Finance Committee recommends $120,000 school increase
The Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the Town Council add $120,000 to the elementary school budget and cut the same amount from capital. Members first weighed options from no change to a $502,939 increase requested by the School Committee.
Finance Committee · Meeting of June 2, 2026
AMHERST — The Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the Town Council add $120,000 to the elementary school budget and cut the same amount from capital. Members first weighed options from no change to a $502,939 increase requested by the School Committee. A $290,000 proposal from Town Councilor Jill Brevik drew one councilor yes in a straw poll.
Cash capital funding of $4,590,893 would fall to $4,470,893. A staff member named fuel-tracking software, planning consultants and a school operational review as arguably less urgent projects. Town Councilor Lynn Griesemer said she had "a hard time supporting any increase" before reluctantly voting yes on both motions.
In the full story:
- AMHERST — June 2, 2026 —
- Meeting purpose and housekeeping
- The capital order and the first motion
- Starting point: the school request
- The debate
- Capital and staff guidance
- Straw polls and formal votes
- Report edits
- Public comment and adjournment
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report: 1,545 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of June 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.
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