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Mendon-Upton superintendent says $4.1 million gap would force 84 position cuts unless override passes
Summary
Superintendent warned the district faces a $4.1 million shortfall that, if not closed by voter-approved overrides in both towns, would eliminate about 84 positions, reduce stipends and programs, raise class sizes and affect roughly 2,000 students; town meetings and elections are scheduled this month.
The Mendon-Upton Regional School District superintendent told the school committee that a $4,100,000 budget gap would force deep staffing and program cuts if voters do not approve an operational override this month.
At a packed meeting, the superintendent presented a contingency reduction plan that would eliminate 84 positions — described in the presentation as roughly a 23% reduction in the district’s specified workforce category — and directly affect an estimated 96 personnel through layoffs, nonrenewals or reassignments. The district said the reductions could touch about 2,000 students as vacancies and program cuts propagate through schools.
Why it matters: Officials said the cuts would go beyond central-office savings and would reduce classroom and student supports, including tutors, counselors, paraprofessionals, elective and advanced-placement offerings, library staffing and many stipends that fund extracurriculars and clubs. The superintendent said the district has roughly 364 instructional and staff positions in the core staffing categories cited; eliminating roles would, the presentation warned, push average class sizes toward about 16.1 students per teacher and increase fees for athletics in some proposals.
Resident and staff testimony at the meeting emphasized the human impact. Lindsay McCann, speaking for Mendon Upton Stronger Together, said, “I want my kids to grow up here. I want them to benefit from the excellence of our schools,” and urged residents to vote yes at town meeting and on the ballot. A student representative added that without current teachers and support staff, “there will be extremely adverse effects on day-to-day student life.”
The superintendent walked the committee through the numbers and examples of lost services: reductions in academic tutors and Title I supports, fewer electives and AP classes, cuts to music and arts offerings, and roughly $270,000 in stipends that the district flagged as at risk. Officials also said some positions would be reassigned rather than eliminated, but that reassignments would create operational disruption across buildings.
Committee members and finance officials reiterated limits on moving money between capital and operating budgets. A resident asked whether recently approved capital projects could be canceled and reappropriated to cover operating shortfalls; the chair responded that those funds have legally-designated uses and would require a separate town vote at a town meeting to change.
The superintendent outlined the next steps for voters: Upton’s town meeting and election (dates announced at the meeting) followed by Mendon’s town meeting and Mendon election, noting that the override needs approval across the appropriate municipal steps to be effective for the coming fiscal year.
What’s next: Finance committees and residents urged turnout and encouraged questions about the numbers before town votes. The district has posted budget explainers and a tax calculator on its website and will continue outreach in advance of the scheduled town meetings and elections.
