by Johanna Radding 

Northampton Resident

In a recent Gazette article about Northampton’s “unexpected jolt of money” from underestimated revenue and interest, the reporter quoted Mayor Sciarra saying that she was “quite surprised.”

Many people from the community have been pointing this out in public comments, articles, and presentations for months. Claiming to be surprised by underestimated revenue and interest when it has been obvious to everyone but the Mayor and the city Finance Director is disingenuous. Councilor Rothenberg and Northampton resident Al Simon pointed this out in a presentation to City Council on June 17th. Northampton Association of School Employees (NASE) posted about the millions of dollars of underestimated revenue going back to 2018 in a Facebook post on May 16th. School Committee Member Michael Stein has also mentioned the pattern of underestimated revenue and interest at School Committee meetings, and many more residents have spoken to this during public comment at City Council meetings. 

Over the last several months many people noticed the pattern of yearly underestimated revenue that could have been used to level service fund the schools, yet were vilified and denigrated by many of our elected officials for “questioning the experts” and told to be quiet and just trust the Mayor. This money is not a surprise or new revelation to anyone but the Mayor and the Finance Director. 

One must question, is this really a surprise to them? 

How did they, the experts, not see it when so many others did? 

Were they purposefully holding the school budget hostage to force an override by rallying the community to support an override for the schools? 

Why string the Northampton community along for so long about the “deficit” and need for an override and creating division within our community when the money was there all along? It’s time for the Mayor to stop these games and stop defunding the schools.

One can only speculate what the City gained from this, however we all know who lost. The children of Northampton are the ones who have lost, with class sizes of up to 25 at several elementary schools and 30 at the high school, the loss of many high school classes students need to graduate, the reduction of technology and world language classes at the middle school, and math and reading interventionists to help those who are at risk of falling behind their peers in these critical subjects. The children of Northampton deserve better than what the Mayor has given them and have the right to safe, fully funded, and well staffed schools.

The City of Northampton owes the community, NASE, Quaverly Rothenberg, Michael Stein, and Al Simon an apology for their vilification of them for stating this money was there all along. And most importantly the City of Northampton still owes the schools $2.1 million dollars for level service funding and the restoration of 22 staff members.

August 5, 2024