Whitman-Hanson School District Audit Reveals Financial Insights

Comparison to similar districts highlights spending patterns, staffing trends

WHITMAN - February 4 - An audit of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District has provided a detailed look at the district's finances, comparing its spending and staffing to similar districts in Massachusetts.

David King, a consultant with the Abrahams Group, presented the findings to the Whitman Select Board on Feb. 4. The audit compared Whitman-Hanson to five other regional school districts: Bridgewater-Raynham, Dudley-Charlton, Freetown-Lakeville, Hampden-Wilbraham, and Dighton-Rehoboth.

Whitman-Hanson, with 3,557 students, is the second-largest district among those studied. The audit revealed that 30% of its students are economically disadvantaged, below the state average of 42%.

Per-pupil spending in Whitman-Hanson falls in the middle range at $16,339. However, the district spends more on teachers and benefits than most of its peers.

"Whitman-Hanson is at the top, above the state average and above all the other districts," King said regarding average teacher salaries.

The district's spending on administration and school leaders is lower than most comparable districts, while expenditures on paraprofessionals are the lowest among the group studied.

King noted that Whitman-Hanson's net school spending is 15% above the state-mandated minimum, placing it in the middle of the compared districts.

The audit also examined staffing trends over five years. While the data showed a 39% increase in leadership positions, King clarified this was due to a classification issue.

"Several of the people who were added in ESSER were called interventionists," King explained. "They get classified into the state's system as administration. And they're not administration, they're teachers."

After adjusting for this misclassification, the actual increase in leadership positions was about 2%.

The number of teachers per 100 students has increased slightly over four years, while the number of paraprofessionals has decreased.

The audit revealed that Whitman-Hanson used federal ESSER funds to add five teachers and 11 paraprofessionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These positions were later incorporated into the regular budget at a cost of $898,000.

John Galvin, a Whitman resident, pointed out that Whitman’s share of this amount closely matched the $535,000 in free cash the town used to fund the school budget.

"So theoretically, their one-time revenue source now became the town's one-time, at least in Whitman, anyway," Galvin said.

The audit also highlighted the district's continued reliance on "hold harmless" state funding, which provides more aid than the state's formula suggests is necessary due to declining enrollment.

Select Board member Shawn Kain emphasized the need for a deeper understanding of the hold harmless situation.

"I think it needs to be a focal point in our understanding of the budget moving forward," Kain said. "Increasing the awareness around hold harmless and getting a better understanding of the critical factors that play into it will really help us better understand the budget."

Other items discussed at the meeting included:

- A proposal to amend the town's winter parking ban bylaw

- A warning about avian flu from the Board of Health

- An invitation from Abington to participate in perambulating town boundaries, a requirement under Mass General Laws, and timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Whitman splitting from Abington

- The opening of the annual town meeting warrant, set to close February 25

The Select Board voted to send the proposed parking ban changes to the Bylaw Study Committee for review.

Disclosure: South Shore News founder Justin Evans is a current member of the Whitman Select Board.

Full meeting available via WHCA.