AGAWAM — As expected, the School Committee on April 24 unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) school budget as presented by Superintendent Sheila Hoffman.

The budget was approved following a public hearing prior to the regular School Committee meeting. No citizens attended the hearing to speak for or against the nearly $49 million budget.

At the hearing, Hoffman explained that the FY23 budget was built from key initiatives in the district’s strategic plan that focus on rebuilding the district’s school communities and redefining what students need.

“The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER] funds cover some of the additional costs we have endured because of the [coronavirus] pandemic, especially in the areas of emotional and mental health, academic support to address learning gaps and operational improvements,” said the school superintendent.

In addition, building a data collection and analysis system that promotes consistency among and across grade levels continues to be a priority in the district. Hoffman said the new budget will support this effort through software, hardware, and curriculum resources. There also is funding for assessment and adaptive learning software for academic purposes, and software that addresses social and emotional needs.

ESSER funds were part of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief spending in 2020 and 2021, though they can be spent until September 2024. For the 2022-23 school year, ESSER funds will be used for new pre-kindergarten summer programming; salaries of additional school adjustment counselors and contracted services to assist students struggling with the transition back to in-person learning; salary for a Family Resource Center coordinator position; and salary for a part-time federal grant writer position.
Hoffman said the grant coordinator will be hired primarily to manage the ESSER spending and implement activities that the district plans with the funds.

“There’s a lot of record-keeping and management that needs to be done. It’s a temporary, three-year position at this time,” Hoffman said.

The grant coordinator will work September to June for 10 to 20 hours a week, and should have knowledge of federal grants for education and have experience in writing and managing federal grants as well as experience with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education’s (DESE) grants management system.

Additional skills needed by the grant coordinator include financial management skills, tracking expenditures and revenues, and an understanding of federal grant purchasing laws. The grant coordinator also will be responsible for draw downs, amendments and quarterly reports, and coordinating deliverables with the district’s federal grant liaison.

Hoffman said the most of the competitive grants the district applies for from DESE are year-to-year grants.

“At the end of each year, we assess where we are and decide whether or not we will reapply for the following year,” she added.

The district has applied for competitive grants for its Innovation Pathways program at the high school, and for increased access to mental health services. Hoffman said her administrative team — including Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Salomao, Social Emotional Learning Director Marlene DeJesus, business office personnel, and consultants — usually apply for and implement grants the district has received.

Following adoption of the budget, Hoffman said the budget process “went smoothly” this year and in past years because of the “high regard” for education in Agawam and the support the district has from both the School Committee and the City Council.

“Both sets of officials ask pertinent questions to make sure they understand the rationale behind the budget. They all want Agawam students to have the resources they need to be successful, while also being fiscally prudent,” she added.

The superintendent said her administration communicates with both finance subcommittees throughout the budget process “so everyone is clear that the budget is built around the district’s strategic plan and goals for student success.”

Because of the input of city councilors during the budget process, Hoffman said she doesn’t anticipate any issues with the City Council approving the School Department budget. The FY23 budget increases local spending on schools by just under $1 million, a rise of 1.95 percent. This is one of the smallest school budget increases in several years.

Shelley Borgatti-Reed, who chairs the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee, said the FY23 budget process was “very well done and is fiscally responsible,” especially considering the fact that the cost for doing business has been rising lately.

“Despite the increase in costs for transportation and tuitions, Superintendent Hoffman and her staff found ways to keep the budget increase down, without having to eliminate any programs. Approximately 82 percent of our budget is salaries, so keeping the increase to slightly under 2 percent is outstanding.”

Borgatti-Reed added that Agawam is “fortunate” to receive ESSER funds to address the impact COVID-19 had on the town’s schools. She said the federal funds helped the district avoid eliminating any programs or services for students.

This was Borgatti-Reed’s first time chairing the subcommittee, which had been led by former committee member Anthony Bonavita for many years.

“I was honored to be appointed as chair of the subcommittee. It’s a big responsibility, especially replacing Anthony, who knew the process well,” she said.

The FY23 school budget is available for the public to view at the Agawam Public Library, at the town clerk’s office in Town Hall, and at the superintendent’s office. It can also be viewed at www.agawamed.org, and on cable Channel 15.