UMass, with 27,569 total students, is Amherst's largest employer
"If in the future the town builds a new elementary school and vacates Mark's Meadow facility, the town Amherst Elementary Schools, ARPS and the University will negotiate a new agreement in which the University may reimburse the Town for a portion of the net cost of educating students living in University tax-exempt housing."
So declared the 2007 "Five Year Strategic Partnership Agreement" signed by Amherst Town Manager Larry Shaffer, UMass Chancellor John Lombardi and School Superintendent Jere Hochman.
That Strategic Agreement expired June 30, 2012 and a new multi-year contract has yet to be inked, even though Town Manager John Musante told the Select Board well over a year ago it was "very, very close."
The UMass campus generates 20% of Amherst Fire Department total call volume. This year UMass will continue paying the annual $370,000 for AFD (total budget $4.5 million) via the expired Strategic Agreement and another $80,000 for much needed extra EMS/fire staffing on weekends when school is in session (aka ambulance drunk runs).
By (embarrassing) comparison the University of Vermont with a total of only 12,000 students -- less than half the size of UMass -- paid Burlington, population 42,284, $1.2 million in impact fees last year. Or more than twice as much as UMass pays Amherst, population 38,819.
The town has not yet built a new elementary school -- although we're well on our way. But we did, however, for budgetary reasons (saving $800,000) close Mark's Meadow Elementary School in 2009 and returned it to UMass. Yes, only two years after signing the 5 year Strategic Agreement that specifically talked about negotiating a new agreement should the town "vacate Mark's Meadow."
It was even noted in the press release spun by the well funded UMass spinmeister PR department.
Former Mark's Meadow Elementary School now undergoing major renovation
Currently the average cost of education per child in the Amherst Regional Public School District (grades 7-12) is $20,313 per student and for the towns three elementary schools an average of $18,597. State per student average is around $14,000.
Town owned modular classrooms still sit on UMass property behind former Mark's Meadow school
Currently over 50 students attending Amherst public school system call tax-exempt UMass student housing their home ... or, just over $1 million dollars in educational service costs shouldered by Amherst taxpayers.
Let me repeat that: JUST OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
The upcoming FY16 Regional School budget, just to maintain "level services," required a $1 million cut resulting in the elimination of the equivalent of 16 full-time positions.
Let me repeat that: A ONE MILLION DOLLAR CUT!
Do the simple but discouraging math: Time for UMass, our "partner," to pay up.
Do it for the kids. Your kids!
UMass North Village, described as "family housing," is owned by Commonwealth of Massachusetts with an assessed value of $10.7 million. Thus, it would pay $220,000 in property taxes this year IF privately owned
"Do the simple but discouraging math"
ReplyDeleteI did and it doesn't cost $1 million to educate 50 UMass kids. They're not all at a special school devoted to them. They just go into existing classrooms. They don't have a whole different set of teachers or facilities. That doesn't mean UMass shouldn't contribute to the school budget. We may have an average cost of $20,000 per student but that's not a true cost, meaning that if 1 new UMass housing kid goes to school were not suddenly $20,000 short. It would make virtually no difference cost wise. It's just the cost of the school budget averaged out per student. in fact, if you removed all 50 kids the budget would be about the same, as you don't saw off parts of the high school or elementary schools. You heat, light, and maintain them just the same.
The schools have about a 13-1 student/teacher ratio.
ReplyDeleteSo 50 extra students ...
Nitwit.
Excuse me. I'm not a nitwit. I would prefer you show some semblance of courtesy.
ReplyDeleteThe city of Lowell gets nothing from the University of Mass, Lowell. So please quit your whining, without UMASS, Amherst, MA would be just another Turners Fall. Many residents of Amherst are benefitting from UMASS. Just ask the landlords, who rip off students, staff, year after year, etc. Charging about $2000/month for a two bedroom dump.
ReplyDeleteNothing against Turners Falls...
DeleteNot to mention that many of these students of students are in the low income/free or reduced lunch category. Many international families only need to claim "graduate" income when submitting forms for eligibility for various services. Furthermore, they are not likely to stay and make Amherst their home, but will return to the country that is subsidizing their education. Again the cost falls on the taxpayers. I'm all for supporting diverse families and those that are in need of support. It would be nice, however, if our resources were being used to support children of our community that will remain a part of the community rather than reaping benefits and then departing.
ReplyDeleteSome families are diverse. My family, while having diverse interests, all pretty much look the same. Is anyone else going bananas with the constant harping on diversity? What does it mean??? Of course we're all diverse from one another. It is unavoidable . Diversity in itself is neither good nor bad. It simply Is. Or isn't . The word loses meaning if we think of it as merely a code for skin color. There's more to diversity than that. But diversity of thought, or political view is not really welcome in some communities.
DeleteIt's not $1 million in costs. Are you saying that if those 50 students didn't go to Amherst schools the budget would go down $1 million?
ReplyDelete50 students are about 4 per grade (K-12). Since there are at least 4 classes per grade (or teams in Middle and High School), the end result is no more than 1 per class/team.
ReplyDeleteThe incremental cost of educating these is essentually zero.
Essentially, with all due respect, you're a Nitwit.
ReplyDelete...tsk tsk, Larry. I thought it was mostly liberals who think they're smarter than everyone else. But make room for Larry.
DeleteWithout UMass, Amherst would be a Williamstown, not a Turners Falls.
ReplyDeleteVery witty Not.
ReplyDeleteMy math shows that Amherst benefits from umass. Perhaps the money is flowing in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteI own local businesses and it umass threaten to leave if all business did not pay 1%...I would pay.
Well then, that's how they can the can come up with the extra million they should be paying the town.
ReplyDeleteActually I thought it was conservatives.
ReplyDeleteEither way. Lead, follow or get the Hell out of my way.
No, pretty sure it's Libs who think they know better rhan the rest of us. But we digress.
ReplyDeleteBecause, well, you know better?
ReplyDeleteYes i do. Lol. A proud lib.
DeleteLarry, be careful what you ask for because you might get it -- UMass will just kick all the families with children out of North Village just like they did in Lincoln Apartments.
ReplyDeleteSure it is illegal, but so is requiring tenants to be married (or get married), not to mention giving the landlord a copy of their marriage license. And then there is what UMass did in the Summer of 2009 -- administrators not only should have gone to jail for that but were terrified they would.
All you will accomplish Larry is getting the families with children kicked out of North Village. What then?
The children are still in Amherst schools AND the APD is now responsible for all of the Domestic violence and such calls that the UMPD now deals with -- it's not the number of calls as much as to both what they involve and the complicating nuances of global politics.
This will require significant manpower from an APD that you think is already understaffed, and as protection from violence (or being kidnapped) must take priority over boozy boorish behavior, the APD will have less ability to respond to things like drunken schmucks urinating on your lawn.
While you aren't paying for the UMPD, you *are* paying for the APD and increasing the burden on the APD means you either pay more or receive less from them.
All you accomplish is paying more in taxes. You don't win.
Larry makes an important point and Ed takes it to silly town.
ReplyDelete"Larry Kelley said...
ReplyDeleteEssentially, with all due respect, you're a Nitwit."
With all due respect Larry, you are failing to distinguish between incremental cost and average cost.
What if those children weren't in the Amherst schools anymore?
Either they are being educated somewhere else (e.g. Hadley) or aren't physically in Amherst anymore -- what then?
Exactly where would your cost savings be?
One reason why the per-child cost is so high in Amherst is BECAUSE there isn't any incremental savings -- when enrollment declines without a corresponding decline in the total budget, the average per-child cost increases.
It's one thing to argue that it's not fair for nonprofits to be exempt from taxes -- an issue Governor LePage is raising in Maine right now -- it's something else to argue that the NVA children have any significant cost to the Amherst taxpayers.
"What if those children weren't in the Amherst schools anymore?"
ReplyDeleteEd, this just shows that you are truly nuts. The children live in Amherst, so that's why they are eligible for Amherst schools. It's not UMass sending them there, it's the parents. UMass can't send them somewhere else. And no, UMass won't stop providing housing for parents with children (as every other large university does). You just live in a bizarre fantasy land. How about UMass just pays their fair share of fundingthe Amherst schools, the police, and the fire department? So what if they are the biggest employer? Every other employerbusiness pays their share.
"The children live in Amherst, so that's why they are eligible for Amherst schools."
ReplyDeleteApparently you don't understand that Massachusetts is a Commonwealth -- The General court could "reserve" (as in "reservation") any portion of the land "granted" to the Town of Amherst, or revoke the existence of the Town itself. SCOTUS upheld this right back in the 1930's...
And BTW, a town can't tax the Commonwealth...
" It's not UMass sending them there, it's the parents. UMass can't send them somewhere else."
Sure it can. It can respond to Larry by getting a law passed that says that North Village is actually in Hadley. Or Florida for that matter...
"And no, UMass won't stop providing housing for parents with children (as every other large university does)."
Why?
Exactly what would stop them?
"You just live in a bizarre fantasy land."
Called "reality"?
"So what if they are the biggest employer? Every other employerbusiness pays their share."
OK. This would, of course, nullify all union contracts and UMass could say to all employees "hey, if you wish to park a car on campus, that will be $5000 per year. We have to 'pay our fair share' to the Town of Amherst and you can always walk to work..."
You somehow seem to think that the students are some inexhaustible pool of money for everything -- guess again...
Actually, here Ed makes a good point: UMassPD takes up (and UMass pays for) a significant fraction of the cost of policing in town, a cost which may overwhelm the cost of schooling these "UMass" children (by a factor of 5±).
ReplyDeleteBe careful what you wish for, dear Larry….
Only further adds to my point.
ReplyDeleteUnderstaffed APD spends about 25% of their time dealing with UMass students (who live off campus).
With a budget next year of $4.5 million UMass should be kicking in another $1 million just for that.
I dont get your point anon 11:16. I've never seen Umass police in my neighborhood to deal with their students. Just APD.
ReplyDeleteTo Larry's point...
ReplyDeleteIf each of those 50 UMass kids opted to go to charter schools, it would cost the district(s) about 50 x $20,000+=$1 million+
Yep.
ReplyDelete"Understaffed APD spends about 25% of their time dealing with UMass students (who live off campus)."
ReplyDeleteLarry, these are Amherst residents who are paying property taxes --- how is UMass even relevant here?: