From Brooklynites vying to lay down roots away from four-story walk-ups to the prodigal Hamp-born returning home after getting an advanced degree in, let’s say, Colorado, the draw of Northampton again and again is the schools. People move here for the schools. Then they get locked in by the coffee and the music and the slowly circling hawks.

The Northampton Association of School Employees (NASE) represents not only teachers but also ESPs (Education Support Professionals) and the administrative, custodial, cafeteria and clerical workers that make the schools run. Your Northampton school employees are your neighbors and friends, your fellow parents and caregivers. And NASE is trying to keep it that way under trying conditions. Heather Brown, NASE Vice President, explains the contours of the many-layered issues that affect our schools so that all of Northampton can understand how we can keep the heart of our city beating away.