About SOS - Support Our Schools

SOS is raising money so that we can get our SOS lawn signs to everyone who wants one in Northampton, MA. We sometimes get the cost of printing signs donated, but do have to pay for them ourselves at times. And they are expensive.

That's why we're asking people who get an SOS sign to consider a $5-$10 donation to help pay for the next batch, which we'll be ordering soon.

It's likely that if you are getting a sign, you already know about Support our School's goal to get the city of Northampton to contribute more of its surplus to public education in the city.

But just in case you don't know about us...

SOS is a group of parents, students, teachers, and community members advocating for better city funding for Northampton, MA public schools.

SOS formed in April of 2024 in response to the mayor’s proposed FY25 school budget which cut over 20 school positions. That underfunding resulted in overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of reading intervention for many young children who needed it, and many students not receiving the Individualized Education Plans that schools are legally required to provide them.

Starting in the fall of 2024, SOS began a Restore the Jobs campaign to get the city to make a mid-year appropriation to replace the positions lost and begin to address the damage caused by underfunding. In fact, in early 2025, the mayor and other officials finally acknowledged that schools were in a “crisis,” because of underfunding. And after many months of working together with our amazing allies on the school committee and city council, we were thrilled that the city council voted to allocate nearly $300,000 to the schools for the remainder of the year.

Now, in May 2025, we're once again working on getting an adequate budget for the 25-26 school year. Unfortunately, the mayor is once again committed to an austerity budget that will cause many service cuts and lost positions. However, this is an election year, so to avoid the word “layoffs,” the superintendent says the district will reduce costs by attrition. Is it possible the mayor and the superintendent believe no one will notice the service cuts with the loss of unfilled positions?

This is why lawn and window signs are so crucial - and why we are so grateful to you for requesting one! Signs get noticed, they generate conversation, and they spark interest. They are a constant visual reminder that lots of people - in every ward and neighborhood - care about schools funding.