Administrators present 0‑based operating budget; propose restorations and special‑education clerical support

District leadership explained the administration’s 0‑based budgeting approach and identified proposed restorations and additions intended to strengthen instructional leadership and special‑education delivery.

Administration said it built the preliminary budget from core instructional needs upward (classroom staffing, mandated services, fixed costs) then layered in priorities the school committee had previously expressed. The preliminary figure presented was $56,984,000, about $1,459,000 above the committee’s stated priorities total of $55,524,000.

To address operational and compliance pressures, administration proposed: reinstating/adding an elementary special‑education administrator, adding a second assistant principal at Sharon High (to reduce the principal’s span of responsibilities and improve supervision, discipline, special‑education compliance and crisis response), and creating a special‑education clerical role to reduce paperwork load on special‑education administrators. The administration noted that the high school’s roughly 1,200 students exceed recommended principal/assistant ratios in peer districts and that other districts use multiple assistant/associate principals.

Administration also listed potential offsets: reducing a couple of elementary sections where enrollment permits, modest increases to certain fees (e.g., clubs or early‑childhood fees), reductions to non‑core extracurricular spending and targeting one‑time expenses outside the operating budget. The administration said it would quantify savings and the concrete impact of particular cuts so the committee could weigh tradeoffs at the Feb. 25 priorities meeting.

Next steps: administration will provide more detailed cost figures and impact statements for proposed add‑backs and reductions and will continue to refine the budget as state and town revenue guidance becomes available.