[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6235970,"mediaKeyId","3394001-d247cb69e66694b918a5dbeda2da5ad6","parentId",3394001,"title","North Brookfield committee forms task force to study tuitioning students to other districts","audioSeconds",903,"startMs",10098000,"endMs",11001000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3394001-d247cb69e66694b918a5dbeda2da5ad6&start=10098&end=11001","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3394001-d247cb69e66694b918a5dbeda2da5ad6/thumbnail_10098000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6235970/Massachusetts/North-Brookfield-committee-forms-task-force-to-study-tuitioning-students-to-other-districts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6235970-722f74a4b8aeb45131584bf574d2793d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=SyFaWGOV46P0baW6~jgG0Dcw-due0ZixI5AUtaF4R3qAbnxX5HgevCRvh6Tw7F8B~c5QSQcZqNHHlhaFRighk6Y85B4UMCEhhbfAloJWuMDbN8DM3oefae3U1vw341dqW7JscLiLLUB-4uksGObcCmiwQYS9PnOcgrzT8JtirnaaHsZ0QtF3Gu1z1YjJJpWifZa4bJZH8nGbrDsmEjsrlM7yIggQKknfslSqODWL~T2rqRhfXO5tGQvUfMXvid34gLbKNC45HitlKZJ2XH4v7RVHVKYFuo7dw6iiT27Nb8Y2y-Q68lj3T7DUSlo2Awm~upVdhEv16dOgdLk8Ra0C~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of North Brookfield, MA","date","2025-05-20T01:15:03.24Z","article","The North Brookfield Public School Committee voted to form a Tuition Task Force to study the option of tuitioning students to other districts and to gather fiscal and programmatic information that would inform any future decision on school consolidation, regionalization or tuition arrangements.

Why it matters: Several speakers at the meeting and members of the committee said that community conversations about tuitioning students out or regionalization had been fragmented and sometimes based on incomplete numbers. The task force is designed to collect data, involve stakeholders and produce a clear, documented analysis for the committee and the town.

The task force will be charged with exploring financial impacts (tuition rates, transportation, tuition revenue and town budget implications), programmatic consequences (special‑education supports, extracurriculars and instructional offerings), and governance implications (local control versus sending arrangements). The committee asked the superintendent and school staff to help identify town finance officials and external resources, and to solicit volunteers from parents, the finance committee and the broader community.

Committee members Matthew Grant and Dan Rondo agreed to lead the initial work on the task force, including outreach to the town finance committee and drafting a scope and membership plan. The committee emphasized that the task force should include a cross‑section of perspectives: town finance representation, parents of students who attend the district and parents whose children are tuitioned elsewhere, students and at least one staff member.

Timing and process: The committee approved formation of the task force by voice vote. The task force is not a standing committee; it is intended to be an advisory group that reports regularly to the school committee. Members said the first steps would include drafting bylaws/scope, scheduling an initial public meeting to solicit interest and establishing information requests to potential receiving districts.

What the task force will not do immediately: The formation vote was not an authorization to enter any agreement with another district, nor did it signal a committee decision to close any building or dissolve the local school committee. The committee said any final recommendation from the task force would return to the full school committee for deliberation and votes as required by law and town procedures.

Ending: School committee members said they intend to keep the town informed through regular updates at committee meetings and to publish task‑force materials and meeting notices to encourage broad public participation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","North Brookfield School Committee Meeting May 19th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The North Brookfield Public School Committee voted to form a Tuition Task Force to investigate the costs, benefits and impacts of tuitioning students to other districts. Committee members Matthew Grant and Dan Rondo agreed to lead initial work to recruit stakeholders and gather financial and programmatic data.","taxTitle","Town of North Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",54736,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6235974,"North Brookfield School Committee approves modified FY26 cuts, preserves art, music and high‑school physical education positions",8590,474000,9064000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3394001-d247cb69e66694b918a5dbeda2da5ad6&start=474&end=9064","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3394001-d247cb69e66694b918a5dbeda2da5ad6/thumbnail_474000.jpg","/articles/6235974/Massachusetts/North-Brookfield-School-Committee-approves-modified-FY26-cuts-preserves-art-music-and-highschool-physical-education-positions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6235974-3f96de3463f368fb352a26749b109da9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174459&Signature=e0XLWF6j6Ad2iPiudAx-C-xp5NZzqW9SHi9iBxMhDCoSnor8qM7tcU23KlzKoe6L4HMZ6wxN27SUqi7bsxYRUs97QX9h9ACORbSsTfuZlWQVFv7-JQIMlRX0S4N1EYJqd5F4O-YCGeVsBKne6x6GQGZI~MBAzd1nqfa5CiAL~jVyTENDxi-~cPhWPPlxt4WXBWrBF9sRp63QcXyernRc1AHEVXA6ZBqVGLKHELprj21KfO2uyUHyz7OrlHjX0LM6saOJlo2UtpFImyVM09szWONT9avRWAWLTQFvu7QZ-8aYsCuC8jRQlFfyd7T2DfM66Rpu6FwLA~7-lNQDDdhSXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The North Brookfield Public School Committee voted to approve an amended set of FY26 budget reductions on a voice vote, but the committee removed three personnel cuts from the list: a full‑time district art teacher, a full‑time district music teacher and the high‑school physical‑education teacher.

The vote followed more than two hours of public comment, student presentations and a presentation from Superintendent Tim McCormick about revenue drivers and proposed reductions. The superintendent described the proposal as a “level‑service” budget that would hold programming steady while closing a shortfall driven primarily by rising salaries, transportation costs and special‑education placements.

Why it matters: Committee members said they faced a hard choice between staff cuts and deep program reductions. Committee discussion made clear the political and community stakes: many residents and students urged preservation of arts, music and athletics, arguing those programs support student engagement and help retain families in town.

McCormick told the committee the recommended budget was “just over $8 million” and that year‑to‑year increases were concentrated in salaries, transportation and special‑education tuition. He said district salary and contractual obligations alone accounted for the largest share of the increase and that transportation costs had risen under an existing contract. McCormick warned that further personnel cuts would harm instructional capacity and student services and said, “There’s nothing I like about this list,” when describing the proposed eliminations.

Public testimony at the meeting was extensive and repeatedly warned against program reductions. Dane Ford, a member of the Class of 2025, said the proposed cuts would harm arts and music programming and argued, “No child deserves the bare minimum.” Damien Sorett, a high‑school English teacher and the newly elected union president, told the committee that surrendering local control through closures or outsourcing would be irreversible: “You will not get it back.”

The superintendent and staff outlined specific reduction categories the committee had considered: non‑personnel cuts (materials, supplies, athletics transportation and discretionary maintenance) and personnel reductions across multiple positions districtwide. The draft reductions before the committee would have removed a district instructional coach, an elementary media specialist, a 0.5 ELL teacher, a full‑time physical‑education teacher, a paraprofessional and the two district art/music positions, among others.

Committee debate focused on educational and community impacts. Several members said the committee should preserve programs that help retain students; one member framed art and music as recruiting and retention tools that feed the high‑school band and extracurricular pipeline. After discussion, a motion to approve the reductions was amended on the floor to exclude elimination of the full‑time district art teacher, full‑time district music teacher and the high‑school physical‑education teacher. The amended package reduces the district’s requested cuts but leaves substantial non‑personnel reductions in place.

Formal actions: The committee approved the amended reduction package by voice vote. The motion’s text, as recorded, directed staff to implement the modified reductions and to prepare required public‑hearing notices and required documentation for any town meeting or finance‑committee process that follows.

Budget context and details discussed at the meeting:
- Superintendent described FY26 as a “level‑service” proposal that does not add new positions; he said some new programs (an advanced‑manufacturing career pathway) are grant‑funded and would not be a local tax burden.
- McCormick described Chapter 70 (state school aid) and the circuit‑breaker special‑education reimbursement mechanism as key revenue drivers; he said those amounts have varied and that state aid reductions require larger local contributions.
- The committee saw small transfers already executed: $7,792 to a professional‑development grant, $5,003.62 for para/ABA payroll applied to grant 240, and $4,620 to grant 262.
- McCormick noted a remaining gap near the committee’s previously discussed target (about $1 million in identified reductions before the amendment) and explained that insurance savings from personnel reductions and other offsets were included in the district’s calculations.

What was not decided: The committee did not adopt any motion to close a school or regionalize; those remain separate decisions. Committee members also left open further outreach to the town finance committee, and McCormick said the district would continue to refine numbers as state aid recommendations change.

Next steps: Staff were directed to finalize the revised reductions in writing, to post required public‑hearing notices, and to provide detailed budget documents to the committee and town finance officials. The committee will receive further budget updates before any town meeting or vote on appropriations.

Ending: Committee members repeatedly thanked students, staff and speakers who attended the meeting. Several members said they will work to communicate budget tradeoffs to the broader community as the town and school continue the FY26 budget process.","Facing roughly a $1 million gap, the North Brookfield Public School Committee approved a set of budget reductions for fiscal 2026 but amended the package to keep full‑time art and music positions and the high‑school physical‑education teacher in place after public testimony and committee debate.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

North Brookfield committee forms task force to study tuitioning students to other districts

North Brookfield School Committee approves modified FY26 cuts, preserves art, music and high‑school physical education positions