Cohasset School Committee Restricts School Choice Enrollment and Awards Superintendent Maximum Bonus
COHASSET - May 6, 2026 - In a comprehensive session, the Cohasset School Committee voted unanimously against participating in the state’s school choice program for the upcoming academic year, citing significant gaps between the state’s flat reimbursement rate and the town’s actual per-pupil spending. In a major piece of executive business, the committee also approved an exemplary annual performance evaluation for Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon, subsequently voting to award her the maximum contractual merit bonus of $10,000.
The Full Story
The meeting opened with a public hearing dedicated to the state’s school choice program. Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon strongly recommended that the district opt out of the program, clarifying a common public misconception regarding the financial impact of school choice in Massachusetts. Under state regulations, a sending town pays a flat rate of only $5,000 per student to the receiving district, whereas Cohasset’s actual per-pupil expenditure sits at approximately $22,000. Dr. Shannon noted that following recent, tight budget cycles that aligned staffing directly to enrollment, the district lacks the structural “wiggle room” or physical space to absorb outside students without risking added service strains.
“In Massachusetts, there’s a belief that if we become a school choice district that we bring in a full per-pupil expenditure for every child who chooses to come to Cohasset, which is not actually how school choice works. For every student who enrolled, we would only get about $5,000 per student. The regular per-pupil expenditure per Cohasset student is approximately $22,000.” [01:34] — Dr. Sarah Shannon, Superintendent
Committee members raised questions regarding whether the district could establish strict parameters or caps by grade level. Dr. Shannon confirmed that while grade-level caps can be set, the district surrenders all discretion over individual admissions. State law mandates a completely blind lottery, meaning the town cannot review academic, disciplinary, attendance, IEP, or 504 data, leaving Cohasset vulnerable to unforeseen special education costs that far exceed the $5,000 flat state reimbursement. Committee member Corey Evans also raised a demographic concern, highlighting a stark gender imbalance in an existing primary grade where boys significantly outnumber girls, and noted that state rules prohibit balancing classrooms by gender. Given these variable cost factors and operational risks, the committee formally closed the hearing and voted later in the evening to opt out of school choice.
