Small town mud-slinging as students walk out after voters crush 50% tax hike… putting school sports on the chopping block

Fury has erupted among families in a quiet Massachusetts town after voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed property tax increase of nearly 50 percent – an effort aimed at preserving school sports, extracurricular programs and teachers’ jobs.

In the wake of the failed vote in South Hadley, coaches and teachers have already been told they may not be returning next year, fueling anxiety across the district.

It was a historic turnout for a local ballot measure, with half of registered voters casting ballots at South Hadley High School. Of those who voted, 65 percent rejected the measure to raise $11 million in new property taxes, according to unofficial results.

A separate $9 million proposal met a similar fate, also failing to pass.

If the proposal had passed, the larger option would have likely pushed the average homeowner’s annual bill from about $5,600 to more than $8,400 over the next five years.

Even as the measure failed, bills are still expected to rise – meaning residents were choosing between a smaller increase, a much steeper one, or deep cuts to services.

The backlash quickly spilled into the streets, with roughly 95 percent of South Hadley High School students staging a walkout in protest on Wednesday morning. 

In an email shared with the Daily Mail, Principal Elizabeth Wood told parents that the walkout occurred at 8.24am with ‘staff members present at exits, reminding students that this was not a school-sanctioned event’.

Charles Miles, a father of a high school senior who voted in favor of the tax increase, told the Daily Mail that students had initially planned to hold a one-hour demonstration on the football field.

Those plans quickly evolved. Instead, students marched from the high school to a nearby elementary school and then on to Town Hall, where they remained for much of the day.

‘The kids are very upset,’ Miles said. ‘They’re going to be facing the loss of almost everything that makes school worth going to for teenagers.’

Tensions had already spilled over on Tuesday morning at the polling site at South Hadley High School, where around 30 students gathered at the entrance alongside teachers and administrators holding ‘yes’ signs and chanting at arriving voters.

For Rudy Ternbach, 80, who chaired the tax increase opposition group The Alliance for Fair Taxes, the win was a ‘David and Goliath’ moment.  

Ternbach described how he and a small group of opponents stood outside in the heat on Tuesday morning, holding a banner across from what he estimated was a crowd of roughly 50 to 100 people, including school supporters, School Committee members, and students who had been released early.

He said the group of roughly four to five opponents rotated in shifts throughout the day to maintain their protest. 

‘We were a very small force, but we exerted a lot of influence on the election,’ he said. ‘I was very proud of everybody who contributed to the Alliance for Fair Taxes.’

Further scrutiny among residents came when teachers were accused of urging pupils to pressure their parents to back the hike.

Ternbach told the Daily Mail that student involvement surged after they were allegedly shown a PowerPoint presentation during lunch, warning that if their parents voted ‘no’, that would effectively mean voting against school sports.

Priscilla Marion, who successfully won a seat on the town’s Selectboard in Tuesday’s election, allegedly contacted school officials to question why such a presentation was shown to students. According to Ternbach, the school responded that the information presented was public.

That also doesn’t account for the bitter fight that split neighbors and turned quiet streets into battlegrounds, with campaign signs disappearing from front yards and police warning residents not to steal them, the WSJ reported. 

Despite tensions, Jamie LaBarre, a parent with two children in the South Hadley school district, described Wednesday’s walkout as ‘positive,’ emphasizing both the students’ frustration and their intent.

‘They held signs showing their disappointment and hurt from the lack of support from their own town,’ LaBarre said. ‘They then returned to school to show that they value the education that is not being supported.’

The deep cuts could include scrapping school sports, extracurricular activities and college-level Advanced Placement classes, as well as reducing police and public works staffing. 

LaBarre added that the impact of the failed vote is already being felt across the district.

‘Teachers are receiving pink slips – our athletic director has already received his – so the elimination of all sports programs is moving forward for the next school year,’ she said.

She noted that some families are now scrambling to secure school choice placements, even as neighboring districts face similar financial strain.

‘Those who stay are watching their favorite teachers, their friends, class offerings, and their programs being ripped out from under them,’ LaBarre said.

Options are limited for parents who are looking towards school choice, a Massachusetts public program that allows students to attend schools outside their home district. 

The caveat is if space is available, which Miles says is ‘limited’ in their area for the number of families looking to move their children with these impending cuts. 

‘We’ll definitely see loss of enrollment here,’ Miles said. 

LaBarre said she is also considering pulling her children from South Hadley schools as uncertainty grows.

‘I know my kids need and deserve more than what is being offered in terms of academics, sports and after-school programs,’ she said. ‘They won’t have the same opportunities when it comes to college without these resources.’

For now, she is waiting to see whether conditions improve.

‘I’m watching to see what next steps are taken and whether meaningful change can happen quickly,’ LaBarre added. ‘If not, I’ll have no choice but to look elsewhere to support their needs – especially as they get closer to their high school years.’

The town’s atmosphere remains tense, with Turnbach saying it will take time for the community to come together after the vote.

‘I think it’s going to take a little bit of time for the town to come together and agree that, regardless of how you voted on the overrides, there’s more to gain from working together than not,’ the resident said. ‘Everyone shares responsibility in how the town is run, how it’s funded, and in the education of the children.’

And with the upcoming board meeting on Tuesday, where residents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts, residents tell the Daily Mail that attendance could be in the hundreds from both sides of the aisle. 

Ternbach said he plans to present an alternative proposal aimed at reducing the impact on the school budget. 

‘Our request is going to be that the town facilitate voluntary contributions from anyone who wants to contribute to the town budget,’ Turnbach said.

He said such contributions could be collected in several ways, including through property tax bills in accordance with Massachusetts law, a dedicated portal on the town’s website or in-person contributions at locations such as the library or schools. 

But the goal is to identify revenue sources that do not rely on a permanent increase in the tax levy.

‘We’re looking for ways to create revenue that aren’t dependent on raising taxes permanently,’ Turnbach said.

The strain isn’t limited to South Hadley. Nearby Easthampton – roughly 10 miles away and about twice the size of the South Hadley school district – has also announced a $7 million budget shortfall for the coming year, underscoring the broader financial pressure facing western Massachusetts schools. 

Miles placed part of the blame on state lawmakers, pointing specifically to the $1.8 billion supplemental budget passed in March. He described a ‘complete lack of urgency at the state level’ in addressing the needs of smaller districts.

‘It’s supposed to help with school funding, but almost all of the money is going to the Boston public transportation system,’ he said.

He added that South Hadley is expected to receive little direct relief.

‘More than half of what South Hadley is going to see is a couple of earmarked grants for very specific things that are not going to do anything for the budget hole,’ Miles said.

The supplemental budget, passed on March 18, directed nearly half of its funding toward transportation, while less than a quarter was allocated to education.

Within the education portion, funding was largely targeted toward specific areas, including financial relief for special education services, early education programs, college financial aid, and English language learning.

Additional funds were set aside for grant-based initiatives, such as the Green SchoolWorks program, which supports schools in making clean energy upgrades.

(comment from officials incoming) 

South Hadley’s fiscal strain – driven in part by a 42 percent surge in healthcare costs and declining state aid – may be a sign of what’s ahead for communities across the country.

Town administrator Lisa Wong told the Daily Mail that similar pressures are being felt across Massachusetts, where strict limits on tax increases are colliding with rising costs.

‘Because federal and state aid is failing to keep up with inflation, property taxes are becoming an increasing source of funding for local budgets,’ she said.

Experts warned the heated dispute in South Hadley, a town of roughly 18,000 residents, may soon spread beyond the community.

Chris Morrill, head of the Government Finance Officers Association, said it is ‘a canary in the coal mine’ as communities across America face rising costs and the end of pandemic-era support.

‘I think it’s a preview of what communities across the country are going to face,’ he said.

Turnbach agreed with Morrill’s sentiment, saying he believes South Hadley is a ‘microcosm of a national issue’. 

Property taxes in the United States date back to the colonial era in the 1600s, making them one of the oldest forms of taxation in the country.

Today, local governments rely heavily on property taxes to fund schools, roads, police, fire and emergency medical services, as well as other essential public services.

While some areas have caps on how much these taxes can be increased, the limits vary widely by location.

In recent years, some of the biggest increases have been seen in fast-growing states such as Texas and Florida, where rising home values and population growth have pushed tax bills higher.

Parts of the Northeast and Midwest have also seen notable hikes, particularly in areas with older infrastructure and higher local spending needs.

For students, however, LaBarre said the decision to reject the tax increase is already taking a toll. She added that her support for the measure was not about placing additional financial strain on residents, but about preserving critical school resources.

‘No one wanted that,’ LaBarre said. ‘But many of us understood what was at stake for our students, teachers, and community members, especially because our state and federal governments aren’t giving the support we need or deserve.’