School Committee Approves Adding Boys Volleyball to Operating Budget, Faces Mounting Financial Challenges
KINGSTON - October 16 - The Silver Lake Regional School Committee on October 16 voted unanimously to add the boys volleyball program to the district’s operating budget beginning in fiscal year 2027, bringing financial stability to a sport that students self-funded for three years. However, the celebratory moment was overshadowed by stark warnings about serious financial and administrative challenges facing the district, including a downgraded credit rating, delayed audits, and significant budget pressures for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Full Story
The boys volleyball team’s journey to becoming an officially funded program represented a success story three years in the making. In 2023, student athletes Brady, Joey, and Zach presented their case to the school committee to establish a boys volleyball team. Following district policy and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association requirements, they demonstrated sufficient student interest and outlined a plan to self-fund the program for three years, with support from parent boosters.
Principal Michaela Gill explained that the program has been operating successfully for three years, with the team advancing from junior varsity status in their first year to varsity status in their second. The program has grown to include middle school engagement efforts, with students working to inspire younger athletes to participate. School Committee member Mark Helisek commented that boys volleyball is “the third fastest growing sport right now” and commended the team for their perseverance through what he called the challenging second year.
Athletic Director Rick Swanson provided a financial breakdown showing the annual cost of adding the program to the operating budget. School Committee member Jason Fraser noted his support, stating “I was a member of the committee that approved the boys moving forward and establishing their own team. My question is purely financial. I support you guys and hope to see you become one of our officially funded varsity sports here.”
School Committee member Jeanne Coleman emphasized the inspiring nature of the students’ achievement: “I think that it’s wonderful that you guys have self-funded for a couple of years and I think it’s inspiring for other athletes in the building that would like to start a program that you guys persevered through some challenging conversations.”
The motion to fund boys volleyball through the operating budget beginning in fiscal year 2027 passed unanimously, with team members and parents celebrating the decision.
However, the meeting took a more serious turn during discussions of the district’s financial situation. Business Manager Sarah Hickey presented a request to use $129,899 in additional minimum aid from the state that had not been anticipated in the January budget planning. Hickey outlined five proposed uses for the funds: $30,000 for contracting wastewater treatment plant operations during the maintenance director’s leave; $50,000 to repair a malfunctioning heat recovery unit in the wastewater treatment plant that caused a 700 percent increase in September heating costs; $12,600 to cover a long-term substitute accountant from October to December; $26,200 to retain the substitute accountant from January to June to address business office backlogs; and $11,049 to restore supply cuts made at the middle school and high school.
The request sparked intense debate among committee members about competing priorities. Fraser raised significant concerns about using the additional aid rather than depositing it into Excess and Deficiency (E&D) reserves. He noted that the district used $1.25 million from E&D for the current operating budget just to avoid major cuts to programs or staff. “When we made that vote, I made a pledge that I would go to the state and try and get as much more aid as possible sent to us so we could help replenish E&D,” Fraser said.
Fraser explained that using the $129,899 now creates a “double whammy” because it both increases the current budget by that amount and eliminates the ability to backfill E&D for next year’s budget. “So it’s like another half a percent. So we’re going to have to come up with 3% just to be level funded, not even level service,” he warned. “We’re in a financial pickle.”
The situation became more urgent when Hickey described the consequences of understaffing in the business office. The district has not yet closed out cash for fiscal year 2025, which prevents submission of E&D certification and completion of the FY24 audit. Hickey explained that this lag has serious ramifications: “We have credit, well, we had a credit rating from Moody’s. Moody’s dropped our credit rating in September for a lack of information. That lack of information was they didn’t have our FY24 audit.”
The FY24 audit was completed in September and submitted to Moody’s, and Hickey reported that Moody’s would decide whether to reinstate the district’s credit rating. “This is our credit rating. So one of the first questions they asked was, do you expect to borrow at any point? So no one is going to lend anything to Silver Lake without some sort of credit rating,” she explained.
Coleman noted the catch-22 situation: “It’s such a catch-22 because we can’t fund the positions because we don’t have enough money, particularly federal funds. We need more money to run the district to create these positions to then do the work.”
After extensive discussion, the committee ultimately voted to authorize the administration to make discretionary budget freezes up to $12,600 to cover the long-term substitute accountant currently working, rather than allocating any of the additional state aid. The committee also approved a memorandum of agreement for banking support services, as separation of duties requires that different staff handle bank transactions and accounting system access.
School Committee member Mark Guidoboni highlighted that the wastewater treatment plant issue was discovered through “forensic analysis of accounting data,” commending staff for finding the problem rather than simply paying the inflated bills. He supported addressing the heat recovery unit repair, noting it represents only 20 percent of the $260,000 cost to replace the entire unit. He also urged caution in selecting a wastewater treatment contractor, suggesting the district work with the Kingston Wastewater Department to find qualified individuals rather than companies that might maintain the plant at “minimum standards.”
In other business, the committee unanimously approved new admissions policies for both the middle school and high school Career and Technical Education programs, as required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford explained that the high school policy now incorporates lottery-based admissions rather than the previous evaluation criteria, with a new application deadline of March 1 instead of April 1. The middle school policy documents how the school promotes four-year career track CTE programs to students.
The committee also approved a new competency determination policy required following the removal of MCAS as a graduation requirement. Principal Michaela Gill explained that the policy expands competency requirements beyond English Language Arts and mathematics to include science and history courses. The policy includes “on-ramps” for students with IEPs, English language learners, and transfer students, as well as appeals processes for current and former students. The district must submit its competency determination to the state by December 31.
The meeting included extensive presentations on MCAS results for both the middle school and high school. Middle School Principal Becky Couet reported that the school made “moderate progress” toward targets, with gains in both 7th and 8th grade mathematics. In 7th grade mathematics, 93 percent of students scored at the partially meeting level or higher, with only 7 percent not meeting expectations. English Language Arts Coordinator Nicole Afanasiw noted steady progress over the past four years in ELA, with more students moving into the exceeding and meeting expectations categories.
However, middle school science scores declined significantly as the district implements the OpenSciEd curriculum. Science Coordinator Scott Farrell acknowledged the drop but noted that similar declines are occurring across the state in schools implementing the same curriculum cohort. He explained that OpenSciEd is investigation-based rather than focused on rote memorization, and is aligned with the new performance-based MCAS format that will be introduced in 2027. “We’re in this balancing stage of staying with the old MCAS and making sure we’re getting kids ready for that because OpenSciEd really isn’t as content-focused as our old MCAS is,” Farrell explained.
At the high school, Principal Gill noted that this was the first year MCAS was not required for graduation, which may have impacted scores. High school ELA scores showed 44 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations, below the state average. However, AP Lit teacher Ashley Ferrara provided additional context, noting that 94 percent of her students passed the AP exam, beating the state by 12 percentage points, even though some students scoring 4s on the AP exam were reading at middle school levels according to STAR testing.
Mathematics scores at the high school declined 4 percent to 49 percent meeting or exceeding, mirroring a similar decline statewide. Science scores also dropped significantly, though Science Coordinator Scott Farrell noted that teachers are conducting item analysis and implementing pre-assessments to better gauge student preparedness.
The committee approved a request from Director of Nutrition Megan Ahrenholz to add a 3.5-hour position in the high school cafeteria, funded through the cafeteria revolving account. It was explained that the position will allow all four cash registers to operate while still having staff serving food, and will support the preparation of fresh produce for students. The position is fully self-funded through state and federal reimbursements for free breakfast and lunch programs.
In administrative updates, Dr. Clifford presented enrollment data showing slight declines in Kingston at both the elementary and secondary levels, with overall district enrollment remaining relatively stable. The district is in the first year of implementing new English Language Arts curriculum for grades K-8, funded in part by a $450,000 PRISM grant that will cover professional development, committee work, and half the cost of new curriculum materials. Multiple committees have been formed to conduct core program reviews and select high-quality instructional materials.
The committee also received an update on state accountability issues. Hickey presented a management decision letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Audit and Compliance Department regarding late submission of the single audit, which was due March 31 but submitted September 26. This is a repeat finding dating back to at least 2015. The letter requires the district to submit corrective action plans, including a grant management manual, staff training documentation, and procedures to ensure timely audit completion. Failure to comply could result in the state withdrawing federal grant funding. Hickey noted she has requested additional business office staff in both FY25 and FY26 budgets, but those positions were not funded due to budget constraints.
Jason Fraser, who serves on the statewide graduation requirements council, updated the committee on his concerns about proposed “end of course assessments” (EOCs) being developed by the state. He sent a letter to MASC membership raising concerns that EOCs could become high-stakes tests tied to graduation requirements, potentially undermining the voter-approved removal of MCAS as a graduation requirement. He reported that the Commissioner and Secretary of Education have made “very disparaging comments” about him since the letter went public, and that a Boston Globe article is forthcoming on the controversy.
The committee approved revisions to the building use form that allow administration to waive facilities fees for school-based groups like PTOs that raise money for students. The form also incorporates new insurance certificate requirements and guidance from Kingston Public Health regarding food on school grounds.
Finally, the committee approved the Silver Lake Regional Operating Memorandum of Understanding with no substantive language changes from previous years.
Why It Matters
The approval of operating budget funding for boys volleyball demonstrates the district’s commitment to supporting student-driven initiatives and expanding athletic opportunities, but the celebration was tempered by serious warnings about the district’s financial and administrative capacity. The loss of the district’s credit rating, delayed audits dating back multiple years, and chronic understaffing in the business office represent significant risks to the district’s ability to operate effectively. With the district already having used $1.25 million from reserves this year and facing the need to find at least 3 percent more funding just to maintain level funding next year, tough budget decisions lie ahead. The situation is compounded by the district’s inability to hire additional business office staff due to budget constraints, creating a cycle where the district cannot meet compliance requirements that could jeopardize federal funding. Parents and residents should expect continued financial pressure and potential impacts on programs and services as the district works to address these structural challenges while maintaining educational quality.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To approve the consent agenda including minutes from September 11, 2025, warrants, financial reports, and grants/donations including an AED device from Scholastic SportsZone Foundation. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:04:30)
Motion: To approve the local controlled competency determination policy as presented. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:09:43)
Motion: To add boys volleyball to the operating budget beginning fiscal year 2027. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:15:10)
Motion: To approve the Chapter 74 Recruitment, Admission and Retention Policy and Middle School Pathway Exploration Policy for CTE programs. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:19:38)
Motion: To authorize the administration to make discretionary freezes in the budget up to $12,600 to pay for the long-term substitute accountant. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:06:18)
Motion: To approve the Memorandum of Agreement for banking support services. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:07:13)
Motion: To add a 3.5-hour position in the high school cafeteria funded through the cafeteria revolving account. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:08:38)
Motion: To approve revisions to the building use form. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:11:08)
Motion: To approve the Silver Lake Regional Operating Memorandum of Understanding. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:29:18)
Motion: To waive the first reading of policies ADDA, ECAB, EFBA, GBEBC, IKFE, JJE, KBE, KBG, and KI. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:24:58)
Public Comment
No public comments were made during the designated public comment period at the beginning of the meeting. Parents and supporters of the boys volleyball team were present to support the program’s addition to the operating budget.
What’s Next
The school committee’s Buildings and Grounds subcommittee will meet to discuss reallocating funds from this year’s capital plan to address the wastewater treatment plant issues, including the heat recovery unit repair and contracting for wastewater treatment operations. Business Manager Sarah Hickey will respond within 90 days to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding the audit management letter and corrective action plans. The district must submit its competency determination policy to the state by December 31, 2025. The committee will begin budget deliberations for fiscal year 2027 in upcoming meetings. Union 31 will hold a joint virtual meeting on November 13 at 6 p.m. featuring presentations from special education, technology, and curriculum departments. A CTE subcommittee meeting is scheduled for October 24 to coincide with the CTE dinner and formally reorganize the committee. Moody’s is expected to notify the district of its decision on reinstating the credit rating. The Boston Globe is preparing an article on the controversy surrounding proposed end-of-course assessments.