Mayor’s FY26 Budget Forecast Continues Service Cuts for Northampton Schools  Sciarra provides no plan to address the underfunding impact on city’s public school children.   NORTHAMPTON, Mass., February 3, 2025 — Northampton’s mayor, Gina-Louise Sciarra, delivered her annual financial presentation on Thursday, January 30, at a joint meeting of the Northampton City Council, Northampton School Committee, trustees…

Underfunding Northampton’s schools: 1. Reduces the earning potential of each graduating class by millions of dollars, shrinking the local economy. 2. Increases costs for police responses and social services, straining the city’s budget. 3. Limits opportunities for students to thrive, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequity. Read Karen Kauschen’s Guest Column here: https://gazettenet.com./Letter-to-the-editor-58886453 January 14,…

Support our Schools (SOS) responds to the recent op-ed from Mayor Sciarra, “Northampton’s capital spending makes fiscal sense” in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on 1/14/25. Mayor Sciarra’s recent op-ed is missing crucial context and information. In the following analysis, SOS responds. Mayor Sciarra writes: “On Jan. 2, I presented to the Northampton City Council the…

Student Services Spotlight Video Recording: Northampton Open Media – 10/10/24 School Committee Video Time Stamp: 48:37 Matt Holloway: I’m the director of student services, and I’m going to provide a brief Spotlight update on the state of student services so far, as of October 10th.  So, we’re going to start with the student numbers. I’m…

You can use the text below as a start point for emailing Mayor Sciarra, City Councilors, and School Committee Members. Email to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Dear Mayor Sciarra, City Councilors, and School Committee Members, I am writing to urge you to use some of our city’s $11 million in excess revenue to fund Northampton Public…

October 2024 The City of Northampton will soon certify $6-8 million in excess revenue. During the certification process, the state counts and verifies a city’s leftover tax dollars unspent or underestimated the previous year. Those excess funds will become part of the city’s spendable cash, also called “Free Cash.” Northampton has generous savings accounts within…

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…

The following statement read at NPS Staff convocation on 8/26/24 is shared with permission from the president of the Northampton Association of School Employees. Good Morning everyone, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you all today. Thank you NEF and VINS for always supporting our educators! For those of you that don’t know me…

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…

Special Meeting for State Chapter 70 Appropriation Video Recording: Northampton Open Media – 7/31/24 School Committee Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra:  This is a special meeting, so there is no public comment. There is only one item on the agenda. I thank you all for coming together so quickly for this special meeting. The only item on…