Belchertown School Committee returns $200,000 in health insurance savings to town

BELCHERTOWN -- February 24, 2026, Belchertown School Committee unanimously approves $256,350 in budget transfers and advances a bell-to-bell cell phone ban. The board voted to shift $56,350 from special education tuition funds to cover foster and DCF transportation costs, then separately approved returning $200,000 in health insurance savings to the town, a move members said could help offset the $215,000 school-side budget cut ordered by the town for fiscal year 2027. Superintendent Tom Mazza reported that two community listening sessions on the Cold Spring School closure drew roughly 45 attendees combined, with parent questions focused on sixth-grade recess, school dances, and the playground equipment; he noted the district has already generated $937,000 in savings through the closure that it is not requesting back. Committee member Jake Lacaire read aloud a proposed policy requiring all personal electronic devices to be locked away from first bell to last bell for all pre-K through eighth-grade students, citing the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General's advisory and calling the measure "one of the most impactful things" the district can do for student outcomes; the high school is excluded, and a vote is expected at the next meeting.