Hopkinton committee reviews school budgets, approves two ABA paraprofessionals and a music donation
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Committee members heard school-by-school budget presentations (Marathon, Elmwood, Hopkins, HMS, high school, athletics, technology), debated staffing and class-size pressures, approved two ABA paraprofessionals for IEP compliance, accepted an $800 viola donation and approved consent items by consensus.
Hopkinton's School Committee on Dec. 11 reviewed FY27 building budgets and several operational requests, approved two full-time ABA paraprofessionals to meet IEP obligations, and accepted a donated viola for the high school music department.
The presentations: Building leaders presented next-year budgets and their major concerns. Marathon reported a proposed general-education budget increase (driven by contractual steps) with no new staffing and class-size projections in the low 20s per class. Elmwood presented a 5.1% increase largely due to personnel services and requested increased copier/equipment maintenance funding and previously requested custodial support. Hopkins School reported just over $5.5 million in building costs, noted 669 students enrolled and proposed a $5,600 increase to buy three musical instruments to support a transition to a 5-to-6 music program. HMS highlighted enrollment-driven pressures and requested a 1.0 FTE related-arts teacher and a reading interventionist to reduce large class sizes and provide targeted interventions; the presenter described STAR and MCAS growth percentiles as metrics to assess impact. The high school proposed a $12,017,760 budget (6.3% increase) with a request for a 1.0 FTE assistant principal to address rising enrollment (projected to 1,354) and a 28% increase in disciplinary referrals between the comparable months used for analysis.
Special education and staffing actions: On a motion from a committee member, the committee approved adding two full-time Level C ABA paraprofessionals at the high school to implement two newly required IEPs for students with intensive needs. The presenter said the estimated cost is approximately $60,000 and that funding would come from the IDEA grant and operating budget; keeping the students in district was described as both legally necessary for compliance and cost-effective compared with out-of-district placements.
Donations and consent items: The committee approved acceptance of a donated viola valued at $800 for the music department and approved the packet's consent items by consensus before adjourning.
What happens next: The superintendent and finance staff will fold building requests into the superintendent's recommended budget to be presented to the committee and select board next week. Commitments tied to staffing requests (for example, the ABA paraprofessionals) will require personnel hiring and budget adjustments reported in subsequent budget hearings.