Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra
Reminder Publishing file photo
NORTHAMPTON — Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has announced a proposed $43.89 million school budget for fiscal year 2026, a 5.88% increase from last year’s $41.45 million budget.
Sciarra, who also serves as chair of the School Committee as mayor, announced the school’s budget on April 28, weeks before the entire budget is set to be presented on May 16, so that Superintendent Portia Bonner and the School Committee could know as soon as possible exactly how much the city is able to provide in preparation for next school year.
“Each year, the city must match limited resources to expansive needs — not just in our schools, but across every department that serves Northampton. Public education is the largest share of our city budget, followed by health insurance and retirement costs, and then essential services like fire, police, public works and public health,” Sciarra explained in her announcement of the proposed school budget. “This 5.88% increase reflects both how deeply we value our schools and how carefully we must balance the rest of the city’s obligations.”
Earlier in this budgeting process, Bonner had presented three different budget scenarios as options for the district. A $44.6 million “strong” budget allowing the schools to add additional resources, a $44.3 million “level services” budget that avoids any staff cuts, and a $42.6 million “fiscal target” budget which would result in staffing cuts.
The mayor’s increase is more than the fiscal target budget, but less than the level services budget, meaning some staff cuts may occur under the proposal. In setting the school budget amount, Sciarra said she sought to balance the demands of the school district with keeping the city’s finances in order.
“Since Northampton voters entrusted me with this position, every year I have kept my pledge to support our public schools while keeping the city on solid financial ground,” said Sciarra in her statement announcing the budget. “As Mayor, I have a responsibility to support our schools as fully as we sustainably can, while also ensuring that Northampton remains a well-functioning and financially stable city for all residents.”
Last year’s budgeting process saw Sciarra initially propose a 4% increase for the school budget for the current fiscal year but ultimately doubled that amount following significant public pressure from advocates of the budget. That budget still led to more than 20 staffing cuts, but many of those jobs were later restored thanks to a mid-year appropriation.
“The city’s total available new revenue for [FY26] is just over $5 million. Health insurance and retirement increases consume $1.7 million,” Sciarra said. “In this context, allocating nearly $2.58 million to NPS represents a deliberate and disciplined choice. This level of funding requires drawing again from reserves, pushing revenue estimates to their limits, and constraining growth elsewhere in the city.”
On the strong budget option, Sciarra added it would require a $5 million general override vote in two months, along with another $4 million general override in FY30 “just to keep up.”
The budget proposed by Sciarra sees a $3 million override anticipated for FY27. The strong budget was the option recommended by the School Committee.
“Even some of the School Committee members who voted for the recommendation acknowledged that, in practice, it would be fiscally irresponsible,” Sciarra added in her announcement. “By contrast, the budget I will propose anticipates a $3 million override in [FY27.] With its passage, another override would not be expected until at least [FY31], and there would be a sustainable path that supports all residents — including students — by working to ensure the resources we commit today will still be there tomorrow.”
Sciarra noted in the announcement that this will be the fourth consecutive fiscal year of increases to the school district of at least 5%, which has not happened in the previous 50 years. From the start of Sciarra’s tenure as mayor during FY22 through this upcoming financial year, the city’s annual direct contribution to Northampton Public Schools will have increased by over $10 million, or 31%.
As of print time, the City Council was expected to discuss an order at its May 1 meeting that would give the council more control over how much funding is appropriated to the school district.
The order specifically would have the city opt into Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1987 which would allow the council, through a two-thirds majority vote, to increase a school budget beyond what is requested by the mayor. Without the passing of this order, the council only can make reductions to the proposed budget.
The mayor is set to present the full city budget later this month to the City Council. Sciarra’s full statement and announcement of the proposed $43.89 million school budget can be viewed on the city’s website.
