Hudson School Committee discusses cuts if override fails

998

Hudson School Committee recently discussed hypothetical cuts if the proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override failed. (Photo/Laura Hayes)

Hudson School Committee recently discussed hypothetical cuts if the proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override failed. (Photo/Laura Hayes)

HUDSON – What would it look like if $3.3 million had to be cut from Hudson Public Schools’ fiscal year 2026 budget?

On Jan. 21, Superintendent Brian Reagan presented a hypothetical scenario of what would happen if the proposed Proposition 2 ½ override failed.

“We’re at the stage now where we’re trying to refine the story on our end so that we can really be prepared to launch details around a failed override,” said Reagan.

If the override fails at Town Meeting and the election, he said there would be reductions in core instructional staff across the board at the elementary, middle and high school levels. As a result, students could be spread across fewer classrooms, meaning classroom numbers in the high 20s.

“We would have class sizes that are much larger than they are now,” said Reagan.

There could also be a reduction in the number of opportunities for athletics and extracurricular activities, he said. School choice enrollment, in which students from other towns come to Hudson for his or her education, could be impacted as well.

While it may cost money to take these students, he said, the district receives $5,000 per student in revenue.

“It’s actually a revenue for us that is utilizing open seats. We’re not adding staffing or programming to accommodate those students,” said Reagan.

He said that because Chapter 70 funds are calculated by the overall enrollment, they would get less funding from the state the following year.

RELATED CONTENT: Hudson schools to ask for Prop. 2 ½ override of $3.3 million

Reagan said, “There’s a real ramification that we can’t afford to have $100,000 less in Chapter 70 aid.”

He said that a program that targets students at risk for dropping out could be in danger of getting cut under the $3.3 million reduction scenario. The program provides social and emotional support to students who need it for their core instruction.

“[Hudson High School Principal Jason Medeiros] has reported that it has been very successful. He feels like it’s keeping kids engaged,” he said.

The impact of a reduction would affect staffing, like in the fine arts department, nursing staff, coaches, paraprofessional support to teachers and administration staff. They would have to revisit the topic of bus fees and reconsidering the walk zones for students, or how far away students have to live to get bused, said Reagan.

There could be loss of support staff in the classroom, even though there are mandates around the English language learners and special education programs, he said. The result could be larger caseloads, according to Reagan.

School Committee Chair Steven Smith said the potential loss of instructional support would put more on educators, especially with the possibility of larger classes. He was concerned about the effect on teachers.

“To me, that’s impactful,” he said. “We’re talking about taking away supports that students need.”

Reagan said that it came down to what kind of school district they wanted to have in Hudson.

He said the work of figuring how many full-time equivalent positions would be impacted by such a budget cut was “sort of theoretical,” but they were close to being able to say approximately how many could be affected.

School Committee member Zach Maule said community outreach would be a “crucial component of success” for the override to pass.

“Reaching out to the community outside of the school system is really important for transparency,” he said.

Smith said the information they covered about the consequences of a failed override was critical to what they needed to communicate to the community.

He said, “It’s all of us. We’re all in this together. So it’s important to just take the time and communicate.”

For more information, visit togetherforhudson.com. The website was created by members of the school community and includes a fact sheet of what is happening with the proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override in the spring.

No posts to display