SOUTH DEERFIELD — After a robust discussion on state funding and limited feedback on the Frontier Regional School District budget itself, the School Committee approved the fiscal year 2024 budget Wednesday evening.

At Tuesday’s public hearing, Director of Business Administration Shelley Poreda and Superintendent Darius Modestow presented the level-service $12,595,201 budget, representing a 2.92%, or $357,702, increase over FY23.

“It’s important to note that level-service does not translate to level-funding,” Poreda said, noting the school district avoided an additional 1% increase by not pursuing two new instructional assistant positions that were in the draft budget. “We’re around typically where we would be in a normal year.”

Sunderland had the highest town assessment increase in the budget, with a 9.14% increase over the current year, which is driven by the state’s required minimum contributions. Deerfield’s assessment increased by 5.53% and Conway’s rose by 2.88%, while Whately’s assessment decreased by 9.85%, or $103,089, due to the state’s required contribution decreasing.

Each year, one of the four towns is usually hit the hardest by assessment increases — Whately’s assessment soared by 14.4% in FY23 — and Poreda said that is primarily influenced by the state’s complex formula for determining a town’s wealth, along with a slight influence from enrollment numbers.

“The state minimum requirement is really driven for each of our towns, outside of Whately, around the wealth inside the town,” Poreda explained. “We don’t control those numbers.”

“Everyone gets hit,” School Committee Chair Bob Halla said of the cycling assessment increases.

For Deerfield, Selectboard member Carolyn Shores Ness said the town was going to apply for a waiver for two ZIP codes. The first is Old Deerfield, as it is primarily comprised of nonprofits like Deerfield Academy, and the second being portions of South Deerfield, which includes numerous Whately addresses. Shores Ness added the town has been successful in doing this since 2020.

State funding

While Tuesday’s public hearing was focused on Frontier’s budget, the numerous Selectboard and Finance Committee members talked about the lack of funding coming to rural school districts.

“Our kids are falling behind because they’re not able to do the things they do out east,” Shores Ness said of inequities in school funding.

Poreda and Modestow said the Student Opportunity Act, a 2019 school finance law increasing Chapter 70 school aid, often leaves rural districts behind, as urban schools typically receive the funding. Modestow said 32 districts receive 71% of new Chapter 70 funds, although he noted that a handful make up the vast majority of Massachusetts’ student population and do need an extra bump.

In recent weeks, Gov. Maura Healey revealed her proposed budget, which would increase Chapter 70 aid and allocate $7.5 million to a specific rural school aid account. That amount, however, will not fully erase the challenges rural school districts face, as identified in a state special commission report.

“Massachusetts is a commonwealth, and the definition of a commonwealth is very important,” commented Sunderland Selectboard Chair Tom Fydenkevez, noting that western Massachusetts schools seem to be left behind. “That’s not a commonwealth; that’s not giving our children the same opportunity the other children are getting in other parts of the state.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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