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Teachers urge vigilance as School Committee waits for town budget numbers
Summary
At a School Committee meeting dominated by public comment, teachers described high anxiety about potential cuts and asked the committee to scrutinize spending; the superintendent said final town numbers are pending and a budget vote is expected at the April 9 meeting.
Teachers and community members pressed the Middleborough School Committee on district finances and staffing during a public-comment block that opened the meeting.
"This is a problem that we do not want to see happen in our town," said Alexis Barrows, a first-grade teacher, who said she and colleagues will appear before the state Ways and Means Committee to urge additional aid. Barrows thanked the committee for not taking a budget vote that night and said she and other staff have begun reviewing the budget with the goal of preserving jobs.
Several teachers described heightened anxiety. Tony Cuppy cited near-term uncertainty and questioned salary changes outside the teachers' contract, pointing to a director of special education line that he said increased from $130,000 to $145,000 in the materials he had reviewed. "When we see things like that…and teachers negotiated a 3% increase, it leads to some questions," Cuppy said.
Second-grade teacher Pat Rooney raised calendar and observance questions tied to state guidance and urged the committee to review district holiday observances.
A resident activist, Bryce Abraham, asked officials to press state leaders to tap the state rainy-day fund—he cited a figure of about $8 billion—and offered a petition to support that push. The committee did not take action on that request during the meeting.
Superintendent Mike (reported in the superintendent's report) told the committee the district will not vote on the budget that night because it is still waiting for final town revenue figures. He said he expected a final number next week and that the administration would be prepared to bring a balanced proposal to the April 9 meeting; he emphasized the board could still see amendments at town meeting.
Committee members and staff told speakers they are continuing line-by-line reviews and discussions with town officials to reduce impacts on personnel wherever possible. Decisions about specific staff reductions, the superintendent said, will be discussed by district leadership and brought to the committee once town numbers are finalized.
The committee has not yet announced any specific cuts; details about affected positions, buildings, or dollar amounts were not specified at the meeting. The district urged staff and the public to remain engaged as the timeline for a formal vote approaches.
