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 FTE total).

District leaders said those reductions were discussed extensively with principals. "The elimination of the elementary Spanish program was not without great conversation," Roberts said; the world-language director will work with classroom teachers to integrate cultural content where possible if the cut is finalized.

Secondary proposals and efficiencies: middle- and high-school proposals focus on retirements and reassignments where possible. The district plans to hire some replacements at lower salary steps when a recently retired teacher is replaced, and it does not plan to replace several specific positions identified in the presentation, including:

- One middle-school social-studies teacher (retirement) and one reduced reading-interventionist at HMS, with schedule reconfiguration planned to preserve MTSS supports. - High-school reductions proposed included not replacing a retiring chemistry teacher, not replacing the teacher who moved into the world-language director role, not replacing one ELA leave, reducing one high-school administrative assistant, and reducing one mathematics teacher. District staff said these changes could raise class sizes and potentially reduce scheduling flexibility for electives.

Curriculum context: Erica Pollard, executive director for curriculum and instruction, stressed the district's academic gains in K'5 after investments in MTSS and a high-quality literacy program. Pollard said, "We have made significant investments into staffing for our MTSS structures" and showed data that K'5 students at or above benchmark rose from about 72% in 2020'21 to about 87% in the most recent year. Pollard said the secondary MTSS model is being re-envisioned and that the district plans to pilot a K'5 math program.

Special education: Dr. Barbara Cataldo, executive director for student services, said the district's total special-education enrollment has risen incrementally since 2020 and that out-of-district tuition and specialized-service costs remain a primary budget driver. She summarized federal and state constraints, noting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires teams to determine necessary services and that those determinations can make special-education costs difficult to predict.

The presentation proposes a $154,000 reduction in central-office special-education administration (reorganization to be further defined). Roberts and business director Ayesha Oppong described the MOU carve-outs that isolate some special-education costs (out-of-district tuitions, specialized services and special-education transportation) and explained the mechanism under which the town will contribute additional funds if those costs exceed specified thresholds. Oppong described the MOU'calculation and said the town-side contribution for FY26 was projected at $1,236,799 under the formula presented to the committee.

Professional development, technology and revolving funds: administrators said discretionary lines had already been cut in prior years and that limited further room for reductions without compromising instruction. The presentation noted a scheduled bump in instructional-technology spending (Chromebooks and devices) because prior ESSER funds that had covered device purchases are exhausted. The administration said it would limit discretionary PD travel and workshops and rely more on in-house offerings if necessary.

Retirement incentive MOA: to create a potential near-term savings lever, the committee approved a one-time memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Hingham Education Association that extended the contractual deadline for teachers to notify the district of a planned retirement. Under the existing collective-bargaining agreement teachers normally notify by June 1 for the following school year; the committee voted to allow notification by Jan. 31, 2025 for the 2025'26 staffing year. The MOA passed in a voice vote (mover/second not specified in the record). Committee members said the extension is intended to encourage eligible staff to consider retirement earlier so the district can realize salary-step savings when hiring replacement teachers at lower steps.

What was not decided: the FY26 budget presented on Jan. 13 was an initial proposal. Many of the reductions are proposals rather than final actions; the committee and administration said they would refine the plan at coming budget meetings (Jan. 16, Jan. 27, Jan. 29, Feb. 4 and a public hearing on Feb. 10). Roberts emphasized the iterative process and said administrators hope to identify further efficiencies and consider feedback before finalizing the operating budget.

Community and next steps: Roberts asked for continued community engagement and said detailed slides and supporting documents would be posted on the district website. She closed the budget portion by asking the committee to approach next steps with sensitivity given that each reduction affects employees.

Ending: The committee did not vote on the FY26 operating budget on Jan. 13. The administration will return with refined proposals and more detailed figures at subsequent budget sessions and joint meetings with the select board and advisory committee.