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Date: 3/16/2023
HUNTINGTON — Gateway Regional School Superintendent Kristen Smidy presented the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget at a public hearing on March 1. The following week, on March 8, the School Committee voted to approve the budget during its regular meeting.
The FY24 budget totals $17,377,333, an overall increase of 3.76 percent from fiscal year 2023, but thanks in part to remaining ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds, along with Gateway’s success in securing competitive grants over the past year, the percentage increase in assessments to the towns will be kept to 2.56 percent overall.
This percentage increase will not be the same for all of the towns.
Towns are charged assessments in part based on their percentage of the student population. Also factored in is the minimum contribution which is assessed by the state, based on the wealth of each town and property tax.
This year, all of the towns increased in student population numbers, which is good news for the school budget, as Gateway’s student population increased overall from 787 to 832 students in pre-K to grade 12, reversing a decades-long declining trend.
Russell had the largest increase in number of students, gaining 19.5 students (including at least one part-time residency) for a total of 222 students. Russell also had the largest increase in the minimum contribution assessed by the state. Consequently, the town’s assessment for Gateway for FY24 is $2,378,017, an increase of $130,988, or 5.83 percent.
Huntington continues to pay the largest overall assessment, at $3,148,595, for its 293 students, 11 more than this time last year; but the increase in total assessment to the town in FY24 will be $30,117, or just under 1 percent.
The town of Chester has an education stabilization fund built into its town budget to cover swings in student residency and other assessments; something Huntington Selectman Edward Renauld said at a meeting before the budget hearing that he is interested in establishing in his town. However, Chester gained only four students as of March 1, for a total of 128, and the increase to the town will be $36,715 or 2.34 percent next year.
Blandford is the only town that will be charged an overall assessment lower than the previous year’s. Despite gaining 3.5 students for a total of 93, Blandford’s assessment for FY24 is $1,455,611, a $5,010 decrease from last year’s total assessment.
The two smallest towns, Montgomery and Middlefield, were impacted by the addition of a handful of students.
Montgomery, which added four students for a total of 75 from the town, will be assessed at $1,175,237 in FY24, a $46,331 or 4.10 percent increase. Montgomery’s minimum contribution assessment, based on wealth and property tax, also had the second largest increase, at 6.2 percent. Russell had the largest increase, 7.6 percent, in its minimum contribution assessment.
Middlefield added three students to increase its total number of students to 21 as of March 1. The town’s total assessment for Gateway in FY24 will be $345,723, an increase of $16,155, or 4.9 percent.
To take effect, the Gateway FY24 budget will have to be approved by Town Meeting in at least four of the six member towns.
Other factors in the budget this year include Chapter 70 state aid funds, which total $5.9 million, a $200,000 increase over last year.
This increase was all but negated by the cost to send students to charter schools of $193,957, which came in $139,414 over the projected cost. Smidy said that the cost per student for charter schools is now at $20,000. She said the district is appealing an issue of nonresidency for the charter costs.
Also in the FY24 budget is $510,530 to send 32 students to vocational schools, which increased $3,416 from last year. However, Smidy said that number could change, as the state deadline to apply to vocational schools is April 1.
Smidy said in order to keep the town assessment totals to 2.5 percent, the district will be offsetting the budget with the final year of ESSER III funds of $584,000. These funds, derived from a national coronavirus relief bill passed in 2021, must be spent in areas of learning loss.
She said after next year, maintaining new programs that have been added, such as career education and after-school programs, will depend on whether the state increases aid to Gateway and other school districts with sparser student populations.
“Our advocacy for rural aid will be the key,” she said, adding that if the state were to fully fund rural schools at $60 million, it could mean an additional $1 million for Gateway from the state. Gov. Maura Healey has put the number at $7.5 million in her budget.
Smidy called the equity issues addressed by rural school funding “highly concerning,” and said full funding is necessary in order for rural school students to have the same opportunities as other students across the state. She asked Hilltown residents to lend their support by asking legislators to fully fund rural school aid at $60 million this year.