Beverly budget hearing spotlights special‑education staffing shortages and public pressure to restore classroom positions

Superintendent Dr. Cushing on Wednesday presented a recommended FY26–27 Beverly Public Schools budget that he said represents a 5.27% increase over last year’s appropriated budget and includes proposed fee increases for athletics, transportation and preschool programs.

The school committee opened the public hearing with Dr. Cushing outlining budget drivers — collective‑bargaining obligations, enrollment shifts, rising special‑education needs and inflation — and a mix of proposed reductions and targeted additions. He said the recommended budget relies in part on one‑time offsets, including limited use of school‑choice funds to hire three elementary teachers this summer, and listed district‑level cuts (technology, advertising, some clerical and library positions) alongside proposed additions to special‑education staffing and paraprofessionals.

Why it matters: teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses and parents filled the auditorium to press the committee to prioritize “student‑facing” staff in next week’s budget deliberations, arguing cuts to classroom positions are already affecting legally required special‑education services, safety and teacher retention.

At the podium, kindergarten teacher Cindy Tamilio urged the committee to assign a full‑time paraprofessional to every kindergarten classroom, saying, “a full‑time paraprofessional assigned exclusively to our kindergarten classrooms is not a luxury. It is an essential support that directly impacts student achievement, safety and teacher effectiveness.” Dan McGloin, a Beverly Middle School learning‑center teacher and former chair of the BTA special‑education committee, said special‑education staff are “stressed, overworked, and confused” and that paraprofessionals are “routinely pulled from their cohort of students, which is disruptive and unfair.”

Several speakers provided numerical examples they said show repeated service disruptions. Paraprofessional Ellen Sudac told the committee that “paras have been pulled 246 times this year alone,” while Jana Dwire presented longer‑range figures she said documented hundreds of paraprofessional reassignments and missed special‑education service days in recent school years. Teachers described classrooms where staff coverage gaps force paraprofessionals to substitute full days, leaving their assigned students without small‑group interventions.

Concerns about special‑education capacity were widespread. Olivia Wilson, who works in the district’s SSP therapeutic program, said her program has gone from four teachers and 28 students to three teachers and 35 students and will start next year effectively full, with “nowhere to put kids who need therapeutic support.” School nurse Lisa Mooney described nurse staffing she said falls short of state guidance, noting instances where a single nurse covered nearly 1,200 high‑school students.

Union leaders and veteran staff framed the problem as systemic. Beverly Teachers Association president Andrea Sherman said the staff exodus is real — citing resignations and retirements — and warned that morale and the district’s ability to deliver services are at risk. Multiple speakers said the district is prioritizing administrative hires while reducing classroom positions; staff and parents urged the committee to seek city funding or an override rather than cut student services.

Committee actions and next steps: after public comment the committee voted to schedule a dedicated meeting to deliberate and vote on the proposed FY26–27 budget on Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. The committee also approved a set of routine items by unanimous consent this evening (gifts, grants and a new Beverly High student‑activity account) and agreed to begin a public discussion of the budget on May 13 but to continue full deliberation and any votes on May 20. The committee set a procedural cap on extended debate this evening, agreeing to limit the May 13 discussion to continue until no later than 9:00 p.m.

What speakers asked for: repeated requests included restoring paraprofessional staffing so paras are not pulled from assigned students; adding special‑education teachers and counselors; protecting reduced positions in elementary grades; maintaining library/media specialist coverage; and ensuring nurses and BCBAs have manageable caseloads. Several speakers asked the committee to pursue funding from the city’s reserve or to request a ballot override to address structural underfunding.

Claims and verification: many speakers offered counts and compliance claims (for example, counts of paraprofessionals pulled or missed mandated sessions). Those numbers were presented to the committee by employees and parents during public comment; the administration did not provide an administrative rebuttal to every specific figure in the hearing. The committee opened the door to further budget deliberation and fact‑checking at the May 20 meeting.

The committee adjourned the public hearing after tabling norms and protocols and will reconvene to deliberate and vote on the budget on May 20.