Cohasset School Committee Approves $24.8 Million Budget for FY26

Budget includes staff reductions, reinstated kindergarten tuition to close $1.4 million gap

COHASSET - March 31, April 2, and April 9 - The Cohasset School Committee has approved a $24.8 million budget for the 2026 fiscal year, implementing significant cuts and new fees to close a nearly $1.4 million funding gap.

April 2 - The committee voted unanimously to approve the balanced budget during its April 2 meeting, following months of difficult deliberations and a special meeting earlier in the week (covered below) where the controversial decision to reinstate kindergarten tuition was finalized.

"We are presenting you this evening with a balanced FY26 budget that we can support and that meets the needs of the district as best it can," Superintendent Sarah Shannon told committee members.

The approved budget includes approximately $774,000 in reductions, including the elimination of several staff positions, and about $644,000 in additional revenue from various fees and town support.

Among the most significant changes is the reinstatement of tuition for full-day kindergarten, expected to generate approximately $300,000. This decision has sparked concern from parents, including Colin Smith, who addressed the committee during public comment.

"I have two five-year-olds," Smith said. "Actually, it's a really unique situation where that specific class has five sets of twins in the grade. And so there are five families that are going to have to cover 11% of that total deficit, which is crazy, right?. For the town to put that on a small number of families, it doesn't seem right."

Committee members explained that the district had previously offered free full-day kindergarten based on anticipated state funding that never materialized.

"The anticipated amount of state funding that that decision was predicated upon did not materialize," Chair Craig MacLellan said. "It wasn't as though the town was giving us the full amount necessary to fund that programming."

Lance Dial, who voted against reinstating the tuition, acknowledged the difficult position. "The fiscal considerations are really real and really dire and there were no good options," he said.

The budget reductions include eliminating several positions: the Director of Data, Evaluation, and Curriculum, custodial positions, a bus driver, an educational support professional, a lunch and recess aide, an office aide, a part-time math ESP at Deer Hill, and reducing the library aide position at the middle school/high school.

Additionally, a retiring middle school French teacher will not be replaced directly. Instead, a high school French teacher will move to the middle school, resulting in larger class sizes at the high school level.

The district is also significantly reducing spending on supplies, materials, and professional development, and moving bus parking back to the high school to save over $40,000 annually.

New revenue sources include:

• $70,000 in additional athletic fees

• $20,000 from student parking fees

• $40,000 in additional transportation fees

• $4,000 in building rental fees

• $300,000 from kindergarten tuition

• $60,000 from capital planning board funding of school bus leases

• $150,000 one-time special education allocation from the town

The committee also addressed the current fiscal year's deficit, which stands at approximately $953,000. Shannon and district officials have identified measures to reduce this deficit to about $569,000 by the end of June.

"We think that by the end of June, we will be able to draw down that deficit from $953,000 to $569,000. And hopefully we can even do better than that," Shannon said.

The Town Manager is aware and prepared to cover the remaining deficit for the current school year, Shannon added.

Committee members expressed gratitude for the work done to balance the budget while acknowledging the painful decisions involved.

"This has been incredible intro to the position. No doubt you have really, really tackled a huge, huge problem and we have a solution," Dial told Shannon. "While as we know that solution may not make everybody happy, there's no way you can find $1.4 million and make everybody happy."

Dial cautioned that despite addressing the immediate shortfall, the district needs to consider more permanent solutions.

"The work here we've done is to solve a symptom. It doesn't solve the problem," he said. "I do think we should take the energies, at least some of the energies that we've spent trying to solve this gap for this year and think about more permanent solutions."

MacLellan echoed these concerns, asking Shannon if she was confident the district would avoid similar shortfalls next year.

"I feel like we're in some really unforeseen circumstance. I think I feel confident with where we are," Shannon responded. "Ms. Owen and I have gone over these numbers many, many times and asked for a lot of input."

The committee also received updates on the district's Model UN and Model Congress programs, student services, and integrated focus monitoring from the state that will begin next year.

March 31 - The Cohasset School Committee has voted to bring back kindergarten tuition and increase several other fees to tackle a budget deficit. This decision came during a special meeting on March 31, 2025.

The committee gave the green light to hike transportation, athletics, and student parking fees. They also approved small increases to building rental fees but decided against a proposed student activity fee.

Superintendent Sarah Shannon explained that the district is working to balance the budget for fiscal year 2026 while dealing with a gap from the previous year and addressing growing needs.

"We can't keep up with the increasing needs year after year based on what we get from the town," Shannon said. "It's not because the town isn't cooperating or giving us what they can, but because the needs are outpacing the town's revenue."

The committee's decision to reinstate kindergarten tuition at $3,000 per year is expected to bring in up to $300,000 in revenue. This fee had been eliminated two years ago.

Transportation fees are set to jump from $350 to $450 per student, with a family cap of $850. Athletic fees, unchanged since 2008, will increase to $425 per sport with a $1,700 family cap.

A new $180 annual student parking fee has been approved, and building rental fees for seasonal use will rise to $25 per child.

Committee member Lance Dial commented, "We need the money now. Student parking is a privilege, a luxury."

Tori Hanna, another committee member, emphasized the importance of transparency: "I think we owe it to the town to fully understand where these fees are going, how they're being spent, and allow people to see that it is equitable"

The committee turned down a suggested $50 student activity fee.

Shannon mentioned that alongside fee increases, the district is also looking at ways to cut costs to address the budget shortfall.

Here's a breakdown of the approved fee increases:

- Kindergarten tuition: $3,000 per year

- Transportation: $450 per student (up from $350)

- Athletics: $425 per sport (up from $250)

- Student parking: $180 per year (new fee)

- Building rental (seasonal): $25 per child (up from $20)

Committee Chair Craig MacLellan wrapped up the meeting by thanking the community for their input and encouraging ongoing involvement in school budget discussions.

April 9 - The Cohasset School Committee has unanimously voted to submit statements of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for renovations to Cohasset Middle School and High School. This decision came during an emergency meeting on April 9, 2025.

The committee's goal is to address issues in both schools, with a focus on energy conservation and updating facility systems.

Chair Craig MacLellan explained, "We need to vote on them separately as two different schools, even though they're in the same building and any project would likely cover the whole structure."

These statements of interest highlight two main priorities for potential future MSBA applications: upgrading school facility systems and replacing or adding to outdated buildings.

Superintendent Sarah Shannon will be submitting these statements to the MSBA's Core Program for both schools, which share a building at 143 Pond St.

MacLellan made it clear that submitting these statements doesn't guarantee the MSBA will accept, approve, or fund the project. It also doesn't commit the Cohasset School District to applying for funding.

The committee called this emergency meeting to meet the MSBA's Core Program deadlines. This is the fourth year in a row that the committee has submitted statements of interest for these schools.

Full meetings available via the Town of Cohasset YouTube. March 31, April 2, and April 9.