By Allison McDonald

At a special meeting of the Pelham School Committee (SC) on Thursday, January 22, district superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman presented an update on the Pelham elementary school FY27 budget that projected a significantly larger deficit than previously estimated and proposed that the Pelham SC begin to plan for the eventual closure of its single elementary school.

The proposal was prompted when the district was told recently by Pelham Finance Committee chair, John Trickey, that the FY27 budget would be level-funded vs. FY26, meaning the elementary school must work with a 0% increase rather than a 2.5% increase as previously estimated.

Additionally, the district was told the town does not have the financial capacity to support the school’s long-term capital plan or building improvements.

Herman presented her recommendation that the district address the budget challenges by beginning a “structural transition,” developing a tuition-in agreement with the Amherst district to begin sending Pelham students to Amherst elementary schools.

For FY27, the recommendation envisions Pelham 6th graders transitioning to Amherst’s Chestnut Street Academy for 6th graders located in the regional middle school building, and developing a full transition plan for remaining grades over the course of the summer and fall.

Pelham elementary enrollment this year is 127 students, with 23 students in the 5th grade. More than half of enrolled students (66) are not Pelham residents, and about one-third of those are Amherst residents.

No estimate of tuition or other costs associated with this plan was presented since these would need to be negotiated with Amherst officials.

Pelham SC members expressed deep concern as well as frustration with the proposed plan. Committee members said they felt “blind-sided” by the proposal being presented in a special meeting with “no advance warning.” 

Trickey, who joined the meeting to answer questions about the town budget, said “We’ve had meetings…for two years about focusing on the elementary school, trying to get the word out that there was a problem coming. Now, apparently it didn’t filter down as far as it should have, but we’ve been trying.” 

Committee members were especially concerned about the plan to transition 6th graders to Amherst for the FY27 school year. William Sherr asked “Can we not make a commitment that we will make it work, and we will have the sixth grade be at Pelham? That we will make it work, and we will spend the next few months and over the summer to make a plan for what happens long term?”

No action was taken at the Thursday meeting and the topic will be taken up at the next Pelham SC meeting on February 3.