Dear Hingham Public Schools Community,
I am writing on behalf of the Hingham School Committee to update the community on decisions made at Town Meeting that affect the School Department budget for the 2024-2025 school year. During Town Meeting on April 24, a motion was made on the floor and subsequently approved which would transfer $2 million from the Town’s fund balance to increase the Hingham Public Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2025 to $70 million. During the discussion of the motion, residents advocated for the additional funding to (1) increase compensation proposals in contract negotiations, particularly for paraprofessionals, and (2) restore some of the positions that were eliminated through layoffs in the proposed FY25 budget.
At our meeting last night, the School Committee unanimously affirmed our commitment to advancing these priorities. However, it is important to clarify some of the constraints about how the additional funding can be allocated:
● Approximately $1.4 million of the $2 million must be earmarked for out-of-district tuition costs. As part of the override approved last spring, the School Committee, Select Board, and Advisory Committee (AdCom) agreed to a financial management plan (also referred to as the Memorandum of Understanding or MOU). In that agreement, the parties agreed to limit the growth of the School Department budget to 3.5% for the following four years and not request an additional override vote during that period. The agreement also stipulates that increases in out-of-district (OOD) tuition costs for special education students would be paid by the Town using the fund balance if the school budget could not support those costs. With this increased budget, the schools can now cover these OOD tuitions of $1.4 million. After individual conversations with many Town officials, it has been determined that under the terms of the MOU, that amount must be funded from the additional $2 million approved at the Town Meeting. Therefore, approximately $562k remains for the School Committee to allocate to other budget priorities.
● The additional funds should not be used for costs that will recur in future years. The funding approved at the Town Meeting applies only to FY25, and there is no guarantee that the remaining $562k will be available in subsequent years. Therefore, the School Committee must prioritize one-time expenses. Any positions restored using these funds, for example, are at risk of being eliminated again next year if there is no new funding to support them. Additional increases in salaries and wages – beyond those already presented by the School Committee in contract negotiations – are also recurring costs that would not be sustained in subsequent years. However, the School Committee is exploring a range of options to bring to the bargaining table to increase compensation for paraprofessionals without incurring annual costs.
The School Committee appreciates the community’s tremendous support for our schools, our students, and our staff. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to negotiate with the Hingham Education Association, in the hope of reaching agreement on contracts that provide competitive compensation to our dedicated employees, while upholding our fiscal responsibility to the residents of Hingham.
For more information about contract negotiations, please visit our website. As always, you may reach out to any of us with questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Nes Correnti
Hingham School Committee Chair