Hochman: No 2nd study hall for ARHS students

By Bob Dunn
Staff Writer

Published on May 18, 2007

Amherst Regional High School students will not be saddled with a second mandatory study hall next year as originally feared, according to Superintendent Jere Hochman.

But the district still has to find a way to pay for it.

An expected multi-million dollar shortfall in town had all town departments cutting back drastically for the next fiscal year. And when the regional schools constructed a budget that reflected a 1 percent net increase over last year's budget, staffing cuts and elimination of elective class sections would have forced the high school to require students to take a second study period each school year out of their 15 available class slots.

The regional schools also had drafted a budget for a 3 percent increase, and that budget would have eliminated the need for the additional study hall and restored some staffing and supply cuts.

The 3 percent budget would have been submitted for approval at Town Meeting if Amherst voters had approved the $2.5 million override and spending plan on May 1, but the override failed.

Further, Amherst appeared to be locked in to submitting a 3 percent increase in its contribution to the regional school budget, after the three other towns in the district voted to increase their contributions. Leverett, Shutesbury and Pelham all voted to increase their share of the regional school budget at 3 percent over last year at their respective Town Meetings.

But last week, it was determined that, because of a new state law, Amherst is not obligated to base its contribution to the regional budget based on the votes of the majority of the member towns, as was formerly the case.

Hochman said that the regional schools will still fund the extra $150,000 needed to avoid having to make cuts that would require the addition of the second study hall, even if they are forced to adhere to the 1 percent budget increase recommended by the Finance Committee.

Hochman drafted several scenarios for the Regional and Amherst School committees that showed whether or not Town Meeting approves increasing Amherst's regional assessment to 3 percent, that extra $150,000 could be appropriated.

The extra cash would likely come from the district's excess and deficiency reserve fund.

That fund, according to Director of Finance and Operations Robert Detweiler, is made up of cash that's not reserved for a specific purpose and is left at the end of each fiscal year.

The "E and D fund" is normally used as a cushion for emergencies, and Detweiler estimated the amount in the fund between $1.2 and $1.4 million.

Regional Committee member Marianne Jorgensen remained hopeful that the Amherst Select Board would endorse, and Town Meeting would approve, raising Amherst's assessment in line with the three other towns, even if they're not obligated to, and eliminate the need to draw from the E and D reserves.

Using those reserve funds would be the least attractive way to eliminate the study halls, Jorgensen said.

Amherst School Committee Chairman Andrew Churchill said that drawing money out of the reserve fund would be a short-term fix and the fund wasn't a pot that the schools could keep going back to year after year.

Churchill pointed out that even if Amherst did vote to raise its assessment to 3 percent, that still meant severe cuts.

"Three percent is still not a very acceptable budget," Churchill said.

Students will continue to have one mandatory study period each year.