By Alex Cox || coxalexj@gmail.com

A report on the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on Monday, December 2.

Opposition of PVCICS Expansion 

The Town Council passed a resolution that opposes the expansion of the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School  (PVCICS) at its Monday meeting (7-1, 5 absent). 

The resolution, which advocates that “the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education should reject the proposed expansion of enrollment at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School,” was sponsored by Councilors Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5), Lynn Griesemer (District 2), Cathy Schoen (District 1), and Andrew Steinberg (at-large). 

The resolution states that “the state formula for funding Charter Schools is flawed and is a major factor contributing to deficits for district and regional schools for Amherst and neighboring cities and towns.” Of the councilors in attendance, all but Mandi Jo Hanneke (at-large) supported the resolution. Although Hanneke expressed discontent with the funding formula, she expressed concern that the resolution seemed to blame PVCICS for budgetary shortfalls. “The resolution I believe is misguided, although I understand the need for a change in the funding formula,” said Hanneke. 

State of the Town Addresses

In compliance with the town charter, Council President Griesemer and Town Manager Paul Bockelman presented their respective State of the Town addresses. These addresses largely applauded and quantified the actions taken by the Council and recognized the ongoing work. 

“Celebrating our progress bolsters our resilience,” said Bockelman after extending gratitude to town staff. The Amherst Current plans to publish a full transcript of the Town Manager’s address once it is released. The link to this coverage will be included as a comment to this article

Appointment of New Fire Chief and other business

The Town Council also appointed Lindsay Stromgren as the new fire chief (10-0; 3 absent), and referred several budget appropriations to the Finance Committee. These referrals include payments for wastewater and solid waste testing and appropriations for the new ARHS track. 

In preparation for the beginning of a new fiscal year, the Council also discussed proposed changes to budget guidelines. The Finance Committee is advocating increasing the base for the Amherst Regional School budget to include the full 6% increase given in the current FY 25 budget, contrary to what the Council told the School Committee earlier this year. The guidelines are still being revised and will return to the Council for approval at a later date.

The next Town Council meeting will be December 16 at 6:30 pm in Amherst Town Hall. Town Council meetings are also accessible via Zoom, livestream, and Amherst Media broadcast. Meeting details, agendas, and access are posted on the Town Council webpage. If you’re interested in knowing more about upcoming Council meetings, you can subscribe to text and email updates from the Town. 

Alex Cox (he/him) is a current graduate student at UMass- Amherst studying Regional Planning (MRP) and Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). He currently serves on the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund and as the Graduate Director of the Student Union Art Gallery. He has been a member of the Amherst Current editorial board.