Hingham Schools Face Tough Cuts to Meet 3.5% Budget Cap
Proposed reductions include elementary Spanish program, interventionists
HINGHAM - January 13 - The Hingham School Committee discussed proposed budget cuts for the 2025-2026 school year at its Jan. 13 meeting, including reductions in staff and programs to meet a 3.5% budget increase limit set by a Memorandum of Understanding with the town.
Superintendent Katie Roberts presented an initial budget proposal that would eliminate 10 full-time equivalent positions at the elementary level, including four interventionists, the elementary Spanish program, and a writing specialist. At the secondary level, proposed cuts include not replacing several retiring teachers and reducing one mathematics teacher position at the high school.
"This is our initial pass at recommendation," Roberts said. "We continue to hope to save some of these positions over time."
The proposed cuts aim to bring the school budget in line with the 3.5% annual increase cap agreed to in a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between the School Committee, Select Board, and Advisory Committee. The MOU was signed following a successful override vote to provide additional school funding.
School Committee Chair Nes Correnti acknowledged the difficulty of the situation.
"I know this is sobering," Correnti said. "Every district is trying to deal with prop two and a half and how do you deal with these rising costs when you can't get more than two and a half percent."
The elimination of the elementary Spanish program, which has existed in its current form for about 15 years, sparked particular concern among committee members. The cut would save an estimated $408,847.
"There's so much research saying that it's easier for kids to access that information and have better odds of becoming fluent if they do it at a younger age," said committee member Kerry Ni.
Roberts said the world language director would work to integrate cultural aspects of the Spanish program across other areas of the curriculum if the program is cut.
The proposed reduction of four elementary interventionist positions, saving $189,880, also raised questions about the impact on the district's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) program. Superintendent Roberts said fewer students now need intensive interventions due to the program's success in recent years.
"Given that, due to the success of our MTSS program, we have fewer students in need of those interventions," Roberts said. "The thinking is that we should be able to offer a similar level of services."
Despite the proposed cuts, district officials highlighted positive academic trends, including improvements in elementary reading and math scores since implementing MTSS. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Erica Pollard reported that 87% of K-5 students are now at or above benchmark in reading, up from 72% in 2020-2021.
To potentially mitigate some cuts, Roberts proposed extending an early retirement incentive deadline from June 1 to Jan. 31 for this year only. The committee unanimously approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the teachers' union to allow this change.
"When a teacher at a top step, say, might retire at $120,000 and we can hire a less experienced teacher at, say, $65,000, that will be a significant savings not only for next year but for the years to come," Roberts explained.
The total proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 is $73,384,000, representing the 3.5% increase plus an additional $1.2 million from the town to cover special education costs exceeding a 2% increase threshold.
The school committee will continue budget discussions at meetings on Jan. 16, Jan. 27, and Jan. 29 before a public hearing on Feb. 10. Final budget recommendations will go before the town's Advisory Committee and Select Board in February.