Duxbury official says state literacy mandate adds $15,000 annual burden, could strain staff under level-funded budget

Beth Wilcox, assistant superintendent for Duxbury Public Schools, said the district faces added costs from state-mandated programs that are not fully funded, citing a $15,000 annual expense to comply with an early literacy screener required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Wilcox said the early literacy screener requirement, which took effect in July 2023, required the district to change the specific program it uses. "We did need to change the program we were using, which came at a $15,000 cost," she said. She added that the cost continues to fall on the district each year.

Wilcox said Duxbury already has reading specialists and a curriculum supervisor conducting screenings and sending letters to families, which reduced the district's need to make other shifts when the mandate began. "Our classroom teachers are phenomenal, but certainly they would not be able to implement this mandate without the work of the reading specialists and curriculum supervisor," she said.

She warned that a level-funded budget — meaning the district's budget remains flat from one year to the next — could force cuts at both classroom and administrative levels. If staffing reductions occur, Wilcox said, the district risks placing the operational burden of unfunded mandates on classroom teachers.

Wilcox concluded by thanking community members for supporting Duxbury students and urging continued investment in the district's schools.

No formal vote or board action on the mandate or budget was recorded in the provided transcript segment.