Hopkinton school officials say they always put emphasis on caring about their students.
But this year, caring may have a steep price, as the superintendent’s proposed budget carries a $1.4 million increase to last year’s $17.4 million budget, an 8 percent increase.
Superintendent Steve Chamberlin acknowledged the increase is aspirational – especially when health insurance and salary costs are projected to increase by $1.1 million combined. He said the budget was created to provide students with what they need to succeed.
“I don’t think anything in there surprised the board,” said Chamberlin, who presented the budget to the school board on Tuesday. “I think they understand the needs we have, but their job is to gauge the community’s ability to support education this year. There will absolutely be choices to be made.”
Big-ticket items include another kindergarten teacher, a first-grade teacher, a curriculum coordinator and a school-based social worker. Each educator costs around $100,000 with salary and benefits included, as does the social worker; the curriculum director would cost around $118,000, according to district documents.
Chamberlin said the two teachers would support the district’s rising enrollment in the kindergarten and first-grades. Class sizes are projected to rise to 54 students in kindergarten and 70 in first grade, requiring more sections to keep class sizes low.
“Kindergarten is a big hit for us,” Chamberlin said. “We know we’ll have at least 49 kindergarten students next year, but with our history of migration we’re expecting that number to increase.”
Overall, student enrollment has been on the decline in Hopkinton. The district as a whole saw a nine percent decrease in the five years since the 2010-11 school year. Last year, the district had 889 students compared to 975 five years earlier. (Enrollment data for this school year is not yet available.)
The high school population decreased 18 percent from 329 to 270 students over the same time period. However, staffing levels have remained constant in the district with only one fewer teacher, bringing the total number to 77, according to data from the state Department of Education.
Aside from positions, the district is looking to add more technology, such as $16,000 worth of laptops for teachers and $50,000 for computers that would be used by students. It’s all to provide students with a better learning environment, Chamberlin said, something he said has been “humbled” by how much the community supports.
“I tried to focus on why public education matters and why we fund it the way we do,” he said of the budget presentation. “I find if we focus solely on the number we lose sight of the necessary work we do.”
But these proposals are balanced against a $2.7 million health insurance budget and a $10.3 million salary budget, each increasing by over $500,000, Chamberlin said. He acknowledged it may be difficult to expect the school board and budget committee to support any items that aren’t essential to the district’s operation.
“It may just not be the year for it, which I understand,” he said.
Revenues have yet to be discussed, although Chamberlin said the district will be receiving an additional $95,000 in state adequacy aid due to rising enrollment. Chamberlin said there may be discussion of pulling from the district’s tax rate stablization fund, which currently has $300,000, to offset the operating budget, as well as pulling from the district’s vehicle replacement trust or the special education trust.
But there’s a lot of time before the budget is up for approval: Chamberlin said revenues will be discussed Tuesday, and the board will vote on the budget sometime around Dec. 20. He said the board could easily ask him to cut $500,000 from the budget, or a million – or produce a flat budget.
“Whatever they feel they can do to support kids, we will be grateful for,” he said.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com, or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)