Halifax Education Funding Squeeze Raises Alarm

School Committee debates consequences of proposed 10% budget cut as district already ranks near bottom of state in per-pupil expenditure

HALIFAX, MA - November 25 - The Halifax School Committee faces difficult decisions as the town requests a 10% budget reduction for fiscal year 2026, even as state data reveals Halifax has the sixth-lowest per-pupil expenditure in Massachusetts.

At a recent meeting, School Business Administrator Sarah Hickey presented data showing Halifax's per-pupil expenditure for fiscal year 2022 was $13,419.56, significantly below the state average of $19,566.95.

"Halifax is their sixth lowest per pupil expenditure in the state for FY22," Hickey said. "I saw this and I'm like, oh my goodness, because I live here. This is my tax dollars that we're talking about here."

The committee expressed concern about the potential impact of further cuts on educational quality and student achievement.

"I have a lot of concerns about 10% because we cut far more than we were asked to cut last time," member Kate Berry said. "And to be asked to cut even more, I think..."

Halifax Elementary School Principal Kayne Beaudry reported challenges in providing interventions and support due to staffing shortages. The school has lost paraprofessionals, Title I supports, and is down to one reading teacher, who is currently on maternity leave.

"We don't have the number of paraprofessionals that we had. We don't have the number of Title I supports that we had last year," Beaudry said. "And then the same thing with our – we're down to one reading teacher, and our one reading teacher is on a maternity leave right now. So we're definitely feeling the challenges of having less staff than we did last year."

Committee members expressed concern about the impact on student achievement and the ability to provide necessary interventions.

"My concern is that students – that the teachers can't do it all. Yes, they can do the Tier II instruction in the classroom," Berry said. "But if you've got these huge gaps, my concern is that in grade six, if you've got students that are reading at a grade three level, four level, they need far more support."

The committee discussed the need for more frequent progress monitoring and data analysis to identify and address student needs quickly. They requested more detailed information on the number of students requiring interventions and the success rates of current support programs.

"I would agree with [Chair Lauren Laws] that we need to be doing more progress monitoring more frequently. I personally would like to see every six weeks," Berry said. "So every six weeks we're doing some sort of progress monitoring assessment to see if there's growth, and if there isn't growth, being open and honest with parents even, letting them know where their child stands."

The committee also discussed potential revenue sources, including the possibility of implementing bus fees for students living within two miles of the school. However, analysis showed this would only affect about 28% of students and may not generate significant revenue.

As the committee prepares for budget discussions, they emphasized the need for clear data on the impact of potential cuts and the importance of maintaining educational quality.

"I think we need to give a realistic view of what 10% would look like so we need to have a very definitive picture of this is what it will look like," Chair Lauren Laws said.