I am the parent of a Northampton High School student. I have been fortunate enough to have had the capacity and time to be engaged in the schools my son has attended, serving on the PTO since he was at Bridge Street Elementary School. (Pro tip: If you serve middle schoolers snow cones for too long at the school dance, you will lose feeling in your fingers.)

 I fiercely believe that public school is the cornerstone of democracy and the center of our community.

Two weeks ago, the Northampton School Committee faced a very difficult charge. The committee had to pass a budget without sufficient revenue to pay for current staff levels. Recent increases in staffing and staff pay had been covered by funding that is no longer available, such as federal pandemic relief, leaving a $4.8 million budget gap.

The School Committee (with Karen Foster Cannon casting the lone “no” vote) passed a budget that increases spending by 17%, leaving that deficit unresolved. This decision has the unfortunate impact of depriving the mayor and City Council of expert advice from the city’s largest department when assembling the overall budget.

The kind of increase in spending that the committee voted for doesn’t just pit the school budget against other city departments. It requires gutting or eliminating essential city services, which of course would impact our entire community, children and adults alike.

Further, we should not assume that short-term cuts would devastate our children’s learning experiences. Before the recent budget increase, our educators did fantastic work. Before the recent budget increase, we did not have a problem with class sizes. I have confidence in our teachers and administrators to do exemplary work within budget constraints, just as the workers in our other city departments do.

Of course, I wish for robust funding for our schools. I bemoan the lack of state support and the flawed educational funding formulas. But a city is the sum of its parts. Schools are undeniably a considerable part, but they are not the entirety.

I urge the mayor and City Council to right-size the school budget so that we can continue to have both thriving schools and a thriving city community for all of its members, including our children.

Jennifer Dieringer

Northampton