Whitman-Hanson Staff Layoffs Imminent as Union Delivers No-Confidence Votes
District Faces $1.43 Million Budget Crisis
HANSON - November 5 - The Whitman-Hanson Regional School District confronts a $1.43 million budget crisis requiring layoffs of up to 30 employees just weeks before the holidays. At a tense three-hour emergency meeting November 5, the teachers union delivered votes of no confidence in Superintendent Jeff Szymaniak and Assistant Superintendent George Ferro as school committee members discovered they lack legal authority to direct the Superintendent on personnel cuts—and that every week of delay makes the problem worse.
The Full Story
The crisis boils down to a stark mismatch: the FY26 budget allocated $39.7 million for salaries, but actual payroll obligations total $41 million. Acting Business Manager Brian Hyde of TMS (The Management Solution), hired to address the emergency, delivered grim news—the deficit grows by approximately $40,000 every pay period. As of October 30, it stood at $1,393,743, nearly $40,000 higher than just one week earlier.
“The taxpayers of Whitman and Hanson appropriated $64,564,205.54 for FY26,” Hyde told the committee. “The superintendent cannot willingly spend more than that.”
Phase one of cuts affects 25 union and non-union personnel across 30 positions: six Unit A educators, 13 Unit D paraprofessionals, six non-union contract employees, and five positions addressed through resignations or retirements. The tentative plan was for reduction in force letters go out November 14, with last work days November 21—just before Thanksgiving. Hyde indicated that there would likely be a Phase two as the district grapples with the scale of the deficit.
The meeting opened with an extraordinary confrontation. Whitman-Hanson Education Association President Kevin Kavka and Vice President Cindy McGann announced results of two separate votes of no confidence held November 3. “An overwhelming majority of the Whitman-Hanson Education Association has lost confidence in Superintendent Szymaniak and Assistant Superintendent Ferro due to repeated failures in governance, lack of transparency, and irresponsible stewardship of district resources and finances,” Kavka declared.
The union’s bill of particulars was extensive: failure to provide clear communication about the financial situation’s severity, critical decisions negatively impacting staff and programs, and lack of collaborative engagement with stakeholders.
McGann emphasized the human cost: “With each passing week, the deficit gets larger and the number of reduction in force notices that will have to be given out on or around December 17th, one week before Christmas Eve, also increases. We are paying the price for the mistakes and oversights of this administration and the school committee.” She ended with a pointed reminder: “One thing that seems to be forgotten is the children. Aren’t they the reason we’re all here tonight?”
In an extraordinary moment, Superintendent Szymaniak took direct responsibility for the crisis. “As your superintendent, I own my part in that,” he said. “Looking back how we got here, it is clear that I didn’t maintain a close enough watch on our payroll in FY25 or ensure that our staffing and salary projections were accurately aligned to the line items in the FY26 budget. I also didn’t communicate as clearly or as often as I should have about the financial realities we are facing.”
Then came the legal surprise. Chair Beth Stafford revealed that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees had called her Friday morning to report that the committee’s previous week’s vote—directing the superintendent to suspend layoffs—was illegal. Legal counsel confirmed personnel decisions fall solely within the superintendent’s authority under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 71, Section 59.
“The superintendent alone possesses the authority to manage school personnel within the appropriated budget passed by the school committee,” Stafford read from the attorney’s opinion.
The committee voted 9-1 to rescind its directive. Committee member Rosemary Hill then attempted to craft legally acceptable language that would “temporarily pause implementation of any reduction in force actions for a period of 26 school days” to allow budget review. After extensive debate about whether requesting versus directing made the motion permissible, Hill ultimately withdrew it.
Hyde’s presentation revealed how deeply rooted the problems run. The district closed FY25 with a balanced budget after addressing a $1.9 million deficit through accounting adjustments: $82,562 in encumbrances moved to FY26, $372,888 in withholding corrections, $878,681 in reclassified building use and circuit breaker expenses, $38,467 in refunds, and $778,433 in revenue overage.
But FY25’s underlying problems fed directly into FY26’s crisis—the budget process relied on inaccurate staffing projections. Three major FY25 shortfalls highlighted the systemic issues: employee retirement systems under-budgeted by $242,312, health insurance by $127,836, and short-term interest bonds by $195,277.
FY26 faces additional expense shocks beyond payroll. The Group Insurance Commission assessment came in $600,000 over budget at $2.2 million—a statewide surprise. Unemployment is $300,000 under-budgeted, and special education circuit breaker shows a $200,000 deficit.
Committee member TJ Roffey provided a potentially significant break: he identified approximately $346,375 in state aid apparently missing from district budgets. Comparing state Department of Revenue cherry sheet data for Chapter 70, charter school reimbursement, and regional transportation to the district’s Munis system, Roffey found the state shows higher payments than the district’s records reflect. It appears the Committee didn’t adjust it’s FY26 budget after the FY26 State Budget was signed, allocating less Chapter 70 aid than they will ultimately receive. Hyde pledged to investigate with DOR officials at a Friday meeting.
Circuit breaker—the state special education reimbursement program—drew particular scrutiny. The district received $2,402,252 in FY25 reimbursements but budgeted $2 million for FY26. Using $600,000 to balance FY25 created a shortfall. The program reimburses 75 percent of costs exceeding four times the cost to educate the average student statewide ($67,667 per student). Whitman Select Board member Shawn Kain cited a 2022 proposal suggesting the district had previously pledged circuit breaker funds conservatively—matching annual reimbursements—but “over the last couple years it seemed to deviate from that. It looks like last year specifically in FY25, that number was over pledged.”
Hyde invoked state oversight to underscore urgency. High-ranking Department of Revenue and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials met with district leaders, expressing shock at delays. “They are in full support of the superintendent’s efforts to balance FY26,” Hyde reported. “With all due respect to everybody, they were shocked that we pushed this off till December. They said, what are you doing? Do they understand the exponential increase in cuts you’re going to have to make?”
The timing debate created agonizing tension. Union representatives demanded immediate notification so staff could pursue other jobs during current hiring season. “You guys all figure out your shit,” Vice President McGann told the committee bluntly. “You need to let the people that are going to get laid off know so that they can move on with their lives.”
Yet committee members questioned acting on financial information they found unreliable. Committee member Kara Moser pointed to quarterly financial reports from earlier in 2025 that stated “revenue projections are aligned with budget” and “expenditures are aligned with the budget.” “I want to believe you,” Moser told Hyde. “However, I am concerned historically about what processes and systems were in place... Because clearly prior reviews missed enormous things.”
Committee member Chris Marks pressed the point: “We’ve been tiptoeing and dancing around a $1.14 million deficit. We couldn’t put numbers on a piece of paper that led us to this point and we haven’t gotten a satisfactory answer.”
Several committee members challenged the distribution of cuts, particularly the heavy impact on paraprofessionals. “They do so much work for so little money,” said Ryan Tressel. “It seems kind of fiscally irresponsible to put so much of the reductions on their backs... We get the biggest bang of our buck from paraprofessionals.”
Szymaniak explained that while targeting support rather than classroom positions, contract seniority and bumping rights mean eliminating support positions can still displace classroom teachers. Assistant Superintendent Ferro clarified the 13 Unit D positions include tutors, teaching assistants, and specialists—not just classroom paraprofessionals—and that special education legally mandated positions remain protected.
The committee authorized Szymaniak to approach both towns’ Select Boards about financial assistance, though Hanson Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett quickly tempered expectations. “Anything we’d be talking about would be a town meeting,” she warned. “I don’t want people to have false hope that this is some rabbit we can pull out of a hat and have a Christmas miracle.”
The committee formed a budget subcommittee—TJ Roffey, Rosemary Hill, and Ryan Tressel—to meet within one week for detailed financial review. Chair Stafford announced plans for a Massachusetts Association of School Committees workshop on budget processes for December.
The meeting concluded without formal constraints on the superintendent’s authority, but with what Szymaniak characterized as “professional conversation” establishing that affected staff would be notified early next week.
Why It Matters
The layoffs threaten educational stability for approximately 3,500 students across Whitman and Hanson. The crisis exposes systemic failures in financial management and oversight that allowed a multi-million-dollar deficit to develop undetected. Following a failed override that already eliminated 18 classroom positions earlier in 2025, this second round of cuts compounds concerns about the district’s capacity to provide adequate education within available funding. With potential additional cuts looming to close the remaining deficit and FY27 budget development approaching, parents, teachers, and taxpayers face deep uncertainty about program quality, class sizes, and long-term financial stability.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Rescind November 1 vote directing superintendent to suspend reduction in force actions. Outcome: Approved. Vote: 9-1. (Timestamp: 0:27:37)
Motion: Authorize superintendent to approach Whitman and Hanson Select Boards about potential financial assistance. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:18:21)
Motion: Form budget subcommittee to meet within one week to review financial figures. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 3:01:50)
Public Comment
The Whitman-Hanson Education Association dominated public comment, with President Kevin Kavka and Vice President Cindy McGann delivering formal votes of no confidence in Superintendent Jeff Szymaniak and Assistant Superintendent George Ferro, citing fiscal mismanagement and lack of transparency. The union requested affected staff be informed by November 12 with accurate information and that additional impacts be communicated transparently. WHEA representatives later urged immediate notification so staff could pursue job opportunities before the holidays. Resident Anna Hourihan called for stronger budgetary oversight, noting the absence of regular treasurer reports at school committee meetings. “This budget is for the children in our towns,” she said, urging the committee to “look at the numbers, look at the details, take your time” reviewing financial documentation.
What’s Next
Superintendent Szymaniak will notify affected next week of potential reductions and transfers. The budget subcommittee (TJ Roffey, Rosemary Hill, Ryan Tressel) meets within one week for detailed financial review. Acting Business Manager Brian Hyde meets with Department of Revenue and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials Friday, November 7, to confirm the $346,374 state aid discrepancy Roffey identified and discuss the overall financial situation. The district will submit its FY25 balance sheet to DOR by December to begin E&D certification. Szymaniak will contact both Select Board chairs to explore potential town assistance, though any action requires town meeting approval in both communities. Chair Stafford will schedule a Massachusetts Association of School Committees workshop on budget processes for December. Additional cuts beyond the initial $811,642 may be necessary to fully address the $1.43 million deficit.