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Administrators outline cuts, tech costs and capital plans as subcommittees flag fees and facilities
Summary
District administrators reviewed targeted reductions, rising technology and special-education costs, chromebook earmarks and possible capital projects; subcommittees discussed athletics fees, transportation savings and lease alignment while buildings & grounds outlined EV and phone system concerns.
Administrators updated the school committee on operational reductions and pressures across the district and subcommittees summarized follow-up areas for school officials.
Allison walked members through specific line-item reductions, including removing the teacher laptop refresh, pausing the Chromebook refresh after a prior earmark purchase and cutting subscriptions. She said transportation routing software will be terminated ($4,500) and that the district plans to reassign or remove several positions, with some roles moved into rural school aid funding. “We are terminating our transportation routing software for $4,500,” Allison said during the presentation.
Technology cost volatility: Director of Technology Andrew reported substantial price increases for server storage and laptop components—“we've seen prices increase anywhere from 50 to 200% in the last 45 days”—which complicates procurement plans and supports the decision to delay refresh cycles where possible. Andrew also announced the district’s esports team is 6–1 and preparing for playoffs.
Facilities and capital: The superintendent and buildings & grounds subcommittee reviewed five-year capital plans for each building. Members noted aging paging, phone and clock systems that may need replacement in the coming years and heard from a vendor about site visits for net metering and EV charging stations.
Subcommittee highlights: The athletics and central office committees discussed student fees (committee preference against new fees), the possibility of raising gate receipts to modest levels if needed, and continued efforts to reduce transportation costs via shared van routes and scheduling. The committee also reported progress toward standardizing regional agreement leases and flagged the need to advocate for regional transportation reimbursement at the state level.
Other items: The consent agenda (minutes, warrants and donations) was approved by roll call, the director's report covered staff listening sessions and an agricultural pathway partnership survey, and the administration flagged a petition concerning a Hardwick Elementary boiler replacement that may trigger a special town meeting.
The meeting closed after committee comments and a farewell to departing member David Marsh.
