Rockport Schools identify roughly $1 million budget gap, propose staffing and stipend reductions

Superintendent Mark Branko presented the district's FY26 operating budget using a 0-based model and told the Rockport School Committee the current plan leaves "just over 1000000 dollar gap in the budget." He said the committee must vote on a budget on Feb. 5 to meet town meeting timelines and that the administration has been working to identify offsets and reductions to close the shortfall.

Branko described draft reduction measures that together total just over $1,000,000: the equivalent of seven full-time teacher positions tied to declining enrollment at the middle and high school levels; consolidation that would eliminate six stipend-based curriculum coordinator roles; an estimated five paraprofessional equivalents districtwide; and the identification of roughly one full-time administrator equivalent. He emphasized the proposals are draft, that confidential one-on-one conversations with affected employees will occur, and that no final decisions have been made. "No student services are gonna be negatively impacted," Branko said when asked about special-education supports. The committee and leadership team plan additional budget workshops in January to refine the gap-closing plan and consider limited reserve use only if necessary.