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Superintendent outlines FY26 cuts and a staged 5-year plan if override passes
Summary
Superintendent Powers told the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee the district could add up to 37 positions over five years if a Proposition 2½ override passes, but must plan conservatively to ensure staffing is sustainable; without an override the district faces 30–45 staff reductions and larger class sizes.
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee Superintendent Powers told the committee Wednesday that the district is preparing for both scenarios — passage and failure of a Proposition 2½ override — and presented staffing projections tied to the FY26 budget.
Powers said the district could add “potentially up to 37 positions” over a five-year window if voters authorize an override, but recommended front-loading 25 positions in year one and phasing the remainder to ensure the increases are sustainable over five years.
The recommendation is driven by cost projections and town officials’ request for a 5-year sustainability plan. “If we were to go over and override and add all 37 positions next year … would the funding be there, would those positions be sustainable the following year?” Powers asked, explaining the conservative approach to avoid returning to voters soon after an override.
The superintendent described the alternatives if the override fails: a reduction in staff districtwide “anywhere from 30 to 45 plus,” with most immediate impacts on middle and high school course offerings and on class sizes. He said administrators tried to protect K–2 class sizes where possible but that, without new revenue, elementary, middle and high school classes could grow substantially, with some high-school classes rising toward 40 students.
Powers walked the committee through where added positions would be prioritized: K–8 (with emphasis on K–2), special education, and selected high-school needs including unified arts. He said earlier projections that assumed hiring all 37 positions immediately were revised to the staged plan so the district could demonstrate multi-year fiscal responsibility to town officials.
The superintendent also told the committee that the right-side town recently voted to place a Proposition 2½ question on its ballot; the select board will set the date. Powers said officials hope timing will align with the Bridgewater ballot question.
Committee members praised the clarity of the materials and the conservative, multi-year staffing approach. Several members emphasized that towns want assurance an override will not require another override in a few years.
Why it matters: the committee and district staff framed the FY26 choices around class size, course offerings and the ability to sustain personnel over multiple years, while town-level ballot decisions will determine if the staged hires are possible.
Committee members and the superintendent said they will continue outreach to town officials and update projections as state-level funding or other variables change.
