South Hadley Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Voyik (far right) and the School Committee share their feelings on the failed override vote during its Sept. 2 meeting.
Photo credit: SHCTV15
SOUTH HADLEY — After a failed override vote on primary election night, the Selectboard and School Committee each met to discuss thoughts and ramifications.
South Hadley residents voted against a $3.5 million tax override on Sept. 1. According to results from the town clerk’s office, 3,799 residents voted against the override while 2,367 residents voted in favor.
Superintendent Jennifer Voyik joined the School Committee meeting on Sept. 2, one day after the failed override vote, to share a statement that highlighted her feelings after the vote and what it may mean for South Hadley Public Schools moving forward.
She said that she understood that it was a difficult decision for many residents in the community and respects the will of the voters, but “at the same time, we need to be clear that the failed override will have an impact on our students, our staff and the programs and services we’re able to provide.”
Voyik said that the district has spent a significant amount of time over the past year publicly discussing the reductions that could be necessary if additional recurring revenue was not available.
With the district facing a shortfall of at least $1 million, Voyik stated that all those potential reductions remain on the table. She also said that the town and district should not rush into decisions about specific reductions.
Voyik also highlighted some strategic investments the district has made in programs and positions intended to address identified student needs.
“I believe we need to use this school year to evaluate that work, build those programs where we can and better understand their impact before making final decisions,” Voyik stated. “There’s no easy choice ahead, and I don’t want to minimize the seriousness of our financial situation. Our goal would be to approach this process carefully and transparently while doing everything we can to minimize the impact on students and preserve the opportunities and supports that are most important to their success.”
School Committee Chair Eric Friesner and School Committee member Danielle Cooke said they think the residents’ distrust in the town played into the vote. They highlighted the Town Meeting vote in May, where $1.5 million in free cash was approved to add to the school budget and save multiple positions, services and programs.
“I think that there is tons of distrust. I definitely see where in the spring we were saying if the $9 million and the $11 million overrides didn’t pass, these were going to be the immediate implications,” Friesner said. “I don’t know that anyone has really seen any immediate implications in town, so I don’t know if that helped build trust.”
Cooke said, “I do think the fact that we were able to get that last-minute save from appropriations and Town Meeting and save the money we could for this year unfortunately added to that mistrust. Everyone just thinks we’re going to find the money somewhere and we’re just trying to get more money out of people, and I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to fix that narrative.”
The Selectboard met on Sept. 8 to share their feelings and potential next steps for the town. Town Administrator Lisa Wong presented the impacts of the override result.
Wong said FY27 is more about attrition, as positions have already been laid off, people have left or retirements are on the horizon. Town Hall staff has been reduced by 20% since April.
For FY28, Wong said the town is anticipating approximately a $3 million deficit. She said the town will likely sustain the FY27 reductions and anticipates a handful of retirements across departments, which may lead to positions merging.
From FY26 to FY27, South Hadley lost an additional $750,000 in School Choice to other districts. Wong said they anticipate that number to be higher in FY28 and will have to focus on investments to mitigate the problem.
Wong said schools may not know this year’s enrollment numbers until October because some private schools are still accepting enrollments.
“Even today, students can switch, and I think with the override news, we are worried that a whole bunch more might be switching this month,” Wong stated.
The town will also look at reducing town building hours, applying for a library waiver, and reviewing all health insurance options for FY28. Wong also said the town will investigate implementing a communications committee, as Belchertown has.
The town will discuss potentially using free cash in FY28. Wong said the town allocated nearly $2 million in free cash in FY27, adding that she would prefer the town use $1 million or less in free cash for next year.
