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Hawlemont budget rises $104,000 as Charlemont weighs staffing, enrollment and tax trade-offs
Summary
Hawlemont’s proposed budget rises roughly $104,000 (about 7.4%) amid higher costs and shrinking grant support; presenters warned that reduced staffing fractions could make hiring difficult while the town considers using limited free cash and weighs police funding that would raise taxes further.
Amber Tulloch, who presented the Hawlemont budget, told the Joint Finance Committee and Select Board that rising costs and fewer available grants have tightened the school’s options. Tulloch said the budget is "a trim budget" but still provides "incredible education," and she emphasized that some prior grant-funded programs (special education supports, co-teaching and short-term student-acceleration programs) are now hard to secure.
Tulloch reported preschool enrollment of 17 and said the incoming kindergarten class is forecast at about eight students; kindergarten and first grade are currently combined. She warned that reducing a teaching position to .6 full time equivalent could make it harder to recruit candidates who might seek full-time roles elsewhere.
Rich Filoramo and Jay Healy, members of the board, discussed configuration options to reduce costs. Filoramo suggested long-range options such as keeping Sanderson open while building at Mohawk and organizing schools by geography ("one school west, one east") to cut transportation costs; Healy described declining state aid and said the town is being "put at a disadvantage from above." Ken Bertsch noted the state funding formula is a multi-year ("5-6 yr") process, limiting rapid relief.
Anne Kaplan said students are arriving at school with greater stress and need extra attention and resources, a point board members cited as part of the rationale for preserving services despite budget pressure.
The board discussed tax impacts if the school budget is approved: the group estimated about $142 added to the average tax bill on a $300,000 assessed value. Members also noted that a separate police proposal under review could add an additional roughly $667 to that estimate. Jay Healy said he would put the school budget ahead of the police proposal when prioritizing limited funds.
Next steps: the Finance Committee plans to revisit police and school recommendations on May 13. An appointment with Hawlemont representatives was noted on the meeting agenda for 4:30 p.m.
