KINGSTON — February 5, 2026 — The Silver Lake Regional School Committee is grappling with a profound fiscal dilemma: whether to slash five teaching positions and multiple support staff to maintain a 2.5% budget increase, or ask residents for more funding to address a staggering $50 million backlog in critical building repairs. During a tense budget hearing on February 5, officials debated a “capital for capital” strategy that would redirect expiring debt payments into a new stabilization fund, even as the district faces a projected “fiscal cliff.”
The Full Story
The meeting opened with a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget, where the human cost of fiscal restraint was immediately highlighted. Susan Corcoran, a Kingston resident and high school paraprofessional, urged the committee to prioritize “living wages” and staff retention. “It is critical to keep all our quality staff to ensure our students continue to have educational opportunities which is necessary for them to flourish,” Cochran said [02:07].
Superintendent Dr. Jill Proulx and Director of Finance Sarah Hickey presented an FY27 budget request of $42,360,551. This figure represents a 2.5% increase over the current year, plus an additional $700,000 specifically designated to seed a regional stabilization account. To meet this 2.5% target, the administration identified $586,000 in painful reductions, including five teachers, two administrators, and two paraprofessionals [53:46].
The most contentious part of the evening centered on the $700,000 stabilization line item. Member Jason Fraser (Plympton) championed the plan, explaining that as the debt for the middle and high school buildings “rolls off,” the towns should redirect those funds to maintenance. He revealed a recent engineering report showing the district needs $50 million in repairs over the next decade, including the wastewater treatment plant and central office facilities.
“We have over $50 million worth of repairs to do... even if we did it just within the 10 years, they believe it would cost us closer to $73 million. The plan we devised was to ask the towns if they have the appetite to allow us to increase the stabilization fund... by the same exact amount of money rolling off the debt.” [41:39] — Jason Fraser, Committee Member
However, the proposal to cut staff while simultaneously putting money into a “savings account” met resistance. Member Jeanne Coleman (Kingston) expressed deep discomfort with the trade-off. “I feel like staff cuts to put aside money for capital planning doesn’t sit well,” Coleman noted, questioning whether the towns would prefer to fund the operating budget over a stabilization fund [01:02:17].
Chair Gordon Laws (Halifax) added a sobering perspective, noting that Halifax is “extremely anti-override” and has already faced layoffs at the elementary level. He warned that relying on Excess and Deficiency (E&D) funds to “patch up” the budget—as was done last year—is unsustainable and creates a “fiscal cliff” [18:29]. The district’s E&D was recently certified at $809,358, less than half of the previous year’s level [16:13].
Ultimately, the committee directed the administration to prepare two versions of the budget for the towns to consider: one at a 2.5% increase with staff cuts, and a “level service” version (approximately 3.7% increase) that retains staff while still including the $700,000 stabilization fund [01:21:22].
In other business, the committee introduced Stefani Hatton as the new Director of Finance and Operations, succeeding Sarah Hickey when she retires [05:24]. They also voted unanimously to exercise a seventh year busing option in the contract with First Student, securing a 4.51% increase—a rate Hickey described as a “very good number” compared to the 10-15% increases seen elsewhere in the state [06:06].
Why It Matters
For residents of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton, the outcome of these budget deliberations will dictate the quality of education and the safety of school infrastructure for years. If the 2.5% budget is adopted, high school students may see larger class sizes and fewer elective or AP offerings [01:03:25]. Conversely, the “level service” budget may require town-level overrides. Failure to fund the stabilization account could leave the district unable to respond to “mid-year major catastrophes” like a failure of the wastewater plant or HVAC systems [45:32].
Official Minutes & Data
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Exercise Year 7 option with First Student for transportation at a 4.51% increase.
Vote: Unanimous [08:26]
Motion: Approve Wellness Grade 9 course description changes to align with state frameworks.
Vote: Unanimous [09:37]
Motion: Approve Middle School program of studies updates, including OpenSciEd curriculum and removal of accelerated science.
Vote: Unanimous [10:59]
Motion: Pay prior fiscal year bills totaling $6,105.59 from E&D.
Vote: Unanimous (2/3 majority required and met) [20:33]
Public Comment
Susan Corcoran (Kingston Resident/Staff): Advocated for fair contracts and living wages for support staff, emphasizing that dedicated employees are essential for student success [01:26].
Kristin Shoaf (SLEA Representative): Reminded the committee that the “budget is a moral document” and urged them to protect student-facing positions despite fiscal constraints [01:27:35].
What’s Next
The committee rescheduled its March meeting to avoid conflicts with parent-teacher conferences. A Joint School Committee meeting will be held on February 26, 2026, at 5:00 PM, followed by a Silver Lake Regional meeting at 6:00 PM to officially vote on the budget [01:34:47].
Source Video: Area 58 Halifax