Educators Report That Racism Against BIPOC Staff Is Still Prevalent in Regional Schools

Report on the Joint Meeting of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, Amherst School Committee, and Union 26 School Committee, June 10, 2025

By Amy Cronin DiCaprio

This meeting was held in person in the Amherst Regional High School library and simulcast on Amherst Media. The recording can be viewed here.

Present
Sarahbess Kenney (Chair, Pelham),  William Sherr (Pelham), Jennifer Shiao (Amherst), Bridget Hynes (Amherst), Anna Heard (Shutesbury), Deb Leonard (Amherst), Tim Shores (Leverett) Jenny Bradbury (Pelham), Rachel Figurasmith (Pelham), Margaret Stancer (Pelham) and Irv Rhodes (Amherst) 

Staff: School Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi).

Participating over Zoom were school committee member Sarah Marshall (Amherst) and Interim Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia.

Educators Protest Loss of School Equity Task Force
The meeting opened with public comment from Georgia Malcolm and Amherst Middle School social studies teacher Jennifer Jensen, who delivered a joint statement in defense of the School Equity Task Force (SETF), calling it “a space where community voices, especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds, could speak truth to power and expect real feedback and action.” They expressed disappointment and concern about the SETF being “quietly dismantled, its purpose diluted, its community roots severed,” with the new School Equity Advisory Committee (SEAC) replacing the SETF. 

Malcolm said, “The original SETF cannot and should not coexist with this new structure. They are fundamentally different and confusing them undermines the trust that equity work demands.” Jensen continued, “This decision has not gone unnoticed, particularly in light of the escalating racial tensions in our district and the deepening community frustration around issues of racism and exclusion. When people feel they are not being heard, especially in a process that was meant to center their voices, it breeds anger, disappointment, and disengagement.” 

Rodney Madison, a paraprofessional at the middle school, identified himself as a proud member of the Amherst school community for over 25 years, but said “Today I am not proud.” He spoke about issues of institutionalized racism and major conflict at the middle school, warning, “We’re at the boiling point.” 

The final public comment was from acting president of the Amherst-Pelham Education Association (APEA) Irene LaRoche. She delivered a call to action and requested that the APEA be formally put on an upcoming Regional School Committee(RSC) agenda so that they wouldn’t have to “keep coming and making public comment about the racism that’s happening within the district and can instead work with you to solve some problems.” LaRoche said the APEA had data to share about disproportionate discipline of educators of color, disproportionate policing of black and brown educators by white teachers and staff, and said that the APEA would like to share that with the school committee. 

The RSC then entered an executive session, after which Sarahbess Kenney gave the Chair’s Update, offering praise to the students who participated in the annual arts exhibit at Hampshire College, and expressing appreciation for this year’s high school graduation ceremony. Amherst Regional High School had 188 graduates, and Summit Academy had 4 graduates. 

Regional School Committee to Review Communication Policy at Future Meeting
The rest of the chair’s update focused on an issue that arose related to communication policy between committees in the school district, and that school committee member Irv Rhodes had not complied with the policy on a few occasions. RSC chair Kenney and Amherst school committee chair Jennifer Shaio met with Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) and also contacted legal counsel for advice on how to proceed before inviting Irv Rhodes to a meeting, at which point Rhodes requested that the discussion be brought before the full committee. Kenney suggested that a discussion around communication policy be included in future agenda planning topics. Rhodes requested he be given meeting time to respond to this update, and when it was granted, he accused Kenney and Shaio of “losing their moral compass.” He recounted his experience of arriving at the meeting with Kenney, Shaio, and Dr. Xi, and said he was brought there under false pretenses, asking angrily, “How dare you insult me like that…how dare you sit there smugly thinking that that was all right?” In response, Kenney reiterated her earlier statement saying the committee could have this item on a future agenda, so that during their planning they could talk collectively about how to proceed. 

Parent Led School Equity Advisory Committee Created
Bridget Hynes gave a presentation on the School Equity Advisory Committee (SEAC), and brought forward a request to approve a motion to approve the proposed structure of SEAC and open channels of communication between the administration and parent groups. The motion is as follows: 

“The Regional School Committee reaffirms its support to SEAC and commits to request performance measures districtwide related to equity and the annual superintendent’s goals. In addition, it approves of the parent-led format, proposed 2025-2026 calendar, and its outreach and communications plan.” The motion passed unanimously. 

Bernacchia Appointed School Finance Director. New Union 26 Leadership Elected
Interim Finance Director Shannon Bernacchia presented the 3rd quarter budget, saying the district is on-track, overall. She suggested a motion to modify the FY25 Operating Budget by making budget transfers between cost centers described in a memo dated June 10, 2025, where cost centers that had expenditures lower than were budgeted can therefore provide support to those cost centers finishing above originally budgeted amounts. Shaio moved to approve the suggestion.

After entering and returning from executive session a second time, Dr Xi brought forth the employment agreement of Bernacchia as Director of Finance: a 3-year contract running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028, with an initial salary of $137,700. Deb Leonard moved to approve the contract for Bernacchia, which was accepted unanimously.

After the Amherst School Committee was adjourned, Union 26 (officers of the Amherst and Pelham School Committees) was called to order, and opened for the reorganization of Union 26. Shaio nominated William Sherr as chair, and Sherr accepted the nomination. Shaio then nominated Hynes as Vice chair