Sharon School Committee holds public hearing on FY26 budget; parents and staff urge preserving teachers, IAs and programs

The Sharon School Committee on Feb. 12 held a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget and heard more than two hours of public comment urging the committee to protect classroom teachers, instructional assistants and programs serving marginalized students.

Superintendent Dr. Botello reviewed budget context and options. He said his initial proposed budget would have been a 5.46% increase but the town’s current priorities target is 2.76 percent; to meet that target the district would need roughly $1,459,787.70 in reductions. He described the process and listed possible reductions that would meet the 2.76% target, including cutting one first-grade section at East or Heights and one second-grade section at East (which could raise class sizes into the low-to-mid 20s), reductions to some specialist time (art, library, music), potential reconfiguration of elementary world language, and restructuring at central office to reduce administrative costs.

Why it matters: the cuts discussed would change classroom sizes and course offerings across grade levels and the high school. Dr. Botello said the administration is aiming to preserve mandated services and special-education staffing where possible and will present a revised budget after the town priorities committee meets again; the committee is scheduled to vote on a budget March 5 and present to the finance committee on March 10.

Public comments: Dozens of residents, teachers and staff addressed the committee during the hearing. - Tobin Asclar, a parent and community member, read a Feb. 7 memo from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and cited state law, saying the department’s “educational vision remains unchanged” and that state nondiscrimination requirements in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 76, Section 5 should continue to guide local policy. - Several parents and teachers pleaded with the committee not to cut first- and second-grade sections at East Elementary School. Michelle Taylor said, “If it is a choice between free K and cutting those teachers, I really urge the school committee … to really stand behind keeping those teachers intact and keeping those classrooms intact so that all children get attention.” Parents described instances of students with IEPs and 504 plans who need extra teacher attention; speakers said larger class sizes would worsen identification and intervention for learning and behavioral needs. - Multiple classroom teachers and parents spoke in support of instructional assistants (IAs). Fifth-grade teacher Amanda Butera said IAs are essential and that “the absence is noticeable to all,” describing how lessons deteriorate when an IA is pulled from a classroom. An IA who identified herself as working in a subset separate program at Cottage Street School said the district earlier offered a teacher early-retirement bonus that was not offered to IAs, and asked the committee to offer fair compensation to retain IAs. - Several callers urged continued support for the district’s DEI director and programs, citing how DEI work supports students with disabilities as well as race and LGBTQ issues. - Matthew Desmeris and other speakers objected to proposed changes to policy JIH (student questioning and searches), arguing that the draft weakens parental presence and protections for minors; he requested that policy revision work be handled by the full committee rather than a subcommittee to increase transparency. - A number of speakers including the finance committee member Philip King criticized the budget presentation and line-item alignment, raised concerns about out-of-district transportation costs and questioned comparisons between the presentation and the published line-item budget. - At least one arts teacher urged the committee not to cut a high-school art position, warning that program reductions often do not return.

Other updates in the meeting: Dr. Botello reported that Sharon has been accepted to the regional tech collaborative effective July 1, 2025, which the district expects will provide reduced tuition opportunities, 80 online-course seats per year and other professional development and purchasing benefits. He reviewed capital-budget timing: the district adjusted capital priorities, deferring some construction to FY27 and receiving support from capital outlay and the finance committee for certain items; the capital outlay vote was reported as occurring Feb. 3 and finance committee review followed Feb. 10.

Formal votes taken during the meeting: the committee approved minutes of Jan. 8 and Jan. 22, 2025, and approved a Sharon High School Spanish department trip to Spain (Feb. 2026). Each vote was recorded as unanimous in the meeting transcript.

Ending: The superintendent and committee reiterated that the budget timeline requires more work after the town priorities committee meets; the committee expects to revise the budget and continue public discussion before the March 5 vote.