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Committee warns that override failure would force staff cuts; elementary grades closed to school choice
Summary
Superintendent Amy Kinston told the committee she’s finalizing a cuts list if the town override fails; administration recommended restricting school choice at lower grades and leaving openings at grades 8–12. Committee members warned that further cuts would affect compliance and special-education positions.
The Northbridge School Committee spent substantial time discussing the potential effects of a town budget override failure and the district’s school-choice openings for next year.
Superintendent Amy Kinston said administrators have drafted a prioritized list of cuts to implement if the override does not pass and that the list will be shared at the next committee meeting. "We have been working on the cuts should we not pass the override," Kinston said, adding that administrators and department directors have revisited potential reductions while trying to protect compliance-related positions.
On school choice, the administration presented its annual calculator and recommended keeping elementary grades and grades 6–7 closed to incoming school-choice students because of staffing limits and high numbers of students on individualized education plans; the administration said current availability exists for grades 8–12. The superintendent cautioned that if the override fails, officials may need to re-open the plan and consider cuts to high-school staff as well.
Committee members pressed on the severity of possible cuts. One member said they were already "cut off at the knees," warning that further reductions would fall on positions necessary for compliance in special education. Board members noted plans for upcoming outreach, including a senior-center Q&A and town-hall budget discussions, to explain potential tax and service impacts.
No formal cuts were voted at the meeting; the committee asked administration to finalize the list and present it at a future session.
The committee also discussed an added agenda item about fifth-grade celebrations (see separate coverage), and members agreed that if the sibling-attendance request proceeds they should refer it to a policy subcommittee to consider guardrails and potential liability concerns.
