Hingham leaders outline staff reductions and program cuts under 3.5% MOU budget

Superintendent Katie Roberts on Jan. 13 presented the Hingham Public Schools'first draft of the fiscal 2026 operating budget, saying the district must plan within the town'school memorandum of understanding that limits base budget growth to 3.5 percent. Roberts said the constraint, together with rising personnel, energy and special-education costs, led administrators to propose program and staffing reductions across elementary and secondary schools.

Why it matters: the proposed cuts affect student-facing positions and programs used for early intervention and enrichment. District leaders said they tried to target noninstructional lines where possible but that personnel comprises about 81 percent of the budget, limiting options.

Roberts told the committee the MOU "was a 4 year commitment signed in March of 2023" and that district leaders were trying "to get as close as we can to level services within the constraints of the MOU." She framed the budget talks as iterative and pledged transparency, saying, "we will be as transparent as possible."

What was proposed: elementary principals and central office staff proposed ten full-time equivalent reductions at the elementary level that would save $770,106. The package included:

- Reducing interventionists from four to three at each elementary school (4.0 FTEs) with an estimated savings of $189,880. - Eliminating the district elementary Spanish teacher positions and moving the elementary specialist cycle from six days to five, estimated savings $408,847. - Eliminating the district writing specialist position (savings not individually broken out in the presentation). - One general-education elementary teacher reduction tied to uneven cohort sizes (part of the 10…