HUDSON — Hudson Public Schools continue to develop the fiscal 2025 budget with upcoming meetings with the Finance Committee and ongoing work to use the budget funds efficiently.
At a March 12 meeting, Superintendent Brian Reagan said that he and Finance and Operations Director Dan Gale have been working with the budget team to refine numbers in preparation for a budget book.
They have met with members of the Finance Committee, but they have not yet officially had a hearing with the committee. The budget team has had meetings with leaders in the Hudson Public Schools to discuss “potential enrollment-based reductions,” Reagan said.
“What will be in front of you at the next meeting will include identified reduction in staff that are all directly related to enrollment,” Reagan said.
He said while no one likes to consider reductions in the budget, there will be no cuts to running programs at the schools. He did not believe that there would be any impact on class size.
He said they would be looking at positions to bring forward for reduction, such as positions that are being covered by a long-time substitute and have been vacated.
At Quinn Middle School, district leaders are looking to reduce the number of fifth grade teams by one-half for a total of two, which is enrollment driven. Historically, there have been 215 students at the beginning of the year, but next year they expect 186 to start. This move matches the current ratio of teams to total students for the sixth and seventh grades.
The second through fourth grades are trending in this direction as well, according to Reagan. There are “four years of small classes coming up,” he said.
“The goal is to not have anybody without a job,” said Reagan.
Vocational programing
The School Committee discussed the possibility of incorporating vocational programming. Reagan brought up the topic as a part of his entry findings report he completed.
He said having vocational programming is not traditional for a comprehensive high school like Hudson High School, but having one state-approved program has been done at other schools.
He called it “a big lift” to try to include a vocational program. In order to have a Chapter 74 program, state funding must be received.
“It’s worth us exploring,” he said. “There are a lot of different vocational programs we should consider exploring.”
He said having a unique vocational program would potentially help retain the students who may choose to go to vocational schools.
“That is something I’d love to see,” said School Committee Chair Steven Smith.
School Committee member Steven Sharek, who is head of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, shared some facts about vocational programs in the Commonwealth.
He said there are 90 schools in Massachusetts that offer some kind of vocational programming, and 63 of those are in the association. About 27 to 29 are vocational schools, and the other half are comprehensive schools like HHS.
He noted that some have 18 programs like Attleboro High School, while some have one or two like Watertown. What is needed is the space and equipment.
Sharek said, “So they do range the gamut.”
He added, “It is a heavy lift to start a Chapter 74 program. It is not impossible.”
The first step, he said, was to look at the regional economic blueprint, or what are the major occupations that the region needs. Overall, he encouraged Reagan and the school leadership to pursue the idea.
