South Hadley superintendent proposes using free cash for four positions in FY27

Superintendent Jennifer Voyik discusses four proposed positions that will be funded for FY27 with the free cash approved at Town Meeting.
Photo credit: SHCTV15

SOUTH HADLEY — Several days after Town Meeting decided to use free cash to help save school services, Superintendent Jennifer Voyik explained how additional funding might be used to maximize the district’s potential in fiscal year 2027.

At the May 20 School Committee meeting, Voyik proposed that the town should use the $300,000 in free cash approved by Town Meeting to fund four positions in the school district.

Those positions were a vocational director at the high school, a dean of students and family engagement position at the middle school, an adjustment counselor at Mosier Elementary School and a digital literacy teacher at the middle school.

Voyik’s proposal came seven days after Town Meeting approved a $61.4 million FY27 budget — including $27.5 million for schools — and approximately $1.2 million in free cash to fund the gap for FY27. According to the town, the FY27 budget, which will take effect on July 1, will represent a 6.71% increase from FY26.

The idea to use free cash was first introduced by Town Administrator Lisa Wong before the Appropriations Committee approved the recommendation on April 28. The Selectboard then approved putting it on the warrant before Town Meeting members made the final approval in the FY27 budget article. Voyik explained that free cash only funds the budget for this upcoming fiscal year and is not guaranteed for future years.

The $1.2 million in free cash will save multiple positions in FY27, including an assistant superintendent, assistant director of student services, an athletic director, an assistant principal, a mental health coordinator, a high school math teacher, a high school English teacher, a high school history teacher, a high school science teacher, a high school/middle school music teacher and four administrative assistants.

Programs such as high school sports, extracurriculars at all schools, electives, middle school and high school music and honors/AP classes are also saved in FY27 following Town Meeting’s vote.

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Aside from that $1.2 million, Town Meeting also approved an additional $300,000 in free cash for strategic investments in schools to try and create positions that would accrue revenue or reverse School Choice.

During the May 20 School Committee meeting, Voyik proposed that the town use the $300,000 to add those four positions in FY27.

Voyik explained that the vocational director can expand Chapter 74 programming for South Hadley students and argued that the dean of students and family engagement allows the principal to focus on instructional leadership and classroom visits. She said the latter position would also provide additional support for student behavior, discipline and school climate.

The adjustment counselor at Mosier school would reduce the current counselor caseload, according to Voyik, who said that the current counselor supports 61 students. The digital literacy teacher, meanwhile, would broaden access at the middle school library and create separate dedicated classes for digital literacy, research skills and responsible technology use, Voyik said.

“By providing us with the ability to teach the course that we’re running now from another individual other than the librarian, it opens up our library for all our students to come down to,” said Michael E. Smith Middle School Principal Luis Martinez regarding the digital literacy teacher position.

Martinez explained that the current curriculum only allows its fifth and sixth-grade students access to the librarian. He said the seventh and eighth-grade students do not have that luxury.

Voyik explained to the School Committee why she felt funding these four positions was the best proposal amongst all the plans her administrative team discussed.

“I am very nervous about proposing positions for the use of these funds. However, I think that they will have the biggest impact on the school,” Voyik stated. “When we’re thinking about what this money was supposed to be used for, myself and the administrative team feel like these four positions would have the biggest impact on our school community.”

The School Committee approved the vocational director position but wanted to wait two weeks until its next meeting to hear community feedback on the use of the additional funds for the other three positions.