Tom Bodo: Northampton needs more from Smith College

Looking through the gates of Smith College at Northampton center. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

Published: 01-03-2024 4:22 PM

After listening to the heart-wrenching testimonies of local educators and parents during the Dec. 14 Northampton School Committee meeting, and reading the article, “The Smith College effect,” [Gazette, Dec. 29], it is clear to me that Northampton residents should ask more of its wealthy, tax-exempt neighbor.

No one can dispute Smith College’s many contributions to the city. Its financial support of projects like the visionary Resilience Hub truly distinguish Northampton as a national leader despite its small size. However, the ability to pick and choose contributions that burnish Smith’s reputation is not in the true spirit of civic responsibility.

The social contract requires citizens to pay taxes for purposes beyond what they individually want or use. Our community would be richer and more equitable if Smith adopted the more civic-minded approach of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). Smith can and should use its exceptional privilege to help Northampton provide basic services like public education, and not just fund what is worthy of headlines.

Just as much of Northampton’s vibrancy is directly related to Smith’s prestige and influence, Smith’s prestige and influence are dependent on the city’s vibrancy.

Smith College is able to recruit top talent because prospective faculty members know they can send their children to top-quality public schools. They know they can take active transportation to work. They know Northampton is willing to innovate and push for social justice and climate action in a way that few small cities will.

Northampton, and particularly Northampton Public Schools, need Smith College to be a better citizen right now. Frankly, it is unconscionable for our neighbors at Smith to sit on billions of dollars in endowment funds while the already short-staffed public schools contemplate dozens of layoffs of hardworking, creative, and dedicated teachers and support staff.

It is unacceptable for Smith administrators to claim the college is doing enough while the salaries of local public educators lag far behind those of neighboring districts. If Northampton taxpayers can be asked to weather another tax override, it’s high time for Smith to agree to a PILOT plan.

Tom Bodo

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