Superintendent highlights in-district programs, pre-K wait list and multilingual learner growth as budget priorities
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Summary
Dr. Tia Stovell outlined district program wins — the Randolph Virtual Academy, BRITE and a new RTAP apprenticeship — and warned of unmet pre-K demand, a large increase in multilingual learners and growing class sizes that the FY2026 budget aims to address.
During the May 1 public hearing Superintendent Dr. Tia Stovell presented several programmatic initiatives she described as budget priorities and cost-saving measures, and she outlined staffing needs tied to a large wait list for pre-kindergarten and a rapid increase in multilingual learners.
Programs and cost-savings: Dr. Stovell said the Randolph Virtual Academy (RVA) serves 22 students, costs about $40,000 per year to operate and has produced estimated savings of about $306,000 by preventing more expensive out-of-district placements for several students. She described the BRITE (Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition) program as serving 40 students with strong mental-health and SEL supports; BRITE was reported at a budget cost of $163,000 with reported savings of $320,000 due to avoided out-of-district placements. The district also said it was selected for the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP): a three-year RTAP award of about $250,000 that will subsidize tuition at Stonehill College for paraprofessionals entering teacher-training pipelines and provide stipends for mentor teachers.
Pre-K and multilingual services: Dr. Stovell said pre-K demand exceeds available slots and the district has a waiting list (she cited 36 children on the pre-K waiting list) and described required hires to meet state pre-K mandates: three pre-K paraprofessionals, an occupational therapist, a half-time speech and language clinician, a half-time physical therapist, a team chair and a half-time pre-K administrative assistant. She also highlighted rapid growth in multilingual-learner (ML) enrollment -- from 449 to 738 in recent years -- and said the district needs additional ML teachers, especially at JFK and Randolph High School, to meet students with limited or no English.
Why it matters: District leaders said these programs both address student needs and in some cases reduce costs by preventing out-of-district placements; concurrently, the increased enrollment of ML students and pre-K mandates create new staffing and facility needs that the FY2026 budget tries to address.
Details: Dr. Stovell also noted other academic investments funded or planned in recent years including new curricular materials in math and science, improvements to career pathways (engineering, computer science, biomedical), and partnerships with local organizations such as Codman to expand health-care-related training at the high school.
Ending: The superintendent asked the committee and town to consider these program and staffing needs when evaluating the FY2026 request, noting that cuts to these areas would reduce services for students and could reverse recent gains in enrollment and program quality.
