Cohasset FY25 School Budget Deficit Grows to Nearly $900,000
COHASSET - March 19 - The Cohasset Public Schools budget deficit for the current fiscal year has increased to $894,810, up from $817,071 last month, according to a report presented at the March 19 School Committee meeting.
Director of Finance and Operations Susan Owen attributes the growing shortfall primarily to rising utility costs, which have increased from $154,178 to $195,915 in deficit spending.
"There are just some expenses that we can't freeze," Owen explains. "We can't freeze utilities. We can't estimate substitute teachers. When custodians need supplies and materials, we still have to supply them."
The district implemented a budget freeze in November, but essential costs continue to accumulate despite these measures.
"We are closely watching everything," Owen says. "There's two sets of eyes on everything that's increasing our deficit."
Superintendent Sarah Shannon notes that while the current deficit appears alarming, there are ways to reduce it before the fiscal year ends in June.
"We know that there's $100,000 in circuit breaker money that can be applied to bring that down," Shannon says. "We think there will be some over-encumbered salaries."
The committee is also exploring creative deployment of revolving account funds to offset some expenses.
Looking ahead to fiscal year 2026, the district faces an even larger challenge – closing a projected $1.2 million budget gap. To address this, the School Committee is considering implementing new fees and increasing existing ones.
"We are trying to close at least the $1.2 million gap through a combination of reductions and revenue increases, which for schools is fees at this point," Shannon explains.
Among the proposals is reinstating a fee for full-day kindergarten, which was made free in FY24. This change could potentially generate $300,000 in revenue, though committee members expressed concerns about reversing a recent commitment to families.
"I feel like we made a commitment to the community to have free kindergarten that the town funded so that we could do it," says Vice Chair Lance Dial. "I feel like we need to live up to that."
The committee is also considering increasing the district's transportation fee, currently set at $310 per student. However, committee member Victoria Hanna cautions that raising this fee might cause families to opt out.
"Once you raise that, people are within a two-mile radius, they may not sign up for the bus," Hanna says. "It may not be $40,300 savings on that. It could be like $30,000 or something."
A proposed tiered athletic fee structure would increase costs for students participating in sports. The current fee of $250 per sport hasn't changed since 2008, while the athletic revolving account currently shows a deficit of approximately $100,000.
Two entirely new fees are also under consideration: a student activity fee and a student parking fee.
The activity fee would be $60 for middle school students and $100 for high school students, covering participation in clubs and admission to school events.
"Some of the events that the schools run that cost money to the budget, if I think about the middle school, they run a lot of full-day events or partial-day events, field days, and they have Olympic days," Shannon explains. "All of those end up costing money."
The proposed parking fee would charge high school students $2 per day to park at the school, potentially generating $40,000 annually.
Building rental fees for outside organizations using school facilities may also increase to better cover custodial and utility costs.
Committee members expressed concerns about the cumulative impact these fees might have on families.
"I hate these fees. I hate that we're having to have this conversation," Dial says. "I don't think we're going to be able to fee ourselves to a balanced budget. The problem that we have is a structural one."
Chair Craig MacLellan characterizes the fees as "reduction mitigation tools."
"The more that we approve, the less reductions we have to confront," MacLellan says. "I am absolutely completely adamantly opposed to reducing student-facing positions if, as a community, we can come together and pay a few extra fees to ensure that doesn't happen."
The committee will not make decisions on any fee changes until a special meeting scheduled for March 27.
Other notable items from the meeting include:
- Capital Budget Committee has approved funding for an additional school bus, a district van/activity bus, interactive whiteboards, security enhancements, and furniture.
- The district plans to relocate school buses from their current leased parking location back to school property, potentially saving $48,000 annually.
- A Washington, D.C. trip for students in grades 8-12 was approved for October 2025, which will include visits to national monuments, museums, and historically Black colleges and universities.
- The committee discussed exploring sponsorship opportunities for athletics as an alternative revenue source.
- Committee members requested a future agenda item on long-term planning for the stabilization fund, particularly in light of upcoming roof repairs at Osgood School.