Belchertown School Committee approves First Student bus contract, pilots new middle school Spanish program

BELCHERTOWN -- June 9, 2026, Belchertown School Committee approves First Student bus contract and weighs a new dual-track Spanish pilot for Jabish Brook Middle School. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to renew transportation services with First Student for 2027 through 2029 at roughly a 13 percent increase over the prior contract for regular routes, the only bid received in the joint process with Granby and Ware; Director of Finance and Operations Mark Chapulis said the actual contract will cover 20 rather than 21 buses, partially offsetting the increase. The longest discussion of the evening centered on world language at Jabish Brook, where an informal "Proposal 1D" emerged: one cohort of eighth graders pursuing a self-paced online Apex Learning Spanish 1 course with mandatory educator office hours, and a second in-person after-school cohort open to all three middle grades, both timed to run on existing chorus transportation days at an estimated platform cost of $300 per student. Physical education teacher and parent Casey Kibbe urged the committee not to cut specialist days further, calling consistent educator-student relationships essential and noting that physical education is a state requirement K-12. The committee also approved the 2026-2027 meeting calendar unanimously and ratified collective bargaining contracts 4-0 with Vice Chair Hope Guardenier abstaining; the district's 143 school choice students generate $5,000 per pupil annually, and member Jacob Hulseberg pressed administrators to stop relying on that revenue for recurring operational expenses.