Amherst Elementary Schools Slated to Cut Ten More Positions in FY26

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst School Committee, May 20, 2025

This meeting was held in person in the Amherst Regional High School Library and was simulcast on Amherst Media Channel 15. You can find the recording here. 

The meeting kicked off with the chair’s update, given by Chair Jennifer Shiao. She shared her experience of attending the “topping off” ceremony at the new Fort River Elementary School, which was held earlier in the day. It was attended by school and elected officials and involved the placing of a ceremonial steel beam signed by community members at the top of the construction..

Budget 
Shiao delivered a special statement directed to the Town Council, about the 2026 school budget process as a response to a town Finance Committee meeting that she had attended on May 8. The statement was a reaction to the Finance Committee recommending a 5% increase to last year’s elementary school budget, after the School Committee itself had voted for a 6% increase. In her statement, Shiao said:

This year, after an exhaustive and collaborative process involving educators, administrators, and community members, the School Committee voted to approve a budget that represents a 6% increase over last year. This increase is not arbitrary; it is intentional, and it is a direct response to rising costs, state-mandated requirements, and the evolving needs of our student population. It is the role of this body, the Amherst School Committee, to determine what is necessary to meet the needs of the district. It is the role of the Town Council to take that determination under advisement as they shape the broader town budget. While we understand and respect the Council’s responsibility to balance competing priorities across departments, we are concerned or rather, I should say, I am concerned by the recent shift from budgetary approval to budgetary second-guessing. . .We invite continued dialogue and cooperation but I personally will continue to push back when the School Committee, the Superintendent, the Finance Director, or other district leaders, are put in a position to defend the educational needs of our community when they are challenged inappropriately. 

Later in the meeting, Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia presented an updated 2026 budget reflecting the reductions made to accommodate the 5% increase received from the town, instead of the 6% that the school committee voted on. This represented overall cuts of $1.15 million to the budget and a reduction of 10.1 personnel positions. On the more positive side,four special education academic teaching positions, full-time specials positions (i.e. instructors for non-core subjects like art, music, or physical education) for all schools, and two reading teachers were able to be restored to the budget due to the fact that the initial budget had been drafted based on a 3.5% increase only. Committee member Bridget Hynes noted her disappointment that the AIMS (Academic Individualized Mainstream Support) Building Blocks teacher had not been restored to the budget, despite the fact that she had specifically worked with School Committee member Deb Leonard and the Finance Director to include it.

Superintendent’s Report
The superintendent’s update was given by Meghan Dushko, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, since School Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) was attending her nephew’s graduation. She reported on the recent learning walks at the three elementary schools and also gave a brief report on the restructuring process. (Editor’s note: Learning Walks, are a cyclical process for observing and reflecting on instruction,  used in Amherst schools to improve student learning and inform teaching practices. They involve non-evaluative observations of classrooms, followed by small-group debriefs and a whole-group discussion to identify trends and best practices. This process helps teachers and leaders collaborate on improving instruction and student outcomes.) 

Restructuring
In describing the restructuring process, she reminded the committee that it referred to the 6th grade transition as well as the new K-5 school and Early Learning Center. According to Dushko, district leadership (principals, assistant principals, and central office staff) met this week and began drafting a transition project timeline to share at the beginning of the new school year. They identified several major areas of focus: redistricting and school assignment planning, academic programming, student transitions, staffing and human resources, facilities/operations and logistics, community building and celebrations, and ongoing communications channels. Dushko said the leadership team will continue to meet biweekly as the planning process continues and working groups will form around each area of focus.

Leonard asked for more specifics as to what the process would entail and especially wanted to know where there would be space for community input and dialogue. School Committee member Sarah Marshall expressed “alarm” that we were just at the starting line in the fall, given all the work that would need to be done to make the transition happen. Dushko assured her that work would be going on during the summer and that fall was just the target to share information with the community.  Shiao expressed her opinion that families should be told at the beginning of this school year what school their child would be attending the following year (2026-27). At the end of the meeting, Marshall asked that Dr. Xi plan to update the School Committee on their transition planning process in more detail at the next meeting. 

Finally, the School Committee voted to go into Executive Session regarding strategy on litigation or collective bargaining with Doreen Reed and Maureen Fleming. They did not return to the open session.