Public Raises Concerns About Funding of Schools and CRESS

Report on the Public Hearing on the Budget at the Special Meeting of the Amherst Town Council with the Finance Committee, May 12, 2025

By Maura Keene

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Andy Steinberg, Mandi Jo Hanneke, Ellisha Walker (at large), Cathy Schoen and Freke Ette (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2),

George Ryan and Hala Lord (District 3), Jennifer Taub and Pam Rooney (District 4), Bob Hegner and Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5). Bernie Kubiak (nonvoting member of the Finance Committee).

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager), Athena O’Keeffe (Council Clerk)

Although there were 15 members of the public in the Zoom audience, few spoke at this public hearing on the budget. Those who did speak noted that the public schools and the CRESS department of civilian responders had outsized needs that were not being met by the Town Manager’s proposed budget. 

The municipal budget proposes to cut 6.4 positions that are currently vacant, but two of those are in CRESS, amounting to 20% of the program’s staffing.

Rich McClain noted that in the several meetings on the budget that he attended, no mention was made that the schools are projected to lose 22 positions. He said that even with the additional funds, above the 4% increase originally proposed, the town is not meeting the needs of the schools. Amber Cano Martin pointed out that the proposed budget leaves the elementary and regional schools $2 million short of level funding. At the same time, she pointed out, “This body has locked us into a highly expensive and unsustainable library project that now we can do nothing about.”

Cathleen Mitchell stated, “I think there is a temptation and a tendency in the community to pit one part of town against another, or one need against another. I think there is a misunderstanding that the extra money the schools are getting above the 4% is causing the loss of 6.4 positions on the municipal side. From what the Town Manager has said, that is not the case.” The municipal budget is still increasing by 4%. The extra funds for the school are coming from a slight decrease in capital investment and a one-time bridge from free cash for the elementary schools. Laura Evonne, who identified herself as an educator at the regional schools, asked “If we invited you in, how do you explain to our students that there is this surplus [in the end of the year reconciled cash flow], but 22 positions will be cut? How would you explain that to the students?”

In opposition to the cuts in CRESS, Martha Hanner said, “Our town budget should reflect our values. You councilors are responsible for upholding our town’s values. The proposed budget cuts our unarmed responders below what I think is the threshold for safe and effective functioning. It’s not just the 25% loss of responders, but the elimination of the implementation manager’s position that was funded by a grant that ends July 1. Further grant funding is likely, but it’s not here yet.” Both Hanner and Rani Parker cited the increased importance of CRESS given the aggressive actions of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that are causing many local residents to be fearful of any interactions with the police. Therefore, they felt that the need for CRESS is more urgent than envisioned when the program launched in 2022. Hanner suggested that the town supply bridging funds to cover the CRESS implementation manager’s job until another grant could be obtained.

Parker noted that, despite the fact that CRESS has not been widely marketed or linked to existing systems, and the building it is in (Bangs Community Center) closes at 4 p.m. so responders are not available evenings, people are calling and showing up at CRESS and its services are increasingly valuable to the community.

Angelica Castro stressed the importance of a service like CRESS, especially to those who have mental health challenges or whose kids have difficulties. She said CRESS gives an option other than the police department, and continued, “I’ve worked with CRESS as a community member. I’ve done trainings with them, and I see the value, the invaluable presence, that they’ve had. I support not cutting anything, especially the implementation manager position. If that was eliminated, how does the department continue to function?”

Kat Newman has served as the implementation manager for the CRESS program since its inception. In that role she serves as the primary point of contact with other Town departments and other agencies that serve the Amherst community. In addition, she establishes and implements quality standards for the development of the department in order to maintain agreed-upon standards; creates long- and short-term plans, including setting targets for milestones.

Jeff Mazur agreed with other speakers on the importance of funding the schools and CRESS. He noted that revenues in FY2025 are running ahead of what was predicted and that the town is likely to again have a large end-of-the year surplus. He asked, “If I see that there’s a $4 or $5 million surplus while we’re making these cuts, and the [FY26] budget is based on the FY25, why have we not adjusted our benchmarks, based on actual information, versus doing our budget based on the FY25 budget? If year after year we’re having surpluses and the schools are having to make big cuts, then this is squirreling away funds that could be used for operations [and adding them] into the capital budget.”

Town Manager’s Introduction to the FY26 Budget Hearing
At the start of the hearing, Town Manager Paul Bockelman  summarized the PowerPoint presentation that he had given at the May 5 Town Council meeting about the $103 million budget, saying that it is  balanced, that it reflects and supports important community values, and recognizes the importance of excellent services and fiscal stability. The five components of the budget are:

1. Municipal services
2. Library
3. Elementary schools
4. Regional schools
5. Capital improvement

Originally, the town finance department recommended a 3.5% increase in each of the areas, which was then increased to 4% as more data became available, he said. Then the Town Council voted on April 7 to increase school funding by 4.81% for the regional schools and 5% for the elementary schools. To achieve this additional funding, the capital budget was reduced from 10.5% to 10.26%, and one-time bridging funds from free cash were allotted to the elementary schools.

Because of inflation, especially in healthcare costs and agreements made with collective bargaining units, Bockelman said that a decision was made to freeze 6.4 vacant positions across town departments, rather than resorting to layoffs, and that significant increases in water and sewer rates will be needed to cover increased costs in those departments.

Bockelman concluded, “The council has established significant goals for the Town Manager and my staff to meet, and we are going to be working hard to meet them all, although we may have some challenges. This is a realistic, no-nonsense budget. It balances our commitments to a strong fiscal policy with the recognized needs and desires of the community. We have emphasized resilience, as our staff will be trying to meet the many needs of the town, but with fewer employees we will need compassion, understanding, and supportive ideas to navigate these coming years.”

The complete documents on the budget from the schools, the libraries, and the town are available here on the town website. A public forum on the capital budget is scheduled for June 2.