Hoosac Valley Regional approves $23.99 million FY2027 budget after separate conflicted line-item votes

The Hoosac Valley Regional School Committee voted March 23 to adopt a $23,990,355 FY2027 budget, approving assessments for the district’s two towns and authorizing a $275,000 appropriation from certified Excess and Deficiency reserves to reduce the impact on local taxpayers.

Superintendent Aaron Dean presented the recommended budget as a $853,719 increase (3.69%) over the prior year and said administration-devised reductions total approximately $362,000. He told the committee that $514,000 in costs would be shifted to alternate funding sources, including rural aid and school choice, to preserve instructional and support positions where possible. Major cost drivers listed by administration included out-of-district special education placements, charter tuition, school choice, and rising health-insurance costs.

The administration identified specific proposed reductions intended to limit layoffs, relying where possible on attrition and reassignment. Those reductions included elimination of a school adjustment counselor position, an elementary librarian, a middle-school STEM position, special education coordination, and a full-time guidance secretary. The superintendent emphasized ongoing adjustments based on student needs and uncertainty about some grant funding and earmarks.

During public comment, Erin Strek, speaking for the Hoosick Valley Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC), urged the committee to prioritize staffing that supports legally mandated special education services, noting the district serves nearly 25% of students with special education needs and warning that losing Special Education Coordinator roles and a school adjustment counselor could undermine IEP compliance and student social-emotional supports.

The committee followed legal guidance after two members disclosed potential conflicts related to personnel and fringe-benefit line items. By motion of Jen Solak, seconded by Tracey Tierney, the committee voted to consider the regular-instruction ($6,358,559) and fringe-benefit ($5,343,120) line items separately; Adam Emerson and Robert Tetlow abstained from that vote. The separate line-item motion passed 5 yes, 0 no, 2 abstentions.

After resolving the conflicted items, the committee voted unanimously to adopt the FY2027 budget as a whole. The committee also voted, by unanimous motions, to set the town assessments for FY2027 and to appropriate $275,000 from certified E&D reserves to reduce assessments. The minutes record assessments of $6,814,144 for the Town of Adams and $3,402,983 for the Town of Cheshire.

The committee referred to continuing uncertainty about grant renewals and out-of-district placement costs and indicated staff would continue to monitor needs and funding. The board will incorporate the approved budget and assessments into town-level budget processes and follow up on implementation details and any required reporting.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.