Mendon‑Upton presenters ask for more special‑education and EL staffing and new curriculum in middle‑school budget
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Summary
District presenters told the school committee the middle‑school FY27 request focuses on staffing stability and curriculum investments: 1.0 FTE special‑education teacher, 0.5 FTE EL teacher, and funding for a K–8 ELA curriculum amortized over six years; presenters framed the cost as about $16–$20 per course or roughly $47 per student per year for ELA materials.
The school committee heard a middle‑school budget presentation that foregrounded student supports and curriculum investment as the FY27 priorities.
District presenter (Office of Teaching & Learning, Speaker 7) said the proposal “prioritizes deeper learning and student supports” and asked the committee to consider funding additions to maintain staffing stability and improve access for students with disabilities and English learners. The presenter said the middle school currently has about 109 students served on IEPs, with caseloads ranging from 16 to 25 and that the school anticipates an enrollment of about 688 students next year, including a fifth‑grade class of 181.
To address those demands, the presenter described three staffing requests: an additional 1.0 FTE special‑education teacher to reduce caseload pressure and support co‑teaching models; a 0.5 FTE English‑learner teacher to reduce pull‑out instruction and enable push‑in supports; and a proposed elective teacher (business/information technology) intended to expand career‑connected pathways and reduce oversized elective classes that at times reach 27–30 students. The presenter said adding the special‑education position “strengthens our ability to deliver specially designed instruction” and preserves access to tier‑1 instruction.
The presentation also explained a proposed multi‑year purchase of high‑quality instructional materials, including a six‑year ELA contract. The presenter explained the district amortized the total contract cost to show a one‑year equivalent and framed the request as relatively modest on a per‑student basis: about $16–$20 per course at the secondary level and approximately $47 per student per year just for the ELA resources.
Committee members questioned scheduling and whether new positions would replace existing roles or be incremental; the presenter said the staffing ask (about $210,000 in the staffing bucket) represented new, incremental positions not funded previously and that the district had requested similar positions in prior years. Members also asked for a fuller master‑schedule plan across buildings and clarification on amortization and payment options for multi‑year contracts. The district said vendors may allow multi‑year payment plans and staff are investigating financing options.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the middle‑school budget at the meeting; staff said the FY27 requests will be refined as the district continues budget work and prepares the warrant and public materials for town review.