The City Council on March 6 unanimously approved a midyear appropriation for the Northampton Public Schools of $294,883.02, the amount recommended by Superintendent Portia Bonner.

The money would be spent mostly on hiring additional teachers, paraeducators and other staff for the city’s four elementary schools, JFK Middle School and Northampton High School.

The City Council also unanimously requested that $50,000 of that expenditure be included by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra in the fiscal year budget for the Northampton Public Schools. The $50,000 spent over approximately the last quarter of the current school year will total $200,000 for the entire fiscal year beginning July 1.

The City Council recommended that the $50,000 be taken from the Fiscal Stability Stabilization Fund, with free cash used for the rest of the appropriation.

The City Council now has approved a $41,455,340 operating budget for Northampton Public Schools in the current fiscal year that ends June 30. That is $3,689,593 more than last year’s budget, an increase of 9.77 percent.

The School Committee had requested a $600,000 midyear appropriation without specifying how that money would be spent.

Superintendent Bonner responded to a request by the City Council with a list of priorities recommended by principals. The staff that would be hired include math and reading interventionists, special education teachers, a second-grade teacher at Jackson Street School, a school psychologist at Northampton High School, nine paraeducators, as well as 628 hours of tutoring at the Bridge Street and Leeds schools.

“After speaking to building principals, I have compiled a list of priorities from each school,” Superintendent Bonner wrote to city councilors and School Committee members. “Positions were prioritized after the principals spoke to their staff and school councils. … Overall justification of personnel positions is to provide support for students who would benefit from reading intervention, math intervention, direct tutoring, coverage and monitoring of recess and cafeteria duties, balancing the caseloads of students with disabilities and balancing world language classes.”

The Finance Committee, of which I am vice chair, after discussing the requests with Superintendent Bonner on March 5, voted unanimously to amend the $600,000 requested by the School Committee to the $294,883.02 recommended by the superintendent.

Superintendent Bonner’s complete list of priorities is available here:

https://northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/24808?fileID=201703

The School Committee, which makes the final decision on how to spend the money, is scheduled to discuss the midyear appropriation during its meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13, at JFK Middle School.

Ordinance Review Committee

I am one of three city councilors appointed by President Alex Jarrett to serve on this year’s Ordinance Review Committee.

I will be joined by at-large Councilor Garrick Perry and Jeremy Dubs of Ward 4, and mayoral appointees Dane Kuttler and Molly Moses.

The city charter requires that in years ending in 5 and 0 a special committee review “some or all of the ordinances of the city to prepare a proposed revision or recodification of them.” The committee’s work is overseen by the city solicitor.

The committee is expected to begin meeting this month and to file its report by the end of the year.

Water and sewer rates

The City Council will hold a public hearing on proposed water and sewer rates at 6:40 p.m., Thursday, March 20, in the City Council chambers, Wallace J. Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main St. There also will be remote participation via Zoom and the link will be included on the meeting agenda posted no later than March 18.

The rates are for fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1.

There were no changes in either the base or consumption rate charges for the current fiscal year ending June 30

Two years ago, the City Council approved the first increase in water and sewer rates since fiscal year 2020. That rate increase resulted from revenue lost as the Coca-Cola bottling plant, the city’s largest water consumer, phases out its operation in the Northampton Industrial Park.

Community Development Block Grants

The city is accepting applications for Community Development Block Grants until 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 19.

The money is used to support affordable housing; services for people experiencing homelessness; infrastructure; and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides annual grants to states and municipalities under the program.

Applications and more information are available at the Office of Planning & Sustainability on the second floor of City Hall, 210 Main St. Online applications are available here:

https://www.northamptonma.gov/2384/Apply-for-CDBG-Funding

Stan