[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6280273,"mediaKeyId","2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2","parentId",2616019,"title","Acton-Boxborough leaders hold FY26 budget hearing as committee braces for larger increases ahead","audioSeconds",2047,"startMs",27000,"endMs",2074000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2&start=27&end=2074","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2/thumbnail_27000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6280273/Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough-leaders-hold-FY26-budget-hearing-as-committee-braces-for-larger-increases-ahead","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280273-47fa7a625eb3fa25e507f8e33973b407/orig.mp4?Expires=1770841854&Signature=d3KI7BPJgP~N7669ovVGj-Uemi4ZQJh-RO-OCQDzFy8a9j67DKiUeS8Y9YaZIoJa1hMCzPo4Xw59LI-4Phazbp59Jz2xZ2e2~~LlfR07k8AGMH8gjG8CIok668I7WYJ6vHJrlkV0JC-MScIWXMT6-ntUo3v9bSkXYPUtIId92ONzlfbe8dU8OXuJlFRoiw1w0lVFqpaZ7c5nC1cfD8CPzDq5MX0Mq9ubDb~CINPXan-JytpwAiY907msuXNs4ODjggjn4FqRa69xorVFOclQHfAGKskiALNsS4OPAUJSnIVmdE09dIs84LY7GpsqY4~UgnmDFnV~0q~8MwioBWPimA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, MA","date","2025-03-14T00:00:00Z","article","The Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee opened its FY26 budget hearing and received a presentation from Superintendent Peter Light on the district’s recommended budget, including updated revenue estimates and proposed cuts.

Light said the recommended operating budget is a 2.11% increase over the previous year but warned that maintaining current services in future years likely will require a 5.25%–5.5% increase. He described several changes since the preliminary budget, including higher-than-expected health-insurance costs, additional special-education tuitions, and employees returning to employer health plans, all of which reduced the district’s earlier projected headroom. Light said those and other pressures consumed about $330,000 in added special-education costs and more than $300,000 for insurance rate changes, erasing most of the cushion the committee hoped might restore positions.

Nut graf: The superintendent and committee framed the FY26 proposal as a holding year that preserves many current services but requires targeted reductions to balance the budget; leaders warned that the district’s structural finances, demographic trends and rising costs mean larger budget increases or state aid would be necessary to avoid deeper cuts.

Most significant program and staffing changes described by administration included reductions in general-education classroom assistance at the elementary level, cuts to Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic supports, reductions in several secondary teaching positions (social studies, math and English), fewer campus monitors and some athletic stipend adjustments, and replacement of a vacated certified elementary librarian with a library media assistant. Light said the district also is not budgeting for a new case manager position despite a modest projected increase in kindergarten enrollment and that at junior high one team will be adjusted so some teachers will teach multiple grade levels.

Light and staff emphasized the district’s unchanged fiscal constraints: declining enrollment since regionalization (about 725 students over 10 years), a rising percentage of students classified as “high needs,” and looming capital costs including nearly $4 million for high school rooftop HVAC units. He also noted that the district moved health coverage from the Acton Health Insurance Trust into a larger pool, which produced some one-time savings that helped in FY26 but will not repeat.

Committee members asked for line-item detail on a $200,000 increase in “other admin supplies,” and Sherry (district finance staff) explained much of that increase reflected contracted services tied to an RFP on that night’s agenda, unemployment and separation costs, and software/financial system contracts rather than consumables.

Members publicly pressed the importance of communicating with state lawmakers about the limits of local revenue and the need for Chapter 70/Chapter 78 funding reform. The chair and other members said they would pursue coordinated advocacy (including an upcoming Ways and Means hearing) and provide a template letter for families to contact Beacon Hill. Committee members repeatedly stressed the district’s message that there is “nothing left to cut” if the goal is to maintain current service levels and that towns should expect larger assessments to support the schools.

Procedural actions from the meeting: committee members moved to adjourn the statutory budget hearing after public comment (motion moved by Vikram, seconded by Tory) and voted to adjourn the hearing unanimously. Later the committee voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda (minutes, budget transfers and warrants) and then voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting.

Ending: The superintendent and committee reiterated that a final FY26 budget vote is scheduled for next week (required to meet warrant/timing obligations), that approval requires a two-thirds weighted vote under the regional agreement, and that members should ensure attendance for that vote because absent votes count as no votes under the regional agreement.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Acton-Boxborough School Committee Meeting - March 13th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee opened its FY26 budget hearing and heard Superintendent Peter Light outline a recommended 2.11% operating increase and targeted reductions to balance the budget.","taxTitle","Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",38538,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6280265,"District entry plan: administrators flag growing student needs, recommend focus on Tier 1 instruction and curriculum processes",3025,3088000,6113000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2&start=3088&end=6113","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2/thumbnail_3088000.jpg","/articles/6280265/Massachusetts/District-entry-plan-administrators-flag-growing-student-needs-recommend-focus-on-Tier-1-instruction-and-curriculum-processes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280265-4f26edc22cad791d70ee6f7432377ed9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770841854&Signature=lbS0lNR~M2D11u33vDqjOzEf3KY-DiVOMk-V1F3dLtE7qsB4M0rGrg7xe7KOEGRezGVyFexdkyaFVYqX7BMVo09OaSB8CGqpuGoy05nUnJU3i9v0EnQ5EhgdF4ndYNe2RuD52b16ZiDs7d9XCrPl3bqCepUzASD2kHHp2Eht40rffpJm4I1brXlP6syoWqgMahlXJzm6IDwj6amllAq2t~F3~2q4syfepGCYohXk~KU8PVaXXS67JCj6unHF8fGDlELZ0~RdSM-c9z3MkrPyJUSYEduz07Sjn1xTiQzphtJHHmGpY4WsL6ACBJsPrkrxGZ1BY5UFbNL8tuo-lAUDSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Gabby Abrams presented highlights from her seven‑month entry plan, describing broad takeaways from observations, conversations, data review and a faculty/family thought exchange.

Abrams said the district has many strengths — strong educator content knowledge, intentional social‑emotional supports, a visioning process (Vision of a Graduate) and growing, experienced leadership — but faces persistent challenges. Those include a rising share of students classified as “high needs,” persistent achievement gaps for high‑needs students, staffing limits in multilingual and library/media services, and scheduling constraints that complicate delivery of required supports.

Nut graf: Abrams recommended concentrating on Tier 1 (classroom) instruction and inclusive practices, strengthening curriculum‑mapping and review cycles, optimizing professional learning time to prioritize high‑leverage instructional strategies for multilingual and special‑needs students, and clarifying teacher‑leader roles to better support classroom instruction.

She presented aggregated district achievement snapshots showing strong performance among non‑high‑needs students (around the 80th percentile in aggregate MCAS-based proficiency measures) and substantially lower results for high‑needs students (approximately 34%–40% meeting proficiency), and stressed that closing that gap would require sustained work to ensure equitable access to grade‑level materials and high expectations.

Abrams listed several recommended operational steps: adopt systematic curriculum‑mapping and unit‑development protocols, expand work on equitable grading and consistent reporting, explore models to strengthen comprehensive wellness (Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework), and examine creative scheduling or blended‑learning approaches to mitigate instructional time lost to absences or pull‑outs.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the percentage of students categorized as high needs (Abrams said roughly one‑third), strategies used in other districts to narrow achievement gaps, the district’s approach to missed instructional days and blended‑learning models, and whether wellness work could reduce choice or raise equity concerns. Abrams said many recommended changes would be shaped through the upcoming strategic‑planning and reorganization work.

Ending: Committee members praised the presentation and welcomed Abrams’ suggestions; the district will fold the entry plan findings into the strategic‑planning and reorganization process and follow up with more detailed proposals and timelines.","Dr. Gabby Abrams summarized findings from an entry plan that emphasized district strengths and flagged a widening proportion of high‑needs students and persistent achievement gaps.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6280269,"Acton-Boxborough staff propose coursework and portfolio paths to replace MCAS as competency standard",1152,5734000,6886000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2&start=5734&end=6886","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2/thumbnail_5734000.jpg","/articles/6280269/Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough-staff-propose-coursework-and-portfolio-paths-to-replace-MCAS-as-competency-standard","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280269-8ef399e905bc110a23f1dfb22fb45af1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770841854&Signature=IY5V2yT9GGEkbG2WEb3O939dyRfq26HbvyBHZ-uWtcTpdYx5RoE2FUE-ohKWXa2A3f1ux67krhXr5d0a9dVvqR4E-1g6Fe79oHA3CYbwSEA3cJGn9GABdLMHEo312JXv20Nz0wuwL6heMgX5W2M8aLajYOJNo5y5htPEP981C8RduYU1SBZBsy8AQK36WfCbp3R2OTVonNjl4V8qzw2pTsXekPcjrXnrHIx-AGp94e6uaMGYaPMCKV5o~F7P~MfCFXUQv-nKcW2NDS9GwJMxLAr39bam6aahkvvveBIWgJoTwTbJfQD0mpZ0dgbuwOyvR3TduXSyRBXirP0~9AqIog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Acton-Boxborough high school leaders presented a first reading of proposed changes to policy IKF (graduation requirements) and a local competency-determination pathway following the elimination of MCAS as the statewide competency measure.

The draft competency determination the high-school team proposed requires students to earn passing grades in ninth- and tenth-grade English (or equivalent), algebra I and geometry (or equivalents), and biology or physics (or an equivalent course). The proposal also preserves a district pathway allowing a subject-area portfolio demonstrating mastery of grade‑level standards as an alternative route.

Nut graf: The change is designed to keep diploma standards aligned with the courses that historically prepared students for the tenth-grade MCAS while providing an explicit local portfolio pathway for students whose prior records or circumstances require a different route to demonstrate mastery.

Administrators said the policy edit also cleans up graduation-credit language so distribution requirements align with the program of studies (for example, clarifying social-studies expectations). The administration noted that waivers of distribution requirements remain possible in specific, documented circumstances and that teams (department leader/assistant principal/principal) would make waiver decisions.

Committee members asked about particulars: whether the district was adding two years of U.S. history (the draft repeats the longstanding requirement that U.S. History 1 and 2 be taken), how the portfolio alternative would be developed and implemented for the class of 2025, and whether the proposed policy would likely change given ongoing state-level work. Administrators said department leaders are developing portfolio criteria and that they are prioritizing communication with the small number of current seniors for whom the change could affect graduation.

The superintendent noted the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the governor’s office are continuing to examine statewide approaches, and that public comment periods and further guidance could require future revisions. The committee signaled willingness to vote at the next meeting to meet local timelines but recognized the guidance could evolve.

Ending: The committee took the policy as a first read and planned a vote next week to ensure timely decisions for seniors, with the caveat that state-level action may prompt later revisions.","After the statewide change removing MCAS as the required competency determination for graduation, Acton-Boxborough staff proposed competency language and matching graduation policy edits that rely on passing coursework or a portfolio demonstrating mastery in English, math and science.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6280260,"District to issue RFP for successor strategic plan focused on school reorganization; timeline aims to begin May",0,6868000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2&start=6868&end=6868","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2616019-3d59b949e45a9afe1a6c4e2b723223f2/thumbnail_6868000.jpg","/articles/6280260/Massachusetts/District-to-issue-RFP-for-successor-strategic-plan-focused-on-school-reorganization-timeline-aims-to-begin-May","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280260-d113c7f1361315d426d97b2d55a9d2b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770841854&Signature=Wv-wYQpWTio6-9elKBW3lmksxU37qdyRtjVTxbWaT9jGgfOVLwp9wFLtGxBwfnds37N~O7MEmuKiU-cTbR4XNJ~RxGujciHi9vUhK39ugaamctfOTY-HRXvCqy2uxeFswSJJwDjAgiessENnrljidbH7-yViN1DLg-0XFGKahJ1JdrWyU5vzrAjeV0KhAKS7YTdd9mZs6H~dxOITa6WVxO4oYJBEL7ZjhBFIlOoc5SzxZKWcQ86TBGnQvV06GigeCqd2H9KW5HqfNM1DuAWLSBrgvT5kNe13NHusNGHl0mtW8D8kPPNSmVvZ2NCXwheSreHB20vZoBQyECKtUqd0VQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Peter Light outlined a draft request for proposals that seeks a consultant to produce a successor strategic plan explicitly centered on potential school reorganization. The RFP frames the work as both strategic planning and operational planning for any reorganization, with explicit expectations for community engagement, financial constraint analysis and implementation planning.

Nut graf: The administration aims to accelerate the planning timeline so consultant work can begin in mid‑May, steering‑committee membership can be recruited concurrently, and substantial work (data collection and initial proposals) can occur over the summer to prepare for intensive community engagement in the fall.

Light said the RFP will be posted broadly the week after the meeting, with proposals due roughly two weeks later (final proposals targeted the week before April vacation). The administration intends to bring finalists in for interviews and select a consultant during or immediately after April vacation with a proposed May 15 start date. The RFP asks bidders to design multiple community touchpoints, including surveys, focus groups and public workshops.

Committee members asked about contingency plans if proposals are inadequate (administration said it would rebid if necessary), confirmation that the RFP asks for cost estimates (costs will arrive with vendor proposals), and that the RFP emphasize financial boundaries so community ideation remains grounded in available resources. Light said he had already incorporated some committee feedback into the draft and would accept further comments before posting.

Ending: The RFP will be finalized and posted early next week; committee members were asked to send additional feedback immediately to the superintendent because the procurement timeline is tight.","Acton-Boxborough administrators will post a request for proposals seeking a consultant to develop a successor strategic plan tied to potential school reorganization. The administration set an expedited timeline to select a vendor and start work in mid‑May so planning and community engagement can proceed over the summer and fall.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Acton-Boxborough leaders hold FY26 budget hearing as committee braces for larger increases ahead

District entry plan: administrators flag growing student needs, recommend focus on Tier 1 instruction and curriculum processes

Acton-Boxborough staff propose coursework and portfolio paths to replace MCAS as competency standard

District to issue RFP for successor strategic plan focused on school reorganization; timeline aims to begin May