Committee Votes 3-1 to Shift $187,500 in Budget

School Committee · Meeting of June 25, 2026

AMHERST — The Amherst School Committee voted 3-1 to reallocate $187,500 within its fiscal 2027 budget, shifting money into instruction and support-staff payroll. Superintendent Dr. Z told the committee the changes would force service reductions but said staff "did not have adequate time" to fully assess the impact on the committee's own priorities, including anti-bullying compliance and math support. Member Bridget said "every place we cut from is going to hurt," while member Sarah voted no.

The committee also voted 4-0 to relinquish the unused South Amherst Campus School to the town and voted 4-0 to urge the administration to seek Community Preservation Act funds this fall for a Crocker Farm playground renovation, after the town's capital planning committee declined to fund it directly. A fifth member, Laura Jane, was absent for all three votes.

In the full story:

• Budget Reallocation: Implementing the Committee's Prior Directives
• South Amherst Campus School: Formalizing a Property Transfer
• Crocker Farm Playground: Seeking Community Preservation Act Funds
• Elementary Tutoring Program: An Idea in Early Development
• Future Agenda Planning
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,261 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of June 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.