Norwell School Committee Grapples with Budget Challenges, Approves Lunch Price Hike

Special education costs among key concerns for upcoming fiscal year

NORWELL, MA - November 18 - The Norwell School Committee is bracing for a challenging fiscal year as it faces rising costs across multiple areas, including contracts, tuitions, and transportation. During a recent meeting, officials discussed the need for budget increases that may exceed the typical 3.5% annual rise.

"Based on our contracts, based on tuitions, based on technology articles, based upon a new bus contract, and based upon the run rates of things like McKinney-Vento [homeless assistance], like severance, other things like that, a 3.5% budget will not allow us to operate," Superintendent Matthew Keegan stated.

The committee is seeking discussions with town officials to address these budgetary needs. Plans are underway to bring together two school committee representatives, the Town Manager, and Select Board representatives in December to discuss the financial outlook for both the town and schools.

One of the most significant challenges facing the district is a 15% average increase in tuitions for special education programs. Some programs are seeing increases of up to 20% or more, putting additional strain on the budget.

The committee also approved an increase in school lunch prices for the 2024-2025 academic year, marking the first adjustment since 2012. Elementary and middle school lunch prices will rise to $3.75, high school to $4.00, and adult lunches to $5.00.

"The last time we adjusted prices for meals was in June of 2012. So it's been 12 years," Keegan noted. "At that time, elementary was $2.75, middle was $3, and the high school was $3.25."

The decision to raise lunch prices comes after years of holding them steady, with the committee citing increased costs and state guidelines as factors in the decision.

Other budget concerns highlighted during the meeting included potential overages in areas such as employee separation costs and the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students. The committee is also closely monitoring expenses related to staff leaves, including maternity leave and jury duty.

With regards to employee separation costs, "last year, we were over at $99,000. We're going to be well over that this year," Keegan said. "So these are two areas that I have to pay close attention to."

The committee emphasized the importance of maintaining current service levels and class sizes across all schools. During a recent Congress of Councils meeting, school representatives consistently highlighted class size and staffing levels as top priorities.

"There was a lot of conversation about class size and maintaining staffing levels. It just was a consistent first, last, middle, all of that in the conversation. For all the schools, which makes sense," Committee Chair Christina Kane reported.

The next school committee meeting is scheduled for Dec. 16, where further discussions on these budget issues are expected to take place.