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Proposed cuts target grant-funded coaches and specialist roles; principals warn of lost capacity
Summary
The superintendent's draft budget preserves some services by reorganizing roles but proposes reductions that would eliminate or shift coaches, MTSS coordinators and some filled positions (many of them grant-funded), prompting principals to flag risks to continuity and capacity.
At the March 18 budget workshop, district leaders laid out school-level staffing changes proposed under the superintendent's FY27 plan and described how those changes would affect day-to-day supports at elementary, middle and high schools.
Superintendent Jake Lang said the district is proposing net position reductions of about $1.8 million overall and plans to transition some grant-funded social-emotional and coaching roles into a smaller set of district-funded positions. "We have the social-emotional learning coach which is grant-funded that currently exists at Montello, would be part of that transition to the student support specialist that we've talked about," he said, describing a consolidation intended to preserve core services while reducing costs.
Principals and school leaders described how those reorganizations would play out locally. At Montello, administrators said the proposal would convert several vacant grant-funded roles into a single student-support specialist and retain one general-education social worker; principals cautioned that consolidations reduce capacity. At Dingley, slides proposed an MTSS coordinator role to coordinate early interventions but also showed reductions to some literacy specialist and administrative coverage lines. McMahon's interim principal stressed gains in attendance and reductions in office discipline referrals but said cuts to coaching and tech-integration roles would be felt by teachers who rely on those supports.
Committee members pressed administration on which cuts are local versus grant-driven. The administration confirmed many positions are funded by grants that are sunsetting or at risk (for example, an ESSRP-related grant that has been subject to litigation and monthly funding notices), and noted that reducing grant-funded positions may not reduce the local tax burden but would reduce services if alternative funding is not secured.
Members requested a reconciled spreadsheet showing filled vs. vacant positions, which positions are grant-funded and the sunset dates for each grant. Several members said they would not endorse specific position reductions without seeing the follow-up detail and a clear plan for where services will be preserved.
