by Cathy McNally

Northampton resident, parent of NHS graduates, Communication Coach and Consultant

When the “Support our Schools” Facebook Group launched on April 3, it didn’t really start a  community movement, just like your grandpa’s garage didn’t really start your middle school band. It just made gathering a lot more convenient. 

The Facebook Group Page provided a place to connect, learn, and organize for people who were upset (to put it mildly!) about the city’s plan to defund schools. 

Because those people – parents, students, community members, teachers and local union members – came together, lots of stuff happened. 

Now, less than six months since it started, “SOS” is much more than a mere Facebook Group (albeit one with nearly 500 members currently).

I’m writing this post for two reasons, one official and one personal. Officially, it’s just good to capture the start of the … the what? At this point I’m confident enough to say “movement.” And when a movement like SOS is growing, it’s good to remember how it all started.

But the second reason I’m writing this – the personal one? It’s that I want to show you that someone can be utterly clueless about something and still manage to help make change possible. Because that was me. 

Until winter 2024, I didn’t know the names of most school committee members. I had never been to a school committee meeting. I’m going to the honesty table here and admit that there were years I voted for school committee candidates based solely on their name. Yes, you read that right. If I liked their name, I would vote for them! Like if someone’s name was “Ace Gunderson,” I would think they sound cool enough to earn my vote! If they had a Polish name, they would get the check mark out of ethnic loyalty. I want to ask you not to judge me, but if I were you, I would judge me, so go ahead.  Eventually, I learned the essential shortcut: ask a non-slacker you admire who to vote for. 

When it became clear that the schools would be in big trouble in FY 25, I began to pay attention to the school committee. I learned that maybe the constant “bad state” mantra may not be the whole story. You know the one:  “UNDERFUNDING IS A TERRIBLE SITUATION CAUSED SOLELY BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE WHICH IS TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR UNDERFUNDING SCHOOLS AND WHICH NO ONE CAN EVER DO ANYTHING ABOUT, BUT WHICH WE ALL KEEP SAYING MUST CHANGE.” 

But what if the state wasn’t the only school “scrooge”? Didn’t our city have a primary obligation to fund our schools?  School committee member Michael Stein, along with a small group of officials, began to ask why a city whose leaders publicly “championed” education at every opportunity would choose to deliberately defund its schools. We began to hear the words “budget” and “values” in the same sentence.

I tried to learn something about the budget. Not like in the movies where the clueless person studies all night and sneaks into college math lectures to learn more, and then shows up at the city meeting with a nice suit and a pointer and shocks everyone with her badass expertise.

No, it wasn’t like that at all. But what I learned about the budget was that it was less about numbers and more about how language can be manipulated to, well, manipulate. Are “stabilization funds” truly stabilizing? Is “free cash” really just municipal “mad money”?  Can a city with extraordinary cash reserves really say that schools have a “deficit”?  And of course we know how words like “divisive,” “vilify,” and “civility” are used!

When it came to understanding the impact of the proposed budget on schools, I learned from kids and teachers at public comment. Again and again, they told the city council and the school committee what was at stake with underfunded schools. The fourth grade girls talking about what happens in a class that’s too large.  The 5th grader recounting how when he first began school, a para helped him every day to deal with the intense anxiety of going to school. “I don’t want anyone else to have to go without that help,” he said. 

I listened to a teacher at Bridge Street School, her words like a klieg light, illuminating precisely how one interventionist can enable an entire 4^th grade class to remain productive when a student who needs one-on-one time can get it. I learned that there was often no room to actually move in some overcrowded high school classes. 

To me, these public comment sessions were filled with dozens of unforgettable stories. But to the majority of elected officials, apparently, they left no mark. 

It became obvious that neither the City Council nor the School Committee would stop the city’s school defunding, despite the best efforts of a minority of formidable and effective progressive elected officials on the City Council (Rachel Maiore, Quaverly Rothenberg, and Jeremy Dubs) and on the School Committee (Michael Stein and Emily Serafy-Cox). 

To keep schools fully funded, there would need to be intense, widespread, and sustained grassroots pressure.  A lot of people would have to be willing to make a lot of noise advocating for students. (Writing that sentence seems so weird in Northampton.) Though I used the word “advocate,” the verb I really meant was “pester.”  

Of course, I was also clueless about how to get an organized group started.  Then one day in early April, looking at a Gazette article about Northampton High School students who walked out of school to protest the cuts, I thought, “Maybe I could just start a little Facebook group?”

A Facebook group would give people a chance to gather and talk, and surely some of them would know how to get organized. I was terrified no one would join. Who the heck was I to start a political Facebook group?  But people did join. All kinds of people. People who might not agree about other things, people who might not have much in common except a desire to see schools adequately funded. And those people have turned themselves into a movement that is driven to get the city to stop defunding the schools. 

I’m amazed by what has been done by a diverse group of people in a short time. Although we’re known as divisive, I think we’ve been the opposite  – which is “multiplicative,” a word that’s not catchy enough for a chant! Let’s just say that SOS is bringing people together. In fact, in 24-25, we’re going to be pushing for concrete changes, both in budgeting and elections. Please join us! 

I want to finish by sharing some of the highlights of SOS. The efforts below are in addition to the ongoing work of analyzing and explaining budgets, researching other school districts, studying PILOT programs, filing FOIA requests, making handouts, learning about state funding – as well as having a lot of fun, connection, and learning as we build our community. 

Highlights of our first few months

The yard sign group – Getting lawn signs was one of the first things we did. The project started back in late spring when a member said, “We should have yard signs. I’m going to find someone to do a design, then buy some and get them out there.” We now have over 200 signs with QR codes and bilingual signs in yards and at businesses. Click here if you would like one for your home or business. 

The website – You’re reading this, most likely, on our website, which was created when a member said, “Not everybody is on Facebook. We need a website, I’ll check it out.” Then they, with the help of another member who does web design, set it up. The website contains transcripts of meetings, public comments, links to articles and much more. 

Instagram – Our  Facebook is a collection of any and all sorts of posts, but our Instagram account is filled with visually appealing quotes and information. Instagram is great because it allows us to reach students and others who aren’t on Facebook. The Instagram account was started by a person who simply offered to do it and who happens to know graphics and social media. By the way, any TikTok people out there?

Transcribers group – We want everyone to have easy access to what their elected city officials (and the public if there is public comment allowed) say in public meetings. Reading what officials say gives you insight into their thinking process, their priorities, and their values. Working on the transcripts will quickly make you an expert on the way people use words to both reveal and conceal, persuade or dissent. Our team of transcribers uses AI to make the job easier. (There’s no trying to type from the recording!) We work when we have a free hour to check the formatting and accuracy.  

By the way, anyone can come to our website and access the transcripts! 

Translators group – Thanks to the member who clued us into the necessity of having some bilingual info, we now have a group of translators. This wonderful group has enabled us to have signs and some Instagram posts in both English and Spanish. 

Events – We had a very successful “Popsicle Playdate” event at Ryan Road School for families in July. Kids enjoyed free popsicles while parents talked about the school budget and SOS. We hope to have more of these. We’re also hosting a Back-to-School Party for families on Saturday, September 28th. Stay tuned for more info!

Connections with local unions – We have benefitted so much from allies in local unions. The Northampton Association of School Employees (NASE) keeps us informed and inspired. (SOS is completely separate from NASE.)  This spring, the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation hosted a petition calling for level services funding which was signed by over 1000 people. (Click here to sign.)The Massachusetts Nurses Association generously printed our most recent batch of 100 bilingual signs – FREE! Informally, union leaders mentor us and make us better organizers. 

Elections group – This group is forming in late summer to identify and support candidates who prioritize independence, transparency, and budgeting that responds to the real needs of the people in the city.  

Budget group – This group will provide education on the city budget process so that more people can feel confident and knowledgeable in budget discussions. Starting in fall. 

Organizational training  – With the help of our union allies, we will be holding training in September to help us spread the word on SOS and build our community.  

Want to learn more and keep informed? Check out our Weekly Updates where you can catch up on all that’s going on. Or the link tree is another way you can quickly see the landscape. You can also subscribe to our upcoming newsletter (a pop-up on the web site). And Instagram, and of course, the SOS Facebook page.

So, just like your grandpa who offered his garage for your band, I feel glad to help, but all of the people who joined, and pestered, and did whatever you could to stop the chronic defunding of the schools, you created this. And when you join, you will create more with us! 

August 16, 2024