Hoosac Valley Regional finance subcommittee identifies $650,000 gap in FY2026 preliminary budget

The Hoosac Valley Regional School District Finance Subcommittee met Feb. 10 in the superintendent’s office to review the district’s FY2026 preliminary budget and identify next steps to close a roughly $650,000 shortfall. Committee members said the draft budget shows a 6.9% increase that would place an unrealistic assessment burden on the district’s towns unless cuts, reorganization or use of revolving funds are pursued.

Members and staff reviewed enrollment trends, class sizes and student transiency and discussed how school choice, charter assessments and out-of-district tuition affect town assessments. The subcommittee noted that ESSER-era funds that were previously preserved are now being used to pay out-of-district tuition and to fund an NECC program at Hoosac Valley Elementary that staff propose piloting in FY2027.

Special-education costs, along with general administration and fringe benefit increases (including health insurance and charter assessments), were identified as the principal drivers of the budget uptick. Subcommittee members reviewed projected revenues, including the FY2026 cherry sheet and grant funding, and discussed the circuit-breaker reimbursement program. Members flagged rural aid as an unreliable planning source because the distribution amount is calculated late in the budget cycle.

On expenditures, the committee examined the full staff roster and discussed positions under consideration for elimination or restructuring. Members specifically discussed potential consolidations in social-emotional support roles as a place to reduce costs, and requested clearer year-over-year organizational charts to understand staffing flow and options for reorganization.

The group agreed the subcommittee will continue working with the superintendent to develop proposals to close the $650,000 gap—using a combination of cuts, reorganizations and revolving funds where appropriate—and will bring a final proposal to the full committee for a vote by March 31. Subcommittee member Tracey Tierney said she will advocate for preserving services and positions that support middle- and high-school students if cuts are recommended.

Procedural actions taken during the meeting included a motion by Erin Milne, seconded by Tracey Tierney, to approve the minutes from March 4, 2025; the motion passed unanimously. The committee later moved to adjourn on a motion by Milne, seconded by Tierney, and adjourned at 7:42 p.m.

The subcommittee scheduled its next meeting for Monday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the district office to continue work on closing the budget gap.