citywide wage freeze is accepted by city unions. It is unconscionable, in my mind, to ask our property taxpayers to make a sacrifice to benefit the city we all treasure if we are not willing to do the full extent of cost-control measures at our disposal. The goal of the override is to try to replace some of the more than $4 million in state aid and revenues that have been lost in the last few years.
Some have expressed fears that by asking for both a wage freeze and an override in the same year, the city is in some way asking city employees who live in Northampton to sacrifice twice. I certainly understand why some may feel this way, but I think it's important to separate out something very important: the responsibility of citizenship. As responsible citizens, it is our obligation as well as our privilege to vote.
In the case of an override question, we get to make a decision about how we want our community to move forward and whether or not we can support the level of services we currently enjoy. I am keenly aware that many of our neighbors who will be considering their vote on the proposed override have recently suffered job losses in the private sector, cuts in hours or benefits, devastating medical diagnoses, or other life-changing events that make such a decision fraught with worry and care. In the case of city and school employees who also live in Northampton, they will need to consider these questions not as employees, but as citizens and neighbors, and factor in all of their life's circumstances every bit as much as all of our other neighbors.
The bottom line is that it is the responsibility of all citizens to weigh in, regardless of whom they work for, and that is all I and the City Council will be asking them to do if the override question goes forward for a vote on June 16. It is only one of the ongoing conversations we need to have as we navigate through these unprecedented times together.
Mary Clare Higgins is the mayor of Northampton.
Theater among programs that make NHS a jewel
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 22, 2009
To the editor:
Northampton High School recently put on its spring musical "Sweet Charity." It was a terrific show involving over 80 students as cast, crew and orchestra. It was a particularly special show for my husband and me, as it was the last of many high school theater productions our son, a senior, would be in.
Over the past four years we have watched him and other students mature as actors, and we have been grateful that our school has such a rich theater program. Unfortunately, the theater program may not be able to continue as we know it due to budget cuts. And it's not just theater, but music, sports and academics, that are at risk.
Our students have varied talents and interests, and all of these programs deserved to be maintained. It is imperative that we not let our jewel of a high school become less than it is, even if it means considering a tax override to pay for it. We have fantastic students, teachers and staff at our school, and they need our support.
Janet Sharp
Florence
Northampton public schools must maintain arts education
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 18, 2009
To the editors:
There is no doubt that many of us are walking around with heavy hearts as we take in the reality of what the City of Northampton's economic crisis will mean for our children and the education we can offer them.
In my opinion, there can be no better time nor reason to override Proposition 2½ than we have right now. However, as we begin to decide what can be restored with this override, we must not forget the arts as part of the complete education we need and want for our children.
It is not just those who pursue careers in the arts who benefit from an arts education. The greatest minds of our time universally recognize how the study of art and music provides all human beings with tools essential for processing creative and critical thought.
Institutions like Northampton Community Music Center can supplement the music education that rightfully belongs in our public schools, but we are by no means a substitute for it.
We must keep all of the arts a living, breathing part of the public school experience, or we will have robbed ourselves of the future leadership we so desperately need to chart a more hopeful, healthful course for our planet.
Jason Trotta
Executive Director
Northampton Community Music Center
Northampton
Northampton tax override benefits students, schools
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 16, 2009
To the editor:
I'm probably an oddball. I desperately want to vote yes for a tax override in Northampton. I can't not vote for it.
My kids go to JFK and NHS. They love their schools. Isn't that what every parent dreams of? Next year will cost me more money, with or without a tax increase. Without one, I would gladly pay exorbitant user fees to keep my son's wrestling and track coaches. The high school sports program is beyond important. I would buy supplies for my daughter's classes because it means supporting the Mr. Crescitellis and Ms. Eastmans of this world.
My kids don't go there anymore, but I don't want 40-plus kids in a class at Bridge Street. I can't even picture how they would absorb their planned cuts. It's crazy. But if my money could help all of Northampton, I'd rather do that.
If you're not intimately involved in the Northampton Public Schools, I wish you were. You would be so proud of our kids, the staff, what we are accomplishing. You would have no trouble voting for an override.
Am I worried about money? Yes. Am I thrilled about paying more? No. I'm already juggling. Do I want to lose what I have in Northampton? Go backwards? Ruin a good thing? No. Our kids are too important. Keeping up a good thing may not be exciting or glamorous, but it is what we need to do right now. We need to put our children first and prioritize. Support Northampton with a successful override.
Deborah Callahan
Northampton
Class size a concern
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 9, 2009
To the editor:
It's tempting to dismiss Michael T. Ryan's letter in the April 4 Gazette, written in response to Rachel Simpson's March 31 guest column about a potential Northampton override vote. Ryan complains "The Feds are stealing..."! "Beacon Hill is rife with corruption"! "Reckless spending"! "Out of control"!
But Ryan does make one notable point: "The kids and young folks today have way more than we had growing up."
You may not agree with his grasp of history, but Ryan could turn out to be a prophet if the School Department adopts the remedy he recommends: "Maybe we should close one of our elementary schools"
If that happens, and the shuttered school's students are dispersed to the city's remaining three elementary schools, class sizes would go through the roof. And then the kids of today would indeed have - at least in terms of classmates - "way more than we had growing up."
Jeff Wagenheim
Northampton
Budgetary issues could have long-term effects on students
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 4, 2009
To the editor:
The budgetary issues faced by our town are daunting, but I am very disappointed to hear that we are faced with eliminating over 40 teachers and possibly closing an elementary school. As the discussions continue on this issue it is imperative that we consider the following implications that these drastic cuts entail:
¿ Closing a school and/or cutting teaching positions could have a serious impact on the number of school choice students entering our district. These students account for over $1,000,000 in funding which could be in jeopardy ¿ potentially widening our budget gap. In addition, it remains unclear if any net savings will be realized in the upcoming year by closing a school (unemployment costs, moving costs, increased transport costs, loss of students due to school choice, etc.)
¿ The downturn in the economy may force many parents of private school children to enroll in the public school system. This could worsen the already dismal class size projections.
¿ Studies have shown that larger class sizes have a more deleterious impact on younger ages and that the effect lessens in higher grade levels. That being said, it is troublesome that the majority of the staff cuts are focused on the elementary level. I understand the logic of cutting staff based upon a straight percentage basis, but with the drastic reductions we are considering, I think it is prudent to focus the cuts where they will do the least harm.
The challenges facing our schools and town budgets are not isolated. Many other towns throughout the state and country face similar issues and are finding ways to minimize the impact on their school systems. Now is the time for the school board to focus on the long-term effects their decisions will have on the children of our community.
Rob Schroeder
Florence
Override column prompts response (#1)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 4, 2009
To the editor:
Thanks to Rachel Simpson and her fine guest column March 31. As a fellow "native" of Northampton, I second her dismissal of the myth that there is somehow a natural divide between Hamp and Noho residents. Let's remember that at some point in each of our histories we, or members of our family, were the newcomers to this wonderful town. Having been born here does not grant us ownership, but instead stewardship. It is our responsibility to care for our shared community.
One way, among many, that we do this is by contributing financially to the community pool through taxes.
I was active in the last proposition override that lost by single digit votes. There was a lot of talk then about divides-between Hamp and Noho residents, between haves and have-nots. However, there were countless Hamp residents who voted for it and countless newcomers who did not. There were folks with more than enough money to spare who chose not to share their resources and folks with nothing to spare who chose to make a sacrifice. None of the old myths stand up. It comes down only to philosophical differences.
I hope that if our community deems a proposition override necessary-and it sure looks like it is-that those whose philosophy includes a sense of responsibility for caring for their community through taxes has the winning number of votes.
Lynne Saner
Northampton
Override column prompts response (#2)
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 4, 2009
To the editor:
Bravo to Rachel Simpson! Funny, but I have almost the exact same sentiments and points to make about how we all need to come together instead of dividing along artificial lines of "difference" when the financial crisis in our city threatens us all.
Funny, but I also believe that it is my responsibility to look out for my neighbors' and friends' needs in addition to my own. I may not have needed the help of the police or fire departments recently, but someone else has and what will we do when those services are cut? Not all of my neighbors currently have kids in the school system but I believe that we all care about the educational needs of all children, whether or not we have some in school right now.
Funny, but just like Rachel, I care about our entire community.
Why is this funny? Because unlike Rachel, I did not grow up in Northampton. I am a little bit new-Northampton. I have only known Thornes as Thornes; my husband and I are fortunate to be employed. But just like Rachel said in her wonderful column, "Please don't think you know what I want, or what I can and can't afford..." Can I afford to spend more on my property taxes? Not easily. But just like Rachel, I believe that passage of an override will help all of us, and my concerns are for all of us.
Margaret Miller
Florence
Under projected budget, taking action is a must
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 1, 2009
To the editor:
I recently sat through a sobering meeting sponsored by the Bridge Street School PTO at which Bridge Street School Principal Johanna McKenna, Northampton Public School Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez, and Business Manager Susan Wright were available to present and review the 2009-2010 projected budget.
While Ms. McKenna reminded the audience that the school's class size projections she presented were ¿worst-case scenarios,' the results were unfathomable. Charged with reducing the number of classroom teachers from the current level of 14 down to 8 due to next fiscal year's financial mess, Bridge Street is looking at class sizes ranging from 14-54, 27-47, 23-54 students. Yes, that means 54 students in one classroom. None of the six scenarios had a maximum class size under 44.
And while this was one elementary school's story, every other public school in Northampton is going through the same exercise of cutting staff to meet next year's budget shortfall. Yes, this is a worst-case scenario, but it's also a warning of what could be the reality come September. There are no major windfalls on the horizon, no anticipated stimulus injections for education, no guarantee that a possible override will pass.
Rather than feel helpless, there is one thing every resident of Northampton can do. It is time to take these budget numbers and their ramifications (cuts to safety, education, human services, libraries) seriously. Today or tomorrow, please make time to contact your state legislators and the governor's office and urge them to act quickly on passing bills to tax meals, lodging, soft drinks, loose tobacco, candy, and closing every other loophole that is "on the table" in Boston.
Michaela O'Brien
Florence
City Override a Civic Responsibility
Daily Hampshire Gazette, March 31, 2009
I was watching the Northampton City Council meeting recently when a Baystate resident spoke about her opposition to a Proposition 2½ override to help close Northampton's budget gap.
She called for an end to isolating "the differences between old Northampton and new Northampton, and to not just expect that those who are hurting financially to keep on hurting."
I'm pretty sure she was saying that "old Northampton" could not afford, and was not interested, in an override. I think she needs to do some more research.
I'm "old Northampton," as I understand the term. I remember downtown when it had a McCallum's store, before Thornes was even a concept. I remember when Woolworth's had a lunch counter, and Newberry's was open, and when students could smoke under the mini gym at the high school (not that I did that). I say I am from Hamp, not Noho. I own a home right across Route 9 from the street where I grew up. I married a townie, and my daughter was born at Cooley Dick (that's what we townies call the hospital).
My husband and I both recently lost our jobs, and frankly, are worried. Still, I wholeheartedly support an override. To do otherwise would be irresponsible and selfish.
And I am so tired of people presuming to speak for me - people who say they don't want to be divisive, and then talk at length about old and new Northampton, painting one group as victims and the other as some sort of annoying interlopers. That is about as divisive as it gets.
Please don't think you know what I want, or what I can or can't afford, when you haven't bothered to ask me.
When did being from Hamp start to mean that you don't want good things for Hamp, or that you shouldn't have to pay for them? It wasn't that way when I was growing up here. (Don't get me wrong - I do understand how annoying it can be when new people come in and tell me how much better it was where they lived before. Sure, some newcomers are arrogant, but some of us Hamp people are pretty arrogant too.)
I was very fortunate to grow up here, and I want others to have the same good fortune People paid taxes so that I would benefit from city services (before Proposition 2½ was even passed), and I am obligated to do the same - whatever it takes. Even if I don't have a job right now. My hometown is facing what amounts to one of the biggest budget crises in its history, with a $6 million-plus shortfall expected. Now is not the time to be setting factions against each other. It's time for the community to act like a community - for disparate groups to come together and work in Northampton's best interests.
Passage of an override, in whatever form it takes, helps all of us. If it closes - or at least narrows - the school budget gap, other city departments may have to take less of a hit. You can't have a functional city where one department's success depends on other departments' failures.
I'd like to see the formation of a coalition dedicated to a united community. If the pro-override Northampton Education Action Team is that coalition, which I hear it may be, I'm joining it. I'm going to do whatever I can to ensure the passage of an override. It would be wrong not to.
Rachel Simpson, a writer and editor, attended the former Vernon Street School, the former Florence Grammar School, and the former Hawley Junior High School, and is a 1981 graduate of Northampton High.
High school music program is the heart of Northampton
Daily Hampshire Gazette, March 31, 2009
Northampton's Website touts our town as an arts and entertainment destination, and celebrates its status as the "Number One Best Small Arts Town in America." Yet, once again, instrumental and choral music at our excellent high school face the prospect of elimination. Only this time, that prospect is more than a possibility, it appears to be a near certainty.
Anyone who has attended a high school concert, or a football game halftime show, can attest to the talent and professionalism of our music program and the dedication of its teachers and staff. Imagine what the school would be like without it. Imagine what the town would be like without it.
Without supporting our high school music program in difficult economic times, our community loses a defining element and a badge of distinction. Our elected officials should remember this when weighing the difficult budget choices that confront them.
Ray and Shelly DeMeo
Florence
No single, simple solution to city's budget problems
Daily Hampshire Gazette, March 11, 2009
As I read about Northampton's $6 million budget shortfall, I realize that our city will not magically escape the worldwide economic meltdown. It's no longer a question of whether we will feel the hurt here, but only of what we can do to lessen it. The $6 million gap is extraordinary in these extraordinary times and it will require extraordinary action to close it. I fervently hope that the action taken involves every one of us giving a little more so we all lose a lot less.
There is no one solution ¿ not a single budget cut or a single wage freeze or a single override can tackle the magnitude of this problem. But if we do it all together -- make the cuts where we can possibly stomach them, agree to the wage freezes for wages that are hard-earned and deserved, pay some more in property taxes when of course we would rather pay less ¿ then we will all come out the better for it.
We will save jobs that not only serve our children, our safety and our streets but will save us from greater economic downtown. We will save the services that allow us to drive on plowed streets and feel safe in our homes and give our children a quality education so they can grow up to do their part in fueling a healthy economy. We will, in short, do what we need to do to continue to take pride in our city and ourselves as a community.
We can follow our President's example when he said that if we all pitch in, we will emerge from this crisis even stronger as a nation. Let's lead the way, do what is hard and right and make us all stronger here at home.
Pamela Schwartz
Northampton