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District overview

Belchertown Public Schools

How Belchertown pays for its schools, who decides, and what is changing

How Belchertown pays for its schools

Funded by state aid and local property taxes, propped up this year by a voter-approved tax override

Belchertown Public Schools is governed by a five-member School Committee elected by Belchertown voters, which sets policy and hires the superintendent. Money comes from two main sources: state Chapter 70 aid, calculated with a formula tied to enrollment, and the town's local property-tax appropriation, which the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee negotiate together every year. For FY26, the town could not fund the district's request without an additional property-tax override; voters approved that override by 20 votes in May 2025. Enrollment has been falling for years, and that decline is a major reason buildings, staffing, and programs keep changing.

A property-tax override funds this year's budget

Voters approved a Proposition 2 1/2 override by a 20-vote margin in May 2025, adding $1,636,236 so the FY26 budget could reach $35,544,353 without immediately closing a school.

The town and School Committee split funding decisions

The elected School Committee proposes a budget, but the town's Select Board and Finance Committee decide how much local tax money the schools actually receive each year.

Enrollment has been falling for years

The district enrolled about 2,125 students in 2022-23. Its own projections show enrollment falling toward roughly 1,900 students by the mid-2030s, which drives most facility and staffing decisions.

Per-pupil spending is among the lowest in Massachusetts

In FY23, the most recent year with published state data, Belchertown ranked 282nd of 310 Massachusetts districts for per-pupil spending, in the 9th percentile statewide.

None of this means the district is being mismanaged. The override passed, and the administration says it avoided layoffs in FY27 by deliberately using one-year-only staff positions. But per-pupil spending has trailed the state average and inflation for years, and further cuts remain likely if enrollment keeps declining.

Where the district stands

FY26 school budget, with overrideverified
35,544,353 dollars
FY26 override vote marginverified
20 votes
Per-pupil spending, FY23verified
17,464.66 dollars per pupil
Massachusetts average per-pupil spending, FY23context
21,377.4 dollars per pupil
Enrolled students, 2025-26verified
2,023 students
Schools operating starting fall 2026verified
4 schools

Major projects

Cold Spring School closure and district reorganization

Approved, in progress

The School Committee voted 5-0-0 in September 2025 to close Cold Spring School after the 2025-26 school year. Grade levels will shift across the remaining four schools: Swift River becomes PK-2, Chestnut Hill becomes 3-5, and Jabish Brook becomes 6-8.

Next: Cold Spring School must be vacated by June 30, 2026, with students and staff moved into their new buildings before the 2026-27 school year begins.
  1. Administration first raises closing Cold Spring School as a budget option
  2. School Committee votes 5-0-0 to close Cold Spring School
  3. State education department approves the closure; district estimates $400,000 in transition costs
  4. Cold Spring School must be vacated

Funding

Belchertown Public Schools operating budget; no separate capital appropriation identified in collected records

Jabish Brook Middle School world-language redesign

Undecided, planned for fall 2026

After eliminating French and reducing Spanish staffing at Jabish Brook Middle School in the FY27 budget, the district is choosing among an online self-paced course, an in-person after-school program, or a short exploratory course to replace in-school world-language instruction.

Next: A final program design was still undecided as of the most recent published minutes, with the 2026-27 school year starting in September.
  1. FY27 budget adopted; French eliminated and Spanish staffing reduced at Jabish Brook
  2. Committee reviews three replacement options without deciding

Funding

FY27 operating budget

District cell-phone policy

Under development, not yet adopted

The School Committee has spent about a year developing a cell-phone policy focused on Jabish Brook Middle School, covering where phones are stored during the school day. The policy has been through multiple drafts and has not reached a final vote.

Next: A second reading and final vote were still pending as of the most recent published minutes.
  1. Personnel and Policy Subcommittee holds its first discussion
  2. Committee narrows the policy's focus to Jabish Brook Middle School, excluding the high school

Funding

No new funding identified in collected records

This page is based on Belchertown School Committee agendas and minutes posted to the Town of Belchertown's public records website, covering documents from January 2025 through August 2026.

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