Northampton Superintendent Portia Bonner.
Photo credit: Northampton Oppen Media
NORTHAMPTON — As a tumultuous budget season approaches its conclusion, members of the Northampton Association of School Employees voted no confidence in Northampton Superintendent Portia Bonner.
In a statement provided to the School Committee during its June 13 regular meeting, the union — which makes up teachers, paraeducators, clerical and custodial units — said that 96%, or 348 out of 364 members who cast a ballot, believe that Bonner no longer has the ability to lead Northampton Public Schools.
Andrea Egitto, the NASE president, said that 90% of NASE membership participated in the vote and the total results represented an “overwhelming majority.”
“We stand unified in delivering these results,” Egitto said during the meeting. “We are fully aware of the gravity of this situation, but educators can no longer stand by and watch unnecessary and deep cuts to services, staff and programs that students need and deserve for a rich, fulfilling education.”
Egitto said that NASE’s vote was based on “what they know to be true.” She added that NASE found Bonner’s budget presentation to the City Council in late May to be “confusing and inaccurate” and said that positions that were being maintained were actually being cut.
“Throughout this process, the superintendent showed shameful displays of bureaucratic pandering to the inadequate school budgets proposed by the mayor,” said Egitto during the School Committee meeting.
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s budget proposed $40.8 million for Northampton Public Schools, or an 8% increase from the fiscal year 2024 budget. The proposed budget is $2 million shy of the level services budget School Committee voted for in April, or a 14% increase from the FY24 budget.
As of press time, the City Council had not passed that budget with a vote failing at a June 20 meeting.
For the past several months, students, teachers, staff, NASE members and other community members have protested and demanded that the City Council approve a level services budget to avoid any cuts to the district.
The proposed 8% increase puts around 20 full-time positions in the district in jeopardy.
“Despite public outcry, the proposed school budget is still too low to maintain current services,” Egitto said.
Aside from the budget situation, Egitto said that NASE members have lost confidence in Bonner’s leadership with her “top-down initiatives” that are planned next year. The union also claimed that Bonner has a “lack of presence” in schools.
“Especially disturbing was her disdain for students and the disparaging remarks she has made to them when they were voicing their support for school funding,” Egitto said.
In her closing remarks to the committee, Egitto said that the members of NASE will continue to push “for collaboration” and “a fair and responsible budget that meets the needs of all students and families at NPS.”
Aside from NASE’s vote, the Western Mass. Area Labor Federation is sponsoring a petition that calls on Sciarra and the City Council to level fund the schools, maintain existing staffing levels, and ensure every NPS student has the quality education they deserve.
“While the mayor has listened to our early concerns and added $1.3 million to the school budget using reserve funds, it is not enough,” reads the petition. “The schools require $2 million more for level funding, for students to continue to receive the services they need.”
The petition has so far garnered 815 signatures.
Bonner’s response
In a 2½ page statement sent to Reminder Publishing, Bonner said that the vote of no confidence demonstrates a “lack of courtesy.”
She said that there was no prior communication about the vote from the union.
“Evidently, my attendance at the routine monthly meetings with the NASE Executive Board did not provide the E-board with an opportunity to let me know of their plan,” Bonner said.
She also felt that the results from the vote taken is spun in a way that is misconstrued.
“The result of the no confidence vote was 348 in favor out of 364 voting,” Bonner said. “This was pitched as a 96% vote in support of the action, but this spin is misconstrued when one realizes there are 897 employees.”
Bonner also refuted NASE’s claims that she has not advocated for the school budget. In her response to NASE’s vote of no confidence, Bonner said that she spoke at the Ways and Means hearing for Northampton this past winter. She said she also met with state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) to discuss Chapter 70 funding and state support to increase funding for Northampton.
“However, it seems that if I am not demanding the budget package sought by the union, then I have not met their standard of advocacy,” Bonner said.
As for the “top-down initiatives” NASE criticized for next year, Bonner said the union is perhaps opposing the implementation of the Restorative Practices program, which she said has been in the District Improvement Plan for four years, as well as the new math and EL curriculum, which was implemented this year.
“Those three things were already approved and in place prior to my tenure,” Bonner said. “Carrying out the curriculum and policy decisions of the School Committee is part of my job.”
Bonner said that the one thing she requested of staff next year is to address the number of different assessment tools the district is using so that they can get a clear picture of what and how well kids are learning.
The superintendent also disagreed with NASE’s argument that she lacks presence at the schools.
“I am not sure what this means as I regularly walk through the building and the classrooms observing teachers and students,” Bonner said. “I rather stick out and am surprised to have been missed. On this score, many community members can also share that my presence extends to community events when informed and invited.”
Bonner also commented on NASE’s accusation that she made disparaging remarks, which refers to a prior School Committee meeting in April where Bonner attempted to correct statements made about the budget after an NHS student spoke during the meeting. The student left the meeting upset, and when she returned, Bonner apologized.
“In the incident referred to, my response was not directed to the student as was alleged by the union, but even then, an apology was extended to avoid any misunderstanding,” Bonner said. “I am so sorry that the character value of forgiveness has not been infused in some people, and that some do not seem to be able or want to differentiate different perspectives without demonizing others.”
Bonner ended her response by saying that she believes in the “powerful tool of restoration but parties must be willing to consider the other’s perspective.”
“My desire is to heal what is apparently broken between administration and the union,” she said.
School Committee meeting
At the end of the School Committee meeting on June 13, Ward 4 member Michael Stein said the committee needs to have some type of conversation about NASE’s vote of no confidence in the near future.
“We should do it sooner or later,” Stein said. “We need to really have a conversation about it.”
