The following statements from students were read at public comment during School Committee and City Council meetings.
“All I can say is I really hope you listen to student voices and to the actual people you’re voting on who the budget is going to impact.”
High School Student 5/16/24
June 2024
“The reason I’m speaking tonight is because of the job cutting. I feel like this is important because I care. . . . it’s because of the jobs I care about the people who work in the schools . . . and about the people . . . and I don’t want them to lose their jobs. They help kids when they are having a hard time and can’t figure it out by themselves. If you cut people next year, you are going to have to hire more people, and you’re going to feel sorry for yourself that you cut other people. And when you cut people, more kids are going to leave and go to another school. Teachers need to not lose their jobs. That’s why you shouldn’t cut people. Thank you.
– Elementary Student, City Council 6/20/24
“The Student Union did release a statement about the budget for the school committee vote, and the points made there still stand true. To quote, “With a tight budget to begin with, making reductions to offered electives and increasing class size will not allow our school district to maintain its competitive edge.” Losing electives and larger class sizes are just some of the realities that our schools will be faced with without level services, which all lead to families choicing their students out of district and into charter schools.”
– High School Student, City Council 6/20/24
“I’ve attended many of these budget meetings, and I’ve seen people from our schools come to you crying at public comment. I’ve seen teachers who are pink-slipped tell you how dehumanizing this entire process has been, and students have stood right here and told you that they are terrified for their future as Northampton Public School students. I hope you know that, as representatives, that is the worst possible thing you could hear from your community. Students are leaving these meetings feeling disrespected by the people who are supposed to be representing them.
So tonight, I wanted to remind you of your values and your promises you have made to our community. A direct quote from our mayor while campaigning says, “You can’t make good decisions without listening to all the voices and seeking broad consensus,” which is absolutely true. From being in this room right now, I think it’s very clear what the broad consensus is.
Additionally, people in our community have warned you that defunding schools while fully funding police is not racially equitable. By not funding schools, you are not being anti-racist or fulfilling the promises that got you elected in the first place.
– High School Student, City Council 6/20/24
“I hope you realize that these budget cuts threaten the positions of some of the greatest teachers I have ever had . . . I and many of my peers worry that our future and education are at stake. Northampton does not have a deficit; it’s making a selfish choice that will impact hundreds of students as they rise to the future.
– High School Student, City Council 6/20/24
“We are actually calling from our vacation . . . but we have been watching this meeting because it means everything to us.. . Growing up, I was very proud to be born and raised in Northampton. I still am. But after seeing how counselors and Mayor Sciarra have handled the budget, I’m not sure I can be a proud Northampton resident. To me, along with many other students, teachers, and community members, it seems that many of the councilors do not want to level fund the schools. If they do, other than a select few, they are not advocating for it as much as they should.
I would add that we both . . . have had experience with this budget crisis and how it is affecting the students . . . and hearing what the students have been saying at our school . . . and there is no doubt about it, every single student at our school . . . is advocating for and needs level funding. . . this coming year. It is critical to our education and our futures . . . it really, like, dictates our entire lives at this point, because education is just the foundation of that.
– Two High School Students, City Council 6/20/24
“I’m in the middle of a class that can’t focus on actual learning because it’s so loud in there. I can’t focus on anything, and neither can the rest of the class. We are already running out of staff, and we’re going to lose more. There are multiple students in my class who have ADHD and autism, and there are kids in my class who don’t have autism but still can’t focus on anything because of the disruption in the class.
– Elementary Student, City Council 6/6/24
“I’m concerned about the budget cuts and the impact on our school community. I know there’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said before, but I can share my experience. I know some of the newer teachers being cut, and they’re not just ordinary teachers—they’re the ones bringing innovation and growth to our school. I’m worried that depriving us of these amazing teachers would be a big blow to our schools. Their creativity, energy, passion, and connections with students have been transformative. I can’t imagine what school would be like without them. Without these teachers and with classes being much larger, I’m worried that students won’t get the personal attention they need to learn and truly thrive.
I understand that it’s hard to plan a budget that satisfies everyone, but I sincerely hope that you would pass any alternative budgets or strategies that can support our school. We, the students, are the future, and our teachers are essential to guiding the course of our lives.
– Middle School Student, City Council 6/6/24
“I’m in eighth grade at JFK Middle School, and this year I’ve had some of the best teachers that I think I’ve ever had in my life. Almost all of them have been new, and almost all of them are going to be cut. That makes me terrified, honestly, that I might be part of the last class that will get to have these teachers who have made me learn so much. Going into high school, I know that a lot of the tech jobs are being cut, and a lot of the art positions are being cut. I just don’t know how many opportunities I’m going to have with such a bare-bones system.
– Middle School Student, City Council 6/6/24
“I think that the teachers at the schools are being very underfunded. If you cut any more jobs, they won’t be able to do them on their own anymore. They need the support of their colleagues and cannot work if you get rid of all of their helpers and others.
– Middle School Student, City Council 6/6/24
“I’m concerned about the budget cuts and the impact on our school community. I know there’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said before, but I can share my experience. I know some of the newer teachers being cut, and they’re not just ordinary teachers—they’re the ones bringing innovation and growth to our school. I’m worried that depriving us of these amazing teachers would be a big blow to our schools. Their creativity, energy, passion, and connections with students have been transformative. I can’t imagine what school would be like without them. Without these teachers and with classes being much larger, I’m worried that students won’t get the personal attention they need to learn and truly thrive. I understand that it’s hard to plan a budget that satisfies everyone, but I sincerely hope that you would pass any alternative budgets or strategies that can support our school. We, the students, are the future, and our teachers are essential to guiding the course of our lives. Thank you for your time.
– High School Student, City Council 6/6/24
May 2024
“If we have to make budget cuts and cut teachers . . . it could really hurt other students. And if we have to make classes larger, it could also really hurt students who need special help
– Middle School Student, City Council 5/16/24
“Our schools are at the heart of our city. I know that there are many city services that have to be funded and many things in the city that need to be thought about, and I completely recognize all the hard work that goes into that. I also recognize that without good schools, without public schools that have services, specialties, and things to offer, we are not going to increase people coming to Northampton, we’re not going to increase town revenue, and we’re not going to put ourselves in a good position to continue to grow our city and fund the infrastructure that needs to be funded, and all sorts of things like that. At the heart of everything comes the public schools because that’s where people decide where to move, based on where their kids are going to go to school and what kind of schools they’re going to be around. I think you all should think about that as the core of our budget because that’s the core of our city.
Now, from the student perspective, I’ve spoken at the previous school committee meeting and I’ve done many protests. All I can say is I really hope you listen to student voices and to the actual people you’re voting on who the budget is going to impact.
– High School Student, City Council 5/16/24
“I was one of the organizers of the walkout at Northampton High School . . . We also took part in the sit-in outside the Mayor’s office and the most recent protest in the NHS hallway when the superintendent went to meet with NASE. The students are the common theme in these events is that we are rising to take a seat at the table. We, the students of Northampton, are putting in the work, getting educated on this topic, and fighting for the future of our schools, our students, our teachers, and our community. We understand the severity of these budget cuts and we are aware, and we are saying no.
Students are not intimidated by the language used to define and explain these cuts. Instead, we are intrigued and looking for solutions. That brings us to tonight. If the mayor’s budget is any less than a 14% increase to NPS, then students of NPS will be negatively affected. Higher class numbers and less support for students with IEPs and 504s are only a few examples. Your job as elected City Council is to look after the well-being of the entire city, and students of our district. One of the ways that you do that is by fully funding our schools. If this level service budget does not pass, this will not be the last time you hear from students. This issue is far too important for us to back down, and that is because we were raised in Northampton where we care for the entirety of our city. We were raised to advocate for ourselves and for others who are unable. We should not have to. We should be learning. This week had AP exams, SATs, and the dreaded MCAS. We should have been studying for that, but here we are. Students should not have to fight this battle. You are the adults; it is your responsibility to figure this out. So please, take charge and finish the job.
– High School Student, City Council 5/16/24
“I haven’t lived here for very long, only like a year. We moved from Florida to come to a place where there’s better education, where I can feel heard and be myself in a school. Now, people are telling me that they’re going to cut teachers who have changed the way I view education as a student and have changed the way that I learn and frankly changed my life for something that is better than what I could have gotten in Florida. But the fact that you’re trying to cut teachers who could change my life and my sibling’s life . . . is heartbreaking because everyone deserves an education, and we shouldn’t even be questioning not being able to fund schools how they need to be funded.
– High School Student, City Council 5/16/24
April 2024
“I think that we should not have to lose so many teachers because they’re important to our school, and they help out kids and are really nice. I have two teachers that I really don’t want to say goodbye to.”
– Elementary Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“We are speaking because we are in fourth grade, and next year we are going to have 28 kids in each class. It’s going to be really hard for us to have any individual attention at all, and I feel that all kids should have a little bit of it. It’s going to be harder to learn because there’s going to be less teachers, way more kids, and it’s just going to be way too overwhelming. It’s going to be more complicated for the teachers to pay attention to what each individual student needs and there’s going be more students that need supervision at a time.
I think it wouldn’t be a good situation for the teachers because it’s really important for each student to get the attention they need, like individual attention to know what kind of help they need, or if they need extra help, or if they’re good with the work they have.
Another thing that I’m kind of annoyed about is that archery this year was one of the funnest experiences I’ve ever had as a student at Jackson Street, and it’s going to get taken away with the budget cuts if the budget cuts get approved tonight. I’m really sad about that because I really want to have that experience next year, and I want every single student that wants to have that experience that hasn’t had it yet to have it whenever they get to fourth and fifth grade. Yah, kindergarten, first, second, and third grades will all not get to experience that learning opportunity, and I think that’s really disappointing that we get to do it, like, one year and that is was, like, one of the funnest things we’ve ever done, and no one else in the lower grades will be able to do it.
– Elementary School Students, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m a fourth-grade student. I think that we should reconsider our budget cuts because the kids in our schools are the adults of the future. If I’m going to be mayor someday, I deserve an education. Someone in my class could become president, and sure the chances are small, but we should be able to have that chance instead of no chance at all.
We haven’t had a librarian since October, and I think that we need a higher budget so we can hire a librarian for my school. Most of our classrooms have books for average and below, but not above grade level. That wouldn’t be a problem if the library was open, as it has higher-level reading materials, but we can’t check them out or have help finding them.
I hope to see a change in the budget and make my school a better place for learning. I cannot wait to be a part of the amazing theater program at NHS.
– Elementary School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m in fourth grade. That’s why I told my mom that I needed to speak today. I’ll be in fifth grade next year, and I was very excited until I heard that I would probably be in a class with 27 other people, and I don’t want that to happen. It’s not going to be fun to be stuffed in a class with 28 desks and just one teacher to control everyone. There are people that have a hard time following rules; there are people that need extra help, and if you think that one, maybe along with a helper teacher, will be able to keep order of a class of 28 people, I’m pretty sure that you were wrong.
Also, I’m really disappointed because I loved archery, and it’s a very exciting unit in PE, and it won’t happen if there are 28 people in a class. It’s a really fun sport, but it needs a lot of safety precautions and requires everyone to be quiet and listening at all times. This sport is only available for fourth and fifth graders, and all third graders and grades below that, including my sister, have probably heard about how fun and how special it is to be able to do archery, and now if this budget cut passes, they’re not going to be able to do archery, and that isn’t fair.
Also, lots of teachers are going to be cut, and that’s a problem. I also heard that the CPI team will have less time with kids to talk about their emotions, and when I walk down the hall, I see kids who are having a hard time or crying, but the CPI team is there, and the CPI team helps them calm down, and with less time, they’re not going to be able to talk to kids longer, and I don’t know who will help them.
I’m speaking tonight because I’m the one who has to deal with this and watch this. You won’t have to sit in a room with 27 other people and you won’t have to have teachers that you really like or want to be able to meet be cut, but I will.
– Elementary School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“This is my opinion on the school budget. Schools need more funding. If teachers got paid four times as much, they would never snap at students. They would feel calm, collected, and happy to be there. But let’s bring our attention to the P.E. department . . . no money for extra equipment is unacceptable. Eventually, all the equipment will rot, all the basketballs will be deflated, and there should be other equipment too.
– Middle School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m here tonight to ask you not to cut $2 million from our schools. I am fighting for my education, the education of my peers, and the jobs of my teachers. It upsets me to know that we have to fight for that, that I have to fight for my education. I thought we were better than this. Classes like physical education, band, and others are proven to improve students’ mental and physical health. I am 12 years old, and I am concerned that I will not have a proper education when I am 13, 14, and for the rest of my educational career. Please do what is right, not what is easy. Choose to fully fund our public schools. A good investment in the present and the future of our community.
– Middle School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m very concerned that our budget cuts will greatly affect our amazing music program and our amazing director. Playing an instrument has so many benefits to your mental health. It helps relieve stress, improves your sleep, improves your mood, and musical students perform better academically than their non-musical peers. It also improves your coordination. These are only a few of the many benefits of playing an instrument.
– Middle School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I think a budget cut would badly affect many aspects of school right now and for the future. I’m looking forward to having a full high school experience with good teachers, just like my sister, who is a sophomore at NHS. If there’s a cut in teachers at the high school, the classes will be larger, which not only puts more stress on the teachers but also causes a worse learning environment for us. If resources like Guidance and important teachers are cut, it can cause students to struggle more.
– Middle School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“Over the past two years, I have grown to be a part of this amazing community at the high school. When my peers and I heard of the budget cuts, we were all beyond shocked and worried for the future of our high school careers. As you heard, these cuts will lead to less elective classes being offered, such as AP Calculus and AP Statistics. I had planned to take both APs in my following years, as I am a huge math nerd. But if these popular classes are cut, students will be more dependent on dual enrollment classes at Smith and community colleges, which are inaccessible for many due to scheduling, transportation, and cost.
Firing teachers would also result in even fewer bathrooms being open. Many days, there is only one bathroom open for boys, one for girls, and two single-gender neutral stalls. Because of this, there are often lines around the corner for bathrooms. I and many other kids who only feel comfortable using the gender-neutral stalls sometimes must leave class for 20 to 30 minutes just to go to the bathroom, missing out on valuable learning time. If positions are cut, these problems will only increase.
I was also especially concerned when I heard that the said budget cuts would likely damage, if not completely end, the NHS theater program. I have dreamed of being in the NHS musicals ever since I was in third grade and my parents took me to see “Grease: The Musical.” I was blown away by the students’ talent and the quality of the production. It was the spark of the arts that was born in me that day.
Later in 8th grade, one of the reasons I decided to go to the NHS public schools instead of a charter school such as PVPA was seeing the production of “Mamma Mia.” I could not believe how great it was. Everyone was singing and dancing like they’d never be able to do it again. We were all so happy and excited just to be there together after the isolation of COVID. I remember thinking, “That’s going to be me one day.”
And as of right now, I’ve been in all the musicals and the plays at the high school. Each has been an amazing and invaluable experience, both to do what I love and to make friends along the way. One of the reasons our theater program is as good as, if not better than, PVPA is our director, David Grout. From the first day, he has been working incredibly hard and being dedicated to helping us all shine like the stars we are. He has truly uplifted this program and everyone in it to become the marvel it is today. Since third grade, my spark has grown into a passion that I carry with me every day. But if we lose Dave and the theater program, so many students, present and future, will lose their own spark and their dream to perform.
These problems will affect all students. Even if not everyone does theater or takes calculus or uses the gender-neutral bathrooms, these losses will cause a ripple effect and bring the whole school community down. Our generation is the future of Northampton, of the country, and of the world. Invest in it. Please put our education first.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I am a senior at NHS and I have stage-managed the last three musicals, and I plan on going to Boston University next year for stage management. If you had asked me my sophomore year what a stage manager was, I would have said, ‘That’s a fake position, you’re crazy, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ But thanks to the theater program at NHS my sophomore year, the year we did Mama Mia, I got told I would be really good at it and I should try it. So I did, and I loved it.
I did not want to be a stage manager professionally. I didn’t think I could, I didn’t think I was good enough until I worked with Dave on Rock of Ages. I wouldn’t say he directly told me that, but he said things close to that, and that made me decide to go into stage management professionally. So, the theater program and Dave Grout specifically changed the course of my life significantly.
I don’t want to see any students not get the opportunity to have those experiences. I don’t want to see the over 100 students who participate every year have nothing to do and not have an opportunity to participate in the arts like I’ve gotten. I think of the musicals specifically like they’re my family, and people joke that over 50 cast members and crew are like my babies and they’re like my children. I could not be prouder of the program that is growing and will continue to grow under Dave and Susan, but that’s only if we can fund it.
I put a lot of work into keeping this program going through the staffing change, and so did everyone else. But it feels like it was all for nothing. It feels like all of that work and all of that time I put in is going to disappear, and at Kai’s speech, I started crying, and I’m going to start crying now because that is the worst feeling in the world for anyone to graduate high school and feel like everything they’ve done is all for nothing. Thank you.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“We are the rising senior and junior technical directors of Northampton High School’s theater tech club, and we are speaking on behalf of the entire club, which has around 20 members. As longtime members and leadership figures in the club, as well as the crew for numerous NHS productions, we have witnessed firsthand the incredibly essential role that the theater tech department plays in our school. We know through extensive experience how detrimental the loss or reduction of a theater teacher would be to our community, and we know how important the positive effects of the performing arts department and its ability to thrive are for NHS students because we have felt them time and time again.
We keep a spreadsheet of the events the theater tech club is responsible for so that students can sign up to run the events that they are interested in. As of right now, there are 29 events on that spreadsheet, ranging from the NHS Spring Concert to eighth-grade caregivers’ night. Every event that takes place in the auditorium is our responsibility in some manner or another. But we are students, not laborers, and we cannot and do not manage everything ourselves.
For the past two years, Dave has picked up events which no one is available for, showed up to more elaborate events to make sure we are confident in running them, and coordinated the signup process. Without the full position of a theater teacher, much more pressure will be put on the students to run events with little to no adult support, especially if something goes wrong.
Additionally, the loss of a teacher trained in the theater arts will deal a devastating blow to our collective knowledge as a theater department. The pandemic, coinciding with a change in theater teachers, has left us with a theater tech club that, with the exception of a select few, is largely untrained in the skills required to run events in the auditorium.
Without this source of education, our knowledge and expertise will suffer more with every new generation of students until we are no longer able to provide the school any service at all. This will have truly devastating effects. We would ask you all how you would like to attend an assembly with no microphone, a concert with no lights. Dave’s jurisdiction is not only over the play and the musical but every instance in which members of our community, from students to teachers, come together in large numbers to disseminate information, discuss our experiences, or experience art. These events are the very lifeblood of our community, and without Dave in a fully funded theater department, they are in grave peril.
Though theater tech may serve the rest of the school practically, it serves us the same way performing arts serve hundreds of NHS students by providing a vital emotional safe space that is, for many students, literally life-changing in a school with little to no mental health resources.
We were told that Dave’s position was chosen to be reduced because it would have the lowest possible impact. As technicians, as crew members, and as students, we say there is no choice that would be more impactful.
– Two High School Students, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m someone who prides myself on my work ethic when it comes to school, and the current environment at my school allows me to do well in that area. However, the recent budget cuts will have a severe effect on my and my peers’ abilities to do well in this way. Teachers being cut means that class sizes will be raised from an average of 25 to 35. This will simply make it impossible for me to continue doing well in school the way that I have my past two years at NHS. Having this many students in one classroom will not allow teachers to give personal attention to many students at all, turning my high school classes into college-style lectures. This will not be beneficial to me or to the large majority of students who need help throughout courses, as it will simply not be plausible for teachers to give students the attention and help that they need and deserve to be able to excel in school.
I’m also someone who has always been very involved in performing arts, specifically musical theater. I’ve been doing it for nearly 10 years, and it has always been a dream of mine to do it professionally after school. However, it was not until I experienced being in my first musical at NHS under director Dave Grout that I began to truly see it as a possibility. I believe that if I continue to work under him for my remaining time in high school, I could really go on to do this thing that I love so much for the rest of my life. His direction, professionalism, and attention to detail make not only our shows incredible but the process behind them an experience I know I will always remember.
However, if the school loses its theater program, the loss will be felt by the students of NHS, NHS families, and even regular people who are not involved with the school but who enjoy these incredible shows. Not being able to do theater at my own school will severely stunt the potential that I and any other rising high schoolers may have. I don’t know if I will really be able to get to the level that I need to be if I don’t have these incredible opportunities to be in shows here. Specifically, I don’t think that I will ever get to where I need to be to follow my lifelong ambition of going into theater professionally if I do not continue being mentored under the incredible David Grout. If this program is cut, it is removing that opportunity from these students at NHS, who this program means so much to, other current students at the school, and generations of high schoolers to come.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I am a senior at NHS...I have been heavily involved in the arts for my entire life and have worked with many people and directors, but none have impacted me as deeply as Dave Grout in the theater program at NHS. Even prior to coming to the high school, the theater department has always been one of its biggest draws. My friends and I would dream about coming to NHS to participate in the musicals and plays, and finally being able to take acting lessons there. The musical is one of the community’s biggest events every single year and one of the most anticipated, drawing people together from all social groups and personalities, both in performance and in attendance to the shows.
To terminate the one position that holds the program together, including all acting and film-related classes, and then by extension, the fall play and spring musical, is what I believe to be a critical mistake.
The district is losing more kids in attendance every year to neighboring schools, and I know there has been much talk about enhancing the programs at the public schools already for this very reason. For the high school, I firmly believe that theater creates the community’s soul. It is one of the staple things that draws people to the school, and to get rid of it, I am certain, will drive more families away from the district.
The love, passion, creativity, camaraderie, excitement, and hard work that it inspires is on par with that of the school sports teams, if not surpassing it. To terminate Dave’s position is to terminate the heart of the high school’s community, to essentially get rid of an entire program, especially such an influential one, especially in the arts, which are being put at so much jeopardy all over the country right now, would be a horrible loss.
Next year, I am attending college and have made the decision to major in drama. That decision has concretely come from my time spent at the high school and under Dave’s mentorship. Dave Grout has impacted my life, as well as so many others, in ways that truly cannot be put into words. He inspires his students and uplifts and supports them in every way he can. He encourages them to work hard and helps them strive towards living and working to their greatest potential. Dave has not only made my high school theater experience, but my full high school experience unforgettable. He is my highlight of attending NHS. His mentorship has helped me through a very hard time in my life, helping me believe in myself when I did not and helping me find a confidence in myself and my abilities that was utterly lacking before.
Dave is the pinnacle of what a good teacher should be, and terminating his position would be an insurmountable loss to the school. The huge success of the high school shows in the past two years can be so strongly accredited to Dave’s skill as a director and the sheer amount of care he puts into his work.
I understand that you find yourself faced with incredibly difficult choices at the behest of the looming budget cuts, but I vehemently implore you to put your support and invest in the arts and the theater department at the high school as a whole. Thank you very much.”
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I’m a junior at NHS. I didn’t finish this testimony until just a few minutes ago because I quite frankly haven’t had the words to describe how scared I am about the future of NHS with these cuts in mind. As many have said, anything other than a level services budget is unsustainable. However I’m coming to you as a member of NHS theater today.
About a year ago I remember preparing a monologue for Dave Grout’s acting class. It was from A Chorus Line and it was about a character named Paul who was struggling to accept his identity as a queer person. That was my first time talking openly about queer experience in performance and I was understandably very nervous, but I wouldn’t have felt safer anywhere else than in the classroom of David Grout, full of kids like me. Not once did I feel judged, rejected, or excluded. Mr. Grout fosters an environment for countless queer kids every day. I know so many people that have found themselves through stage and would be lost without the one place that they can express themselves authentically.
Cutting this program would be detrimental to the artistic development of a large population of NHS students. I guarantee people in this meeting and people listening saw Freaky Friday last month and felt the magic of our hard work firsthand. Over 100 wonderful students were involved with the creation of this production – a huge percentage of our student body. With these cuts you won’t be able to experience that same joy next Spring. You won’t be able to laugh, relate, and cry to the work we spent so much time on. With everything in our lives, when everything in our lives feels uncertain, we can turn to the stage. We can take an acting class or do the musical with Mr Grout where we feel we actually belong.
It sounds silly but it really is a life-changing program. I can confidently say that after 5 years of performing, the theater, Susan Dillard, and David Grout are huge reasons I am comfortable in my queerness. I expect I express myself in ways I never thought possible through the stage and I know so many others feel the same. Let us prove to you that the theater department is worth the space in the budget based on the productions we just put on and will continue to put on. The public outcry and upset you will receive if this change is made is astronomical.
I ask the Superintendent, the Mayor and this committee to remember who this is affecting: an already underrepresented community of kids. Mr. Grout who works tirelessly to give us the space to be ourselves. Parents who want to see their kids perform. For anyone listening I beg of you do not let the stage at NHS go dark.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I am a junior currently at NHS. I wanted to thank the school board for their time today. I am a part of the NHS theater department and I love Dave Grout just as much as the next person, but I also wanted to bring up some of the other issues that these budget cuts will pose. I wanted to start by talking quickly about how the school is suggesting having kids take online AP classes because some AP classes are getting cut or proposed to be getting cut because of the school budget. I want to highlight – we already did that. We did that for two to three years, and I think everybody collectively can agree that it went really horribly. Especially, I think. putting high-level AP classes as the online classes is really failing our students and failing to give them proper education.
I also want to highlight that we have become really dependent on the community college and Smith College classes, which are not available to all students for transportation and financial reasons. And really, we want our teachers. We don’t want college professors. We don’t want online AP classes. We want the teachers that we have in the school. We love our teachers. Our teachers are an invaluable resource to us, and it is a disservice to students to take that resource away from us.
On a similar note, I want to talk about electives. Taking away teachers means taking away electives. Electives are an invaluable piece of the Northampton High School community and of communities throughout the school district. Teachers who teach electives teach about minorities, as mentioned by the Student Union, and I think that it is a disservice to our community, a disservice to our students to take away the electives that highlight the experiences of minorities.
I wanted to specifically highlight the class Women and Gender. This is a class I took last year at my sophomore year and it’s currently being taught by Ms. Fontaine. This class is really a class that I think should be required for all students because it provides invaluable knowledge about women and gender, and I think that it is a class that highlights minority experiences. It is unacceptable for a class like that to be cut.
Finally, I wanted to quickly talk about a guidance counselor being cut. As a current Junior and a rising senior, a guidance counselor is an integral person in my college experience and in my college finding experience. If I don’t have access to a guidance counselor when I need it, this is going to heavily impact how I get into college. Guidance counselors are really an incredibly important part of students finding what they’re going to do after high school, whether it’s college or not, and taking away a resource like a guidance counselor is really failing our students, failing to prepare them for the real world after high school.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“The first thing that I will talk about is the Healthcare Pathway offered at the high school. This is one of two pathways offered and run by The Innovation and Pathways coordinator, Bo Clark. Bo was hired this past fall and has dived headfirst into making the Healthcare and IT Pathway Internships and work-study a new and improved experience for all students. Their position is now at risk of being cut. These Pathways are a unique opportunity for students and offer extensive hands-on experience in specialized career fields.
I have always known that I wanted to go into the healthcare field, but other peers do not know that when they get to high school or during their high school career. The Pathway and internships offered at the high school are an incredible way for students to explore what’s possible for them outside of school and when they graduate. Cutting these Pathways and internship opportunities fails to give students opportunities that Northampton is prided for.
The second group I would like to talk about is Youth for Equity and Action, a Northampton High School Club sponsored by the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services. Our main goals are to center youth voices in decisions that affect our lives and to make positive change in the school and community related to health equity.
Just based on those goals, I would urge you to all take the voices and experiences that you have heard from the students very heavily, because we know what’s going on in our lives the best. It may not seem like what a lot of people are talking about has to do with health, but actually, everything that has been said affects students, teachers, and parents’ health.
I’d also like to mention one of Youth for Equity and Action’s projects that we are working on right now, which is getting restorative practices into the Northampton Public School district, which a few of the school committee members have attended planning meetings for. Restorative practices are a framework and set of strategies about building authentic relationships and non-punitive ways of repairing harm, and its roots come from indigenous traditions.
By cutting funding instead of increasing it, getting restorative practices into the schools is less and less likely than it already is. Why is cutting these opportunities even on the table? By not supporting a level funding budget, our city will fail our students, teachers, and the community as a whole. Thank you.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“I just want to briefly say that the budget deficit we see today is an example of how our schools and how public education in general are too often not prioritized. The budget situation we see today would not be the case if not for poor decisions and neglect of our public school system.
Tonight, I encourage you to consider how your actions and your decisions are going to impact or fuel the systemic issues and systems that have brought us here in the first place. I encourage you to consider how your actions and your decisions tonight, and for years to come, are going to impact the youth in our community and the students in our schools, and every adult that puts down so much to be there and to support, and to encourage our youth and our community to become the citizens that we need to see.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“The night before my first day at Northampton High School a few months ago, I was miserable, terrified, violently nervous, and any other synonym you can think of for scared. But I walked into my third-period class on the first day to see Dave Grout behind a computer in the black box, and unbeknownst to me, my life changed forever.
To be completely honest with you, I have never really been a popular person or ever really felt like I fit in. But at Freaky Friday musical rehearsals and acting classes run by Dave, for the first time in my life, I felt safe in a school building. That would have never been possible without Dave.
Of course, I’m devastated at the possibility that I will never feel that again. But I’m even more distraught at the fact that if I was born just a year later, I might have never been able to experience that at all. At the last show, I remember telling a fellow actor, “Well, this is our last time performing together,” and he said, “Don’t say that, we still have next year.” Every day, I get more and more scared that I was right.
Every student deserves the chance to feel like they belong at school. Every student deserves Dave Grout. In these past years, I’ve lost a lot of faith in our school system. Don’t make me lose my hope.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“When I first got to NHS, I was very anxious entering a new environment with new people and more intense classes. Overall, it was terrifying. I went through my classes on the first day, getting to know them, and one of those classes was Dave’s acting class. When I first entered, I was extremely shy and afraid to talk to others. I didn’t think I was going to do well in the class. Over time, I started to talk to more people and felt more comfortable in the class.
Later into the semester, I had a very emotional talk with Dave where he told me he was proud of how much I improved and made me feel so much more confident in myself. His class felt like a safe space, and it made me want to continue my passion for theater. So, I auditioned for Freaky Friday, and words cannot describe how wonderful of an experience it was. I met so many caring and talented people who shared the same passion as I did. A lot of my friends told me that through Dave’s theater class and the musical, I had grown into a much more confident actor and person. I would have never thought I’d make so many new friends and grow as much as I did. I’m thankful for having Dave as a teacher and having this experience.
Thinking about how people will not be able to have that same opportunity to experience that has me heartbroken. By cutting NHS’ theater program, you are getting rid of an important part of this vibrant art-focused community and the passions of so many students in our school. I hope you consider this while voting. Thank you.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24
“While I may not know the full details of the whole budget, what I have learned is that if implemented, it would be a terrible decision for our schools. During my time at Northampton High School, elective classes have given me with so many experiences I am thankful in music, technology, and especially the IT Pathways program where I have learned so many skills about how to write a resume, cover letter, have a job interview, which will be so valuable to me in the future.
My relationships I’ve made with teachers have been invaluable. Increased class sizes and cutting teachers will make this much harder for more students to have in the future. I am asking you – please pass a level services budget. I understand this position is difficult, and that there is no real good option. But I am asking you to do whatever you can to make this situation right.
– High School Student, School Committee 4/11/24