Weston outlines curriculum rollouts, small intervention cuts and CIL schedule changes amid budget squeeze

Principals and curriculum staff told the board that most of the year‑over‑year increases in school budgets come from consumable materials required by recently adopted curricula and from one‑time implementation costs that are managed at the district level in the first year.

At Hurlbut, Principal Laura Katis said the bulk of her school’s increase is for consumables — workbooks, reading journals and other paper‑and‑pencil materials used by students — and that nonconsumable materials had largely been addressed during earlier implementation years. “The cost is for the consumable, the paper and pencil activities that the students do,” Laura said.

Principals at the intermediate and middle school said similar pressures exist: consumables for reading and math workbooks, art and science supplies for hands‑on labs, occasional equipment replacements and modest PBIS costs funded in part by PTO contributions. Patty, the intermediate principal, described annual consumable replacement and classroom library augmentation as the primary drivers at her school.

Intervention staffing: Several principals described a small net reduction in intervention FTE driven by current benchmark data and scheduling efficiencies. “Based on the student needs… we believe we are able to support the students with that minor reduction,” Laura said about a decrease in math intervention at Hurlbut. Staff explained that a 0.2 change can mean removing the equivalent of one day per week from an interventionist’s schedule, and that schedules would be optimized by school to preserve student impact.

CILs and a modest staffing model change: District leadership proposed converting some Curriculum & Instruction Leader positions from 1.0 to 0.8 FTE and using the remaining 0.2 to have those leaders teach a class at the secondary level or run small groups at the elementary level. Dr. Henkel and Riley (Curriculum & Instruction leadership) said the change aims to maintain instructional coaching while generating modest personnel savings. Riley said she had mapped how many teachers each CIL supports and would work with principals to prioritize time where necessary.

Special education costs: Patrice, a special‑education staff member, told the board the district is projecting a modest increase in students requiring services and that out‑of‑district day or residential placements remain the wild card. “These placements are incredibly costly, and the cost increase at a rate that is inconsistent with more general budget increases,” she said.

Mandates and upcoming curriculum needs: Curriculum staff reminded the board the state expects districts to implement K–12 computer science and had updated health and PE standards in 2024; staff said they must balance mandated rollouts with teacher workload and fiscal constraints.

Next steps: staff will provide charts showing multi‑year section projections, clarity on which curricular costs recur as consumables, and an itemized account of staff counts and when federal ESSER/ARP funds (one‑time pandemic relief) have expired or been budgeted out.

Ending: District leaders said the proposed changes are intended to balance fiscal restraint with curricular and student‑support priorities and that details will come in supplemental documents before any final budget vote.