WEST SPRINGFIELD — On March 31, the West Springfield School Committee voted to support the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 after a final hearing spread across three meetings.
The committee elected to bring back nine full-time equivalent positions for teachers and paraprofessionals while reducing a clerk position.
The committee increased the budget $553,000 in order to restore these positions, which were initially slated to be cut in the $58.45 million budget Chief of Finance and Operations Adam Tarquini proposed on March 24. That proposal called for the reduction of 34 FTE positions to save $2.04 million. Instead, the School Committee supported a reduction of 25 positions, equaling $1.48 million.
Mayor William Reichelt initially asked the School Committee to reduce the level service budget of $61.5 million by $3 million to create a level funded budget, which is where the position reductions stem from.
“That got us to level funded compared to FY26,” Tarquini said. “The addition to that is our hope and assumption that once the governor’s budget makes its way through their approval process, that they will increase the minimum per pupil from $75 to $150, and that would yield about an additional $300,000. That’s what makes up the difference between our original amount we proposed and this one.”
Superintendent Stefania Raschilla said that the district has retirements and positions that are not renewed based on performance every year.
The district also looks at class sizes to determine whether it needs as many teachers as it currently employs. Raschilla added that there is a drastic difference in the number of students from three years ago in kindergarten through third grade, going from 310 students to 240 students.
“We’re able to eliminate some of those positions, not necessarily educators, but because of retirements and non-renewals, they are still reductions in the unit A and unit D force,” Raschilla said. “When we look at admin and [school nurses] and [clerical], we also have to think about, that we will be closing a building and so those are positions that will be eliminated.”
School Committee member Robert Mancini said in the discussion portion after the hearing was closed that “we still have cuts to make, and those cuts should come from administration before they come from the classroom.”
“I understand the financial reality our schools face, losing $3 million in state aid is a serious challenge. That is why I will support restoring classroom positions back into the budget,” Mancini said. “When we cut classroom positions, we are getting away from West Springfield values. After going through the budget line by line, I have recommendations to reduce the budget.”
Mancini made several failed motions to reduce the budget through other various cuts, including a $162,915 reduction targeting an assistant business manager and a grants manager, and a $113,796 cut to the middle school vice principal position.
He said the school is underperforming and that eliminating the English language arts and math coaches to hire one vice principal was not the right move, stating “I don’t think that trade off was good at all, and the data shows it, period.”
School Committee Vice Chair Colleen Marcus said she has spoken “very clearly” about the data and expressed her concerns about the use of the vice principal position, but added the timing to remove the position is all wrong. She said that if the position was utilized in the way it was designed, it would be very beneficial for the middle school.
The budget will now go to Reichelt, who will incorporate it into the town budget for Town Council review. Cuts or additions, which Reichelt said are unlikely, will go back to the School Committee for final approval in June.
