NORTHAMPTON — Four guidance counselors and one adjustment counselor for 850 students. Overcrowded classes. Not enough teachers. No field trips. And fewer art courses.
Those were some of the conditions about 30 students from Northampton High School and Gateway Regional High School described to Gov. Maura Healey and state legislators last week during a visit to her office, pleading with them to invest more in public education.
The student leaders say the message is so urgent that they felt compelled to organize car pools to the State House on March 5, bringing along Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra.
The students described the day as “guerrilla advocacy.” They wore suits and formal attire from Goodwill as they canvassed members of the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee door to door in the State House. Northampton legislators Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa joined them.
The students called for an increase in Chapter 70 money to bolster Northampton’s suffering school budget, as well as more money from the state’s circuit breaker funds, which covers special education and regional transportation costs.
Four days after their visit to Boston, some of the student leaders behind the organizing explained during an interview at Northampton High School that the city’s Chapter 70 state aid accounts for 16% of net school spending for Northampton Public Schools. That’s less than half the funding prior to the 1993 Education Reform Act, when it was 33%.
Students advocated for legislators to support Bill S. 400, an act to ensure adequate and equitable funding for public education, which they believe would reopen the state’s public education funding streams, and Bill S.394, an act increasing the commonwealth’s share of the education foundation budget. Students also rallied for an increased per-pupil minimum aid amount.
Zara Usman, president of the Northampton High Student Union, and Amelia Durbin, chair of the Youth Commission, were among the students who made the trip. In searching thrift stores for formal wear, they ended up unintentionally matching Sciarra’s black-and-purple color palette.
Both students were confident about their advocacy with the governor.
“I really feel that this trip was definitely the most positive response that I have seen in my four years of doing this,” said Usman, who has advocated for school funding throughout her high school years. “And honestly, it was such a great time, like the car ride there and back. The vibes were so good.”
Durbin said Healey seemed “surprised” about the gravity of need in Northampton.
Also on the trip was Charlie Sidoti, a Class of 2027 Student Union representative, who said that, “I think the governor, and a lot of people’s response in general, was kind of that we’ve heard bits and pieces about this … they hadn’t really heard the scale. And I think coming from students, it was very powerful.
“I think the biggest thing that really surprised the governor was just the amount of students we had in her office. I don’t think she was expecting that on a school day, 30 of us were willing to miss class and show up.”
In a statement from her office this week, Healey said she appreciated the chance to meet with students from Northampton and Gateway Regional and hear directly about their experiences in school and their perspectives on education funding.
“She is always encouraged to see young people engaged in civic issues and advocating for their communities,” the statement said. “The governor shared the work her administration is doing to strengthen public education across Massachusetts, including investments in rural school aid, literacy, early college and student support services, and she welcomed the students’ input as part of the ongoing conversation about how to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education.”
Sciarra said she was honored to accompany the students.
“As always, I was deeply impressed by their passionate advocacy as they made their case to state education officials, legislators, and the governor herself about the need for reforms to the way we fund education in Massachusetts,” the mayor said in a statement.
Students participating were members of the Northampton High School Student Union, an elected body of 16 representatives (four per grade) serving as the bridge between the student body, administration and elected officials, and/or the Northampton Youth Commission, an official city body dedicated to representing young people in Northampton.
In the hallways of NHS
NHS students noted some of the challenges their school faces, including rumors of layoffs, a lack of people to assist students in the hallways, a shortage of counselors and fewer options for both college aspirants and those who want to enter the workforce.
However, the students emphasized that their teachers are generous and go the extra mile, and Usman described a Northampton education as “superb.” Regardless, state education funding is down, which carries impacts.
The students’ concerns highlight a broader funding challenge in Northampton. Because the city has a relatively strong tax base, the state directs more education aid to poorer municipalities under the Student Opportunity Act, leaving districts like Northampton with smaller funding increases.
“The current formula really analyzes and supports school districts that don’t have a big tax base or don’t have the resources within their municipality,” said Durbin. “But districts like Northampton, which the state calculates is wealthier or has more support in their tax base, we are minimum.”
Layoffs often result from funding deficits, creating tension for both students and teachers.
“I think that so often it’s easy to think about a position being cut and not the actual effects they have, because our teachers, if you cut that position, you’re cutting relationships,” said Usman. “You’re cutting instruction. You’re cutting everything that they have to offer. It’s not just a simple budget line item.”
Helen Tejirian, vice chair of the school’s Youth Commission and secretary of the Student Union, offered insights into the uncertainty layoffs cause.
“I became very close with one teacher, for example, who was an English teacher, and then she was pink slipped, and you really began to see it in the ways that teachers were interacting with students, where there’s this tension where so many teachers weren’t sure if they would have a consistent position, if they’d be able to be rehired next year,” Tejirian said. “And that teacher was actually laid off, and it was incredibly difficult for her, and I stayed in touch with her, and we were able to get her position back last year.”
The group said Northampton High is short 12 positions, a number they got from the school’s principal, which would allow for more paraprofessional assistance and other clerical jobs.
Students said the shortages also raise equity concerns, particularly for those seeking extracurricular activities and students with special needs.
“I think in general, the strain on our budget, especially in the schools, ends up being a racial and socioeconomic issue for sure, because when we’re cutting resources the first things are cut are electives, like Black history, art history and special education has been struggling to meet the needs of kids with education plans,” Durbin said.
Nora Bianciardi, Class of 2028 Student Union representative and Youth Commission member, said that a lack of paraprofessional assistance leads to “volatile” situations. There is also a lack of preparedness for issues in the hallways, whether it be a student throwing up or other small-scale emergencies that need support from paraprofessionals.
To respect privacy in these situations, students “stay in place” in their classrooms until issues in the hallways have been addressed. More help would mean quicker responses and shorter lockdowns, the students argue.
“We’re understaffed, so a lot of times these protocols take longer than they should, to the point where they get a little more widespread,” said Usman. “There’s quite a bit more disruption. Students are very much able to see the event and take full notice of it before it is properly handled.”
Students expressed concerns about a lack of guidance counselors and adjustment counselors, which affects everyone, but especially first-generation college aspirants.
There is also a lack of foreign language education, which is desirable when applying for colleges. “I was unable to take Spanish, which a lot of colleges prefer four years of foreign language,” said Usman.
For those uninterested in college, there is also no programming for entering the workforce straight out of high school.
Younger grades, bigger problems
Students explained, however, that there is also a crisis in the middle schools, including a lack of paraprofessional help to address mental health and behavioral issues, low literacy rates and a lack of funding.
“The elementary schools are suffering way more from budget cuts than the high school could be, and I think that can’t be ignored, because at a certain point, we’ve already received so much education,” said Usman. “We have a maturity level if instruction is missing.”
But what makes middle schoolers’ plight worse, the students said, is that they don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves — for instance, by speaking with the governor. Without changes, the high schoolers fear the shortcomings in the middle school may one day be the “new norm” for future high school classes.
“It [a lack of funding] is a socioeconomic issue, and so by allowing it to happen at the younger schools, it becomes the new norm,” said Tejirian. “And a lot of these politicians, governors, senators are only listening to the students when the students are in front of them … and so that places a large burden of advocacy on high school students.”
But the students explained that last week’s trip wasn’t a burden but a good time.
Durbin described carpooling with Mayor Sciarra, saying, “We just kind of talked about politics the whole time. It was actually a really fun time. We talked about the Texas election.”
In other cars, students fought over who was going to be in charge of music and goofed around while in their suits. The students described the governor’s office as “beautiful,” and said she shook the hands of all 30 students.
The experience has also ignited a deeper passion to enter political life for many in the group, and Sen. Comerford also egged them on to pursue public service.