GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — Greenfield Mayor Ginny Desorgher has presented the School Committee with grim news that “pains [her] terribly” on the school budget after receiving confirmation that the city’s health insurance costs will increase another 16.5% in the coming fiscal year, representing approximately the total amount the city’s budget is legally allowed to increase, which is 2.5%.
Mayor Desorgher proposed a 0.0011% or $254 decrease to the school’s current fiscal year budget, or a nearly $1.8 million decrease from the Superintendent’s proposed budget for FY2026, which may impact the redistricting that is expected to take place next year. The city would not be able to afford the proposed increases to the school budget, even if no other department or costs increased as it would go beyond the 2.5% overall budget increase the city is legally allowed.
And at Wednesday’s School Committee meeting Mayor Desorgher said she received confirmation two days before the meeting that the healthcare costs will increase just as dramatically as they did last year, something she hoped was an “anomaly” and will severely limit departments’ abilities to grow and maintain services throughout the city.
Mayor Desorgher also noted that the “future of funding looks grim” in terms of federal funding, citing the cuts to the school food programs and while the city’s FY2026 budget is “daunting,” FY2027 is predicted to be “far worse.”
School Committee member Kathryn Martini asked the Mayor what specific cuts to the schools budget would she recommend, Mayor Desorgher responded that looking at building utilization would be key, mentioning that the new Greenfield High School building is the most energy efficient school and would be underutilized if the 8th grade were moved to the Middle School leaving just 300 students at the high school out of the 788 the building could serve.