Support Our Schools (SOS) Northampton announces the creation of the Support Our Schools and Services Political Action Committee. SOSPAC believes public education and essential services are a priority for Northampton, and we will support candidates for all offices who believe the same and will act on that belief.
What is SOSPAC’s purpose?
SOSPAC supports increased funding for Northampton Public Schools to remedy long-term underinvestment and the resulting harm to students, educators and families. We believe all essential public services should be fully funded and that the workers who provide these services, and their unions, be respected and supported. We will support candidates for municipal office who will actively work to realize these priorities.
SOSPAC will support the election of candidates for Mayor, City Council and School Committee in the 2025 municipal elections. When Mayor Sciarra announced the proposed cuts to school staffing last spring, the community responded. Hours and hours of public comment at School Committee and City Council meetings focused on the experiences of our students and educators, and on the robust finances of Northampton. Dozens of teachers, parents, students, and community members wrote letters to the editor and reached out on social media. Rallies with up to 200 Northampton residents and a petition opposing Mayor Sciarra’s education cuts received 1000 signatures. When the community supported an “Opt In” measure granting City Council authority to spend on behalf of our schools, the Council rejected it.
Northampton’s schools are now buckling under the burdens caused by layoffs, exactly as our community tried to warn our political leaders. Testimony by Northampton educators at School Committee meetings describing the harm being done to our public school kids inspired a Fall 2024 grassroots effort to Restore the Jobs with a mid-year cash appropriation, funded by the anticipated multimillion dollar surplus from Northampton’s 2024 budget. Despite months of continued pleas to fund the schools, clear evidence that the cuts are harming students at every school in the district, and evidence that the city can repair the damage while remaining fiscally strong and healthy, the mayor and city council have shown every indication that they will stay on this ruinous path.
When Mayor Sciarra’s Plan requires defunding public schools and underfunding other essential services to feed cash reserves, it’s the wrong plan. We’ll keep telling them that a city that routinely has multimillion dollar budget surpluses should not be laying off educators. Too many of our elected officials have rubber-stamped Mayor Sciarra’s unnecessary cuts to our public education system.
Enough of wrong priorities and wrong choices. It’s time for new political leadership in Northampton.
How will SOSPAC spend donated funds to fulfill that purpose?
- SOSPAC will endorse and make contributions to Northampton municipal candidates (Mayor, City Council, School Committee) who share our vision and priorities. SOSPAC’s campaign donations are capped at $500 per candidate per calendar year.
- SOSPAC will pay for various campaign materials (print ads, signs, flyers, mailers, email campaigns, etc.) endorsing a slate of candidates aligned with our mission. There are no spending caps on these expenses, but SOSPAC may not coordinate or communicate with candidates or their campaigns on any aspect of SOSPAC’s campaign materials, including content and timing.
- Depending on need and funding levels, SOSPAC may also spend funds on costs incidental to events and rallies to either raise funds for SOSPAC or to raise awareness of our mission. There are no spending caps on these expenses, but SOSPAC may not coordinate or communicate with candidates regarding these fundraising events.
How will you determine what candidates to endorse?
SOSPAC is developing a questionnaire and interview process to give candidates the opportunity to outline their plans for fully funding Northampton’s schools and other essential services. Our donors are welcome to let us know what questions and priorities they feel should be emphasized when considering which candidates to support.
Why $500 and why now? Isn’t the election a year away?
SOSPAC cannot accept more than $500 from an individual donor in a calendar year. That means an individual with the means to donate $1,000 can donate the max of $500 before the end of 2024 can then make another max $500 donation in 2025. Starting to fundraise now gives donors the chance to double their impact. Robust fundraising by SOSPAC may encourage pro-education candidates to run for office knowing there is a committed group of Northampton residents ready to help them.
What information do I need to provide in order to donate?
The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) requires that we collect your name, address, occupation, and employer at the time of your donation. Your name and address will be disclosed on OCPF’s public website regardless of donation size and your occupation and employer will be disclosed on the website if your aggregate contributions are $200 or greater. This information will also be filed with the Northampton City Clerk once SOSPAC starts to actively support City Council and School Committee candidates.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept personal checks made out to “Support our Schools and Services PAC.” These can be mailed to: SOSPAC, c/o Tyler Barnett, 50 Union St. #24, Northampton, MA 01060, or we can make arrangements to pick up your check in person.
You can also make an online contribution or set up recurring contributions at our ActBlue fundraising page
Note that ActBlue takes a 3.95% fee from every online donation, so to maximize your contribution please consider donating with a check.
What if I have more questions before I decide to donate?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to SOSPAC Chairman Al Simon or Treasurer Tyler Barnett.