Three ARHS Students Testify Before Joint Ways and Means Committee

Amherst Regional High School sophomores Maeve Fitzgerald and Ella Bradbury and junior Rose Collins, along with teacher Danielle Seltzer offered testimony advocating for increased rural aid to schools at the state legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee FY27 budget hearing on March 31 at the Gardner Auditorium at the State House. The recording can be found here.

Bradbury began by noting that the small tax base of many rural communities leaves them unable to adequately fund the public schools, leading to deficits and loss of staff. She stated that her English teacher, Ms. Lewis, has been threatened with losing her job due to budget cuts for the past three years.

Collins said that her family moved to Massachusetts from Texas, and a huge factor in that move was the school district. She especially appreciates her photography teacher, Ms. Bethke, and chorus director, Mr. Fruth, whose jobs are always threatened due to funding deficits. But she added, “I also have a passion for politics that I hope to continue after high school. Every year our course options shrink, cutting almost all courses on American politics and cultures. These are the very courses that inspire kids to the jobs that you hold. Unfortunately, this is not my first time speaking before you all. Our problems as a rural school have only grown with this year’s deficit predicted to be $2M over several districts [elementary and regional], risking losing even more teachers and even the closing of an elementary school. The taxes my family pays, and the dedication of our teachers and paras are not being reflected in the funding, and neither is the fact that our government claims to care deeply about education. At the end of the day, this is your job, and this is my life. This is just a section inside a bill, but this is what shapes every child inside of Massachusetts. We are not getting what we need, and you are not doing enough to help us. We are not asking for the world, we are asking for the education that every child deserves. “

Collins’ words were echoed by Fitzgerald, who said, “I love my community.  We are home to the flagship university and colleges that bring diverse perspectives and people. But right now, our schools are not having their needs met, because we receive the minimum aid increase.” She noted the difficulty in funding necessary town services while providing sufficient funding for the schools. She added that maintaining the same level of education has resulted in a projected $2.3 million deficit for the public schools. This has forced the district to cut needed programs, such as art and sports transportation. She offered three ideas to “fix this broken system”: increase the minimum aid to $500 per student, increase rural school aid statewide to $60 million (the amount recommended by the Rural School Commission), and eliminate the provision that would allow charter school to receive rural aid.

The students were accompanied by teacher Danielle Seltzer. She said that last year she came to the Ways and Means hearing with a large group of students, but this year funding only allowed five students to attend. She pointed out that recent recommendations for rural school districts are not enough.

Schools have been told to expand vocational programs, but budget shortfalls have resulted in many programs being cut over recent years, and there are not enough spaces in vocational schools for all of the students who desire these programs. Those schools also do not have funding to expand.

Rural schools have been told to regionalize to increase efficiency, but Amherst is already regionalized, and regionalization increases transportation costs. Seltzer concluded, “Students in rural areas deserve the same quality of education as those in Boston. I urge you to think about the young people.”

Senator Jo Comerford, who is the Vice Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, thanked the students for coming to the hearing.  She said, “Thank you for calling on us to do what is right. What you are asking for is just and right. Right now the young people and educators in our district are not being afforded equitable access to education or teaching conditions, and that is what is true, and you’ve called us to that truth.”

The Ways and Means Committee is evaluating the budget put forward by Governor Maura Healey. The legislature will incorporate its funding priorities into the budget, hopefully finalizing it by July 1.