Rockland Schools Propose 3.9% Budget Increase, Seek Additional Town Support
District plans to close $503,000 shortfall while avoiding further staff reductions
ROCKLAND - March 10 - Rockland Public Schools are proposing a 3.9% budget increase for the upcoming fiscal year while working to close a $503,000 shortfall without making significant staff cuts.
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron presented the FY26 budget to the School Committee on March 10, requesting a total of $37,335,069 and outlining a plan to address the deficit.
"This increase reduces, but does not eliminate, our need to realign and reduce existing positions to meet available funding," Cron says. "Realignment reductions are substantially fewer than we experienced last year in FY25."
The district's plan to close the budget gap includes requesting an additional $300,000 from the town beyond the current allocation and increasing the use of one-time funds by $200,000.
"If we do not implement this plan, unfortunately, we face the possibility of eliminating as many as eight more existing positions beyond what is in the current realignment plan," Cron explains.
The budget challenges come amid what Cron describes as a "very challenging budget season" affecting municipalities across the South Shore. He cites increases to health insurance and retirement costs, inflation, limited new revenue, and an increasing percentage of high-needs students as factors limiting school districts' ability to grow or maintain services.
"Whenever an increase that we are experiencing exceeds 2.5%, we have a challenge," Cron notes, referring to the cap on property tax increases under Proposition 2 1/2.
Despite these challenges, Cron is not recommending an override at this time, unlike some neighboring communities that have turned to Proposition 2 1/2 overrides to address budget shortfalls.
The district has already made substantial cuts over the past two years, eliminating numerous positions including an assistant superintendent, an elementary principal, teachers, special education staff, reading specialists, paraprofessionals, a librarian, and custodial staff.
"That very long list looks very scary, but I will tell you that over the last two years these reductions have been absorbed quite surgically," Cron says, explaining that many positions were eliminated through retirements and careful planning.
The proposed budget continues the district's progress toward reducing reliance on one-time revenues, which Cron acknowledges is not ideal financial practice but necessary given the unpredictable nature of certain educational expenses.
"In the world of public education, every town does it, because I cannot budget for folks who move into Rockland and have students who go to school out of district," Cron says. "It's a very bad system. The state should have solved it 50 years ago."
Out-of-district costs, which have been a significant budget pressure, are projected to increase by 13% for FY26, down from the 28% increase experienced last year. Cron believes these costs are beginning to stabilize.
The School Committee unanimously approved the proposed budget of $37,335,069 for FY26.
In addition to the operating budget, the committee also voted to reduce their free cash and capital request from $1,950,000 to $540,000, to be spent on specific items including:
* $50,000 for a sidewalk plow and sanding equipment
* $100,000 for Chromebooks and IT needs
* $90,000 for van leases
* $300,000 for FY26 out-of-district tuition costs
The committee also approved a request to reappropriate $500,000 that had been set aside for the Esten School HVAC project to instead offset costs for FY25 out-of-district tuition.
Cron expressed gratitude for the support of various stakeholders during this challenging budget process.
"I could not ask for a better School Committee. I could not ask for a better Assistant Superintendent for Business, Finance, and everything else. I could not ask for a better Town Manager. I could not ask for a better Board of Selectmen," Cron says. "We're going to get through it."
The School Committee also addressed several other items during the meeting:
* Approved the 2025 graduation procedures with no changes
* Noted a change in state law prohibiting firearms on school property
* Approved a homeschool application
* Announced upcoming events including the Rogers Middle School Shamrock Classic on March 19, a mattress sale fundraiser on March 22, and a Harlem Wizards basketball game on March 26
* Highlighted the upcoming SpongeBob SquarePants musical at the High School on March 20 and 21
The meeting concluded with the committee entering executive session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation.