EASTHAMPTON - Easthampton Public Schools is warning that 35 staff positions will be on the chopping block unless voters approve a $6.9 million Proposition 2½ override on June 9. At the School Committee’s May 26 meeting, Superintendent Michelle Balch walked through two competing budget scenarios that show significantly deeper reductions if the override fails. District leaders say the resulting layoffs would hit preschool, special education, library and nursing services, and could wipe out middle- and high-school athletics altogether.
According to The Reminder, Balch said the failed-override scenario would eliminate or reduce 24 positions at Mountain View School and 11 at Easthampton High, with personnel costs making up about $2 million of the $2.77 million in proposed cuts. She told the committee the district had already approved a level-service school budget in March but would still need to trim roughly $922,000 even if the override passes. The Reminder’s coverage also includes the job-by-job breakdown the district shared with the committee.
Why the city asked for an override
City officials say the override request is the result of years of rising costs and dwindling reserves that have left Easthampton with a structural budget gap. As reported by the Daily Hampshire Gazette and detailed in the city’s FY27 budget book, Easthampton has been drawing down stabilization funds in recent years and now faces a shortfall the override is designed to help close. The FY27 budget materials on the city’s website spell out the mayor’s proposed spending plans, both with and without the override, along with department-level impacts tied to the $6.9 million question.
What the district presentation shows
The district has posted a “Successful Override vs. Failed Override” slide deck on its School Committee page that lists specific positions at risk under each scenario. According to that presentation, Mountain View would lose three full-day pre-K sections, multiple K–5 classroom sections, two special-education teachers, two interventionalists, an adjustment counselor, a school psychologist, two nurses, two librarians, three speech-language pathologists and parts of the band and music program. Easthampton High would see roughly 1.5 English positions cut, along with reductions in math, health, technology/engineering, world language, special education, library support and certain extracurricular stipends. The slides and the full May 26 meeting video are available on the district website for voters who want the line-by-line detail (Easthampton Public Schools).
Community reaction
Public comment at the May 26 meeting filled the entire allotted time, as teachers, parents and students lined up to describe the human impact behind the budget lines. School Committee member Bonnie Atkins labeled the potential cuts “apocalyptic,” while Mayor Salem Derby told The Reminder, “this is not fear-mongering. This is reality.” In the weeks leading up to the vote, students have organized walkouts and other demonstrations, highlighting how school staffing and programs have become a galvanizing political issue in the city (Western Mass News).
Next steps and where to get information
The override will be decided in a special election on June 9. According to the City Clerk’s election page, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and all registered Easthampton voters will cast ballots at Easthampton High School, 70 Williston Avenue. Residents can review the district’s presentation and the May 26 School Committee meeting video on the district website, and consult the city’s FY27 budget book for the mayor’s full proposal, before heading to the polls (Easthampton Elections & Voting).
