Duxbury School Committee Tackles Budget Cuts, Policy Changes After Failed Override
District details 18 staff reductions while restoring some critical positions; committee also addresses MBTA zoning and policy updates
DUXBURY - May 7 - The Duxbury School Committee receives a detailed breakdown of staffing reductions for the upcoming fiscal year, highlighting the impact of the failed budget override on the district's operations.
Superintendent Danielle Klingaman presents a comprehensive summary of the 18 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions being cut, while noting that some critical positions have been restored through administrative reconfiguration and additional savings.
"I think the schools really went above and beyond in terms of meeting the budgetary limitations of town," Klingaman says. "I've just been a little disappointed to see that the public outcry has really been to not focus on the schools."
The staffing reduction summary shows the district has cut approximately $600,000 in administrative positions, making the budget "very administrator heavy" in terms of reductions. The high school bears the brunt of teaching position cuts, with reductions in science, English, art, world language, family and consumer science, and theater.
Despite these cuts, Klingaman assures the committee that "the high school team administrators do feel as though the class size remains appropriate and that the students should still be able to have the very similar selection of electives and course offerings that we have in the past."
The district has been able to restore some critical positions, including two reading specialists at Alden and Chandler schools, library assistants at all schools, 0.7 FTE of music support for the middle and high schools, and guidance summer hours.
Committee member Lauren Deacon expresses concern about the impact on elementary education, noting that "elementary is the foundational skills that we can't get to high school without."
"I understand that there was a feeling and there was a desire in all of the projections to spread the damage, but I do think our responsibility as a committee is to focus on the goals of the district and the priorities that we've made," Deacon says.
The committee also hears a presentation from Megan Driscoll of the MBTA Communities Working Group regarding the town's approach to complying with the MBTA Communities Act, which requires 177 communities in Eastern Massachusetts to update zoning bylaws to allow multifamily housing.
Driscoll explains that Duxbury's strategy involves zoning areas where multifamily housing already exists, such as the Village at Duxbury and Island Creek residences, making it "highly unlikely" that any new housing would be built.
"We laid it directly over the village. So that the village would actually not see any additional increase in density at all," Driscoll says.
The committee also reviews two policy updates. The first addresses graduation requirements in light of changes to MCAS requirements. Assistant Superintendent Beth Wilcox explains that while MCAS is no longer used as a graduation requirement, students still take the tests for district accountability measures.
"MCAS results will still be used to determine district accountability measures. We will still be analyzed using those scores," Wilcox says.
The second policy update concerns student absences, specifically addressing extended absences for family travel. The proposed policy would require families to unenroll students and create a temporary homeschool plan for absences exceeding 10 consecutive days.
"We had concerns about students losing traction with their learning and their student outcomes," Wilcox explains. "We want to ensure that if there is an extended absence that we have a plan that is put into place so there's learning that the student is participating in."
The committee also discusses:
* Liaison appointments for the upcoming year, including school council representatives and other committee assignments
* A resolution supporting inflation adjustments to Chapter 70 education funding
* Quarterly financial reports showing the district has spent or encumbered 66.03% of its $43.25 million budget as of March 31
* Planning for summer workshops on topics including school committee goals, budget review processes, and identification of district success metrics
* The Duxbury Education Foundation's grant awards, including funding for 3D printers at the middle school, calm classroom corners at Alden School, and a $30,000 upgrade to the Performing Arts Center audio system
The meeting concludes with the committee agreeing to continue discussions on subcommittee charges and workshop planning at future meetings.
Chair Kellie Bresnehan acknowledges the difficult budget situation but expresses appreciation for the efforts to restore critical positions. "Thank you," she says to the administration team after reviewing the staffing adjustments.
The next school committee meeting is scheduled for May 21, when the committee will hear an update on the high school cell phone policy and continue discussions on policy revisions.