Superintendent outlines $1.5 million gap, reduction plan and risks to Grafton schools' services

Superintendent Dr. Jay Cummings told the Grafton School Committee that the district faces an estimated $1.5 million gap for fiscal year 2026 and presented a package of proposed reductions intended to close the deficit while protecting early‑grade class sizes where possible.

Cummings said the district built a "level service" budget to maintain current programs but that town funding and state aid left a roughly $1.5 million deficit. He described a multi‑week effort to produce a reduction plan and emphasized the scale of the financial challenge: "For us to reduce more than 2,500,000.0 over 2 years ... we will not there's no way be able to continue providing these results," he said, warning that larger, repeated reductions would be "catastrophic" for programs and staffing.

Why it matters: The reductions Cummings outlined would affect class sizes, elective programming, staffing in curriculum and support roles, and ancillary services. The committee and public will consider the proposal as town leaders, the finance committee and the public review options — including an override, one‑time uses of reserves or other revenue measures — before town meeting.

Budget context and drivers described by the superintendent: - Gap and timeline: The superintendent said the district and town are working on a budget gap of about $1.5 million for FY26, followed by another possible $1 million the following year; combined this could create a $2.5 million reduction over two years. - One‑time funds used in FY25: Cummings said the district purposely used about $1.2 million in one‑time funds from circuit breaker and school choice to balance FY25, describing that as a planned, transparent action to bridge a tight year. - Main cost drivers: roughly 80% of the budget is personnel; Cummings listed five main drivers of increased costs — three positions to address class sizes, two English‑language‑learner positions tied to rising ELL enrollment, step and cost‑of‑living increases from settled contracts, special‑education tuition increases (about $252,000), and technology and substitute costs. - Mandated services: Cummings stressed ELL and special education obligations. He said the district needs two new ELL positions to meet state requirements and that special‑education placements out of district can cost on average about $161,000 per student when needed.

Proposed reductions and program impacts (summarized from the superintendent’s presentation): - Non‑personnel cuts: $62,000 targeted from maintenance, supplies and instructional materials. - Administrative and staff adjustments: reduce the curriculum department by half, eliminate the human resources director position and shift personnel into building leadership roles, and not backfill certain retirements. - Certified teaching positions: potential reductions include 0.5 FTE preschool teacher, elimination or non‑replacement of some secondary positions (science, math intervention, career counselor), and incremental reductions in elementary classroom sections (including a second‑grade teacher reduction in the near term). Cummings said these moves could push class sizes in certain grades above 25 or higher depending on incoming enrollment. - Instructional programs: the presentation flagged possible cuts to electives at the secondary level, music at middle school, and possible elimination of French at the high school if enrollments do not support a separate section; world language offerings would narrow toward Spanish if French sections are not viable. - Support staff and services: potential cuts to some related arts, reductions in curriculum coordination, and a reduction in nonspecific supports if the cuts deepen in a second year.

Clarifications and procedural notes from the meeting: - Unemployment and bumping costs: The superintendent said the district uses an $18,000 estimate per person to cover unemployment costs that accompany reductions and that collective-bargaining rules, certification and seniority ("bumping") make reductions complex. - Enrollment projections: Cummings cited a recent study of approved housing projects in town and said enrollment is trending up, which affects class size and the economy-of-scale calculations for reductions. - Timing and next steps: Cummings said the town administrator and select board are engaged and that the school committee will hold a budget hearing in two weeks. He also noted the town’s finance committee schedule and a Tricom meeting to coordinate school-town discussions.

Committee and public response: Committee members and dozens of public speakers urged elected officials to seek sustainable funding rather than repeated cuts, discussed the equity impact of fees and cuts, and pushed for outreach to state representatives about the Student Opportunity Act and state funding formulas. Several members of the public said they would support an override to sustain services; others raised concerns about the fairness of seeking more local tax revenue.

What’s next: The school committee will hold a budget hearing in two weeks; the superintendent and town officials said they will continue to model scenarios, discuss options with the select board and finance committee, and solicit public feedback ahead of town meeting.