WEST SPRINGFIELD — It is still in the early stages of the fiscal year 2027 budget process, but West Springfield Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Adam Tarquini provided the Town Council with a budget overview on Feb. 17. The outlook for the budget, which will take effect on July 1, is stark.
Estimated figures for state funding for schools are tentative, Tarquini said. According to the preliminary proposal by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration, foundation budgets rose statewide by an average of 4.8% but Chapter 70 state aid is expected to increase by 3.3%. Tarquini pointed out that the proposed budget provides the legal minimum increase to Chapter 70 of $75 per pupil for 85% of districts. Last year, two-thirds of districts were slated to receive the minimum, but the Legislature stepped in to bump up the increase to amid outcry from residents, students and educators.
The number of students in West Springfield’s schools has been increasing for the past several years. This is mainly due to West Springfield’s position as a hub for resettling refugees. However, the policies of President Donald Trump have halted much of that immigration. For the first time in five years, enrollment has dropped. Losing 166 West Springfield students will have a “huge impact” on the budget, particularly as 100 of them were considered low income, and the state weighs that as a factor in determining state aid.
A school system’s foundation budget is the minimum amount required to adequately educate its students. Tarquini explained to the councilors that a large factor in that formula used to determine a foundation budget is enrollment. Each municipality is required to contribute a minimum amount toward the budget depending on the wealth of the town as a whole. State education aid, known as Chapter 70, combined with the required district contribution is called required net school spending and must equal or exceed the foundation budget. For the first time in five years, the required net school spending is expected to outpace the foundation budget, leaving a gap of $1.33 million.
“We’re obviously not adequately funded this year,” Tarquini said. He said a level service budget would equal $61.5 million, more than last year due to contractually obligated increases and the rising cost of expenses, including the assessment from the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, which provides buses for the district. However, Mayor Will Reichelt has asked for a level funded school department at $58.2 million, which will leave the town needing to make up $3.5 million.
Councilor Brian Griffin praised Tarquini for laying out the facts, saying, “The transparency is there” and adding, “it sends a message to the public.”
Councilor Diana Coyne said, “We’re finally at that tipping point. Everything’s going to have to be on the table.”
While Tarquini said there are many ways to make up the funding and that it does not necessarily mean layoffs, he agreed, “We do have some difficult decisions.”
The School Committee will host a public budget hearing on March 10 and will vote on whether to approve it two weeks later. It will then go to the Town Council for review on April 6.
