Five Southern Berkshire towns are staring down the fiscal clock this week as voters decide whether to sign off on the Southern Berkshire Regional School District’s proposed FY27 budget. The outcome will determine if the district can bring back staff positions and start the new year on stable financial footing, or if it slides into a bare‑bones, month‑to‑month funding setup when the fiscal year opens. After months of tense hearings and mid-May layoff notices, this round of town votes is shaping up as the last real shot at locking in a full-year spending plan.
When the votes happen
Alford is slated to vote on the budget Tuesday, Monterey on Thursday, and New Marlborough, Sheffield, and Egremont on Monday, according to The Berkshire Eagle. Under the regional agreement, at least four of the five member towns must approve the plan by June 30 for the budget to take effect without state intervention. Exact start times and locations are listed on each town’s special town meeting warrant.
What’s at stake
On June 3, the School Committee voted on a budget that included an amendment to restore at least 10 positions that had been cut earlier in the process. That reversal came after intense public comment, multiple meetings, and a committee revote that followed weeks of back-and-forth, as detailed by The Berkshire Edge. Bringing those jobs back raises town assessments compared with the deeper-cut scenario that had been on the table.
Budget numbers and who pays
District budget materials lay out two FY27 options: a reduced plan of roughly $21.2 million and a larger plan that tops $22.5 million. Town assessments would cover about three-quarters of whichever total is approved, according to the Southern Berkshire FY27 budget booklet. That booklet breaks down how much each town would pay and highlights key cost drivers, including employee benefits, transportation, and special education, that have pushed the numbers higher. Voters are being asked to balance those rising costs against the possibility of deeper cuts to classroom programs, with all of the district’s budget documents posted online for review.
State deadline and the '1/12' risk
If at least four towns do not sign off on the budget by June 30, the district would start the new fiscal year under a month-to-month, level-funded arrangement often called a “1/12” budget. That setup would limit hiring, new initiatives, and other changes while the district continues operating at last year’s spending levels. Local coverage has repeatedly flagged that scenario for residents, and The Berkshire Eagle notes June 30 as a hard deadline for four towns’ approval. The temporary arrangement keeps the doors open and buses running month to month but delays any long-term commitments until a final budget passes.
Layoffs and local reaction
The debate turned urgent in mid-May when Superintendent Brian Ricca emailed about 20 employees to say they would not have jobs next year, and the district announced cuts equal to roughly 21.3 full-time-equivalent positions. The move sparked student and staff protests. WAMC reported on students’ emotional response to the sudden notices and described the mid-day disruption at Mount Everett Regional High School. Teachers’ groups and community members have since packed hearings, urging town meeting voters to keep classroom impacts front and center when they head to the microphone and the ballot box.
How to review the budget
Residents can dig into the FY27 budget booklet, slide presentations, and supporting files on the district’s online budget page, where past School Committee meetings are also available to watch. The Southern Berkshire FY27 budget page links to the full budget booklet and related materials. Town clerks’ warrants spell out the exact budget article language that voters will see at each special town meeting.
Bottom line, this week’s votes will determine whether Southern Berkshire schools can restore staff and avoid emergency cuts, or whether a temporary, one-twelfth funding order kicks in, putting longer-range decisions on ice. Officials say the margins are tight, and in these small-town meetings every raised hand, every question, and every vote could tip the district’s path for the year ahead.
