[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6228259,"mediaKeyId","3476565-5a1bbd9221ca214ff25547e8fd2cb290","parentId",3476565,"title","Quincy mayor and school leaders present FY2026 level-service budget; committee questions rentals, special education costs and athletics fees","audioSeconds",1468,"startMs",3738000,"endMs",5206000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3476565-5a1bbd9221ca214ff25547e8fd2cb290&start=3738&end=5206","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3476565-5a1bbd9221ca214ff25547e8fd2cb290/thumbnail_3738000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6228259/Massachusetts/Quincy-mayor-and-school-leaders-present-FY2026-level-service-budget-committee-questions-rentals-special-education-costs-and-athletics-fees","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6228259-d3093137aefa28bcad30d6b361345f78/orig.mp4?Expires=1770499710&Signature=l5mhyKNHaQPoayUov-psx5iNW0wfpONozrMpD-if7DG7tVpWS2rbYJIBpHkbumq2xp52rc5EdBnDcDHl122nAH51nDyMB7hPdw0o2bHacVn0HPN-qXVBqCZm2UWKtdw2Ap48UyJYb43QHfAUaw2mAbEg8DKKLowwg6jaD2DC~NU4aYthASqLuHYbA~xtZ3la35myWlcGLks~Yr1k8EOXTG4P4v0fXGSkHdsQUxrlzK1LRCxNwAt1Kl3ZziTG9hjkE3HGG6~r4~zsdEn6bk-ZMq81HcLZEkTFObA7nIxX61CbDBAMdR02tttUfYYWhQwb1i8Xr5pKIcxIjaLP3v~XEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Quincy Public Schools, MA","date","2025-05-24T00:02:56.777Z","article","City and district leaders presented the Quincy Public Schools FY2026 budget on May 21, describing a level-service appropriation from the mayor that funds contractual obligations, restores positions previously paid for with ESSER grants and responds to special-education cost pressures. School leaders said the budget preserves current programming while identifying a set of offsets and targeted increases.

Mayor Coke told the committee the city budget, including all departments, totals more than a half‑billion dollars; he said the “total in the budget toward education is $217,000,000,” and emphasized that the school appropriation is one part of the city’s broader support for education through public buildings, parks, police traffic supervisors, libraries and other services that serve students.

The school-side appropriation presented by district officials is $146,734,627, an increase of $4,198,000 over the prior year. District staff said funding sources include a mayoral appropriation of $138,384,627 (a 3.13% increase), projected circuit-breaker special education reimbursement of $8,350,000, and the elimination of roughly $1,000,000 in ESSER (federal) grant offsets that had supported operating costs in the prior year.

District financial staff outlined how the appropriation meets contractual obligations and funds staff shifts. Key budget highlights presented to the committee included: restoring 17.2 full‑time‑equivalent positions that had been sustained with ESSER-era funds but are now rolled into the operating budget (net new positions shown in the presentation total 17.2 FTEs across categories); adding 15 paraprofessional positions (district estimate $550,000 increase); increasing long‑term substitute funding ($519,900) and districtwide extracurricular funding (to $182,253); converting an IT/web position to full time; and adding one speech‑language pathologist and one Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to reduce reliance on higher-cost agency providers.

Administrators also requested increases to several operating lines to backfill grant-funded items that are now ongoing expenses: an approximately $400,000 increase for recurring software and subscription services (examples cited include Edgenuity, Lexia and Naviance), increased funding for special-education tuitions (administrators said tuition costs remain a growing pressure despite district placements decreasing because of the new Learning Center), and higher special-education transportation costs to cover a projected deficit in that line.

On capital and investment topics the mayor and administrators described the recently opened Richard de Cristoforo Learning Center (RDLC) as a $43.5 million facility funded primarily with city and federal sources; officials said the new building should yield operating savings as it reaches capacity over the next two to three years.

School district staff proposed modest increases to school rental fees to help cover custodial overtime and related costs: the youth rate would increase from $40 to $50 per hour, the Quincy adult rate from $55 to $75, and outside-renter rates from $75 to $100 per hour, with projected additional revenue of roughly $105,000. The administration recommended holding athletic and transportation user fees at current levels for FY2026 but flagged athletics as an area of deficit driven by new equipment, uniforms and team expansions.

Committee members raised several implementation questions during the presentation: requests for a copy of standard rental agreements and a breakdown of all student fees (athletics, club fees at the middle-school level), an inventory of Chromebook devices in reserve (staff said a number are available and would provide a precise count), and clarification on how JV/freshman coaching stipends and uniform replacement cycles are budgeted. Officials confirmed typical high-school athletic fees are about $100 per sport (with football at $300 and hockey at $400) and a family cap of $700 per year; committee members said they did not want student fees to become a barrier to participation.

Administrators proposed vote timing: the budget will be finalized in the department and return for a formal school committee vote at the June 11 meeting. No budget vote was taken May 21. The administration said the FY2026 plan is level-service in that it avoids program cuts while shifting previously grant-funded personnel into the operating budget and addresses known deficits in special-education tuition and transportation.

Speakers and administrators committed to follow-up items the committee requested: provide the rental agreement and list of associated rental expenses; provide a list of current student fees and any middle-school athletics charges; report exact counts of Chromebook inventory and replacement needs; and track the athletic program’s coaching and stipend structure to ensure appropriate supervision and safety coverage for JV and freshman teams. The committee also asked staff to monitor the special-education transportation deficit and to return with updates if conditions change.

No formal vote occurred. The committee and administration agreed to continue outreach and bring the budget back for a formal vote at the June 11 school committee meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Quincy School Committee: May 21 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City and district leaders presented a $146.7 million FY2026 Quincy Public Schools operating budget on May 21 that uses a level-service city appropriation and restores positions previously funded by ESSER grants while adding resources to cover special-education and extracurricular needs.","taxTitle","Quincy Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",14433,"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},6228265,"Quincy committee reviews proposed grading, attendance policy changes after educator endorsement",2955,144000,3099000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3476565-5a1bbd9221ca214ff25547e8fd2cb290&start=144&end=3099","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3476565-5a1bbd9221ca214ff25547e8fd2cb290/thumbnail_144000.jpg","/articles/6228265/Massachusetts/Quincy-committee-reviews-proposed-grading-attendance-policy-changes-after-educator-endorsement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6228265-0474f49128986fee6469a7b1b1213f5d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770499710&Signature=LD-aAFveryh0dKWBgb2ZFuBZ2Yv4u78RkUVeMuz4RARh577nD8J-JVs9GTwYJ1o~46dyqA6lUYnSR28iuBIGmOGnS3ACZNNDR2508qNqfZYoWyv01X2bxTyd7GF6hRXJTQN~kbHbT0CTSNTXhAwqaIn6J90UZqm0oeCHgG-V~9HOYyNL~Ic3SBnsYAcw4D6f~8upUclZceqtXw~Hmeh8k779OeL9zcsfuWDmJcGPXwJsOwwHu0a0EsGxsDnB5hZ6UrzXQDgEZupdvExuylvg4K41QBO9asbt3Gsn2XW5ydZOiDa0x1APjpkVJZ6sYJcSnbbV0d6LajGwRuxLQO2D5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Quincy School Committee on May 21 reviewed proposed revisions to the district grading policy (Policy Book Section 9.11) and the middle- and high-school attendance and tardy rules (Section 10.6), with educators and committee members requesting clarifications and outreach before a final vote.

Supporters, including Gail Carvalho, president of the Quincy Education Association, told the committee the two changes would “allow educators the ability to create a consistent learning environment complete with sequential lesson planning and effective assessment.” Carvalho said the letter-grade change at the high schools would align grades with what rising ninth-graders receive in middle school and “is more in line with the surrounding districts.”

The revisions under consideration would: replace the existing high-school grading format with a letter-grade system; clarify attendance thresholds and documentation requirements; define when a student is considered absent for a class (if they arrive more than halfway through a class); require a valid professional note after the third absence in a sequence; add religious or cultural holidays explicitly as excused; and specify credit-loss language (a referenced reduction of 15 credits). The draft also allows schools to require students who lose credit for a course to use credit-recovery options such as summer school, Quincy Evening High School or other school‑approved programs subject to administrative approval.

Committee discussion highlighted why the item matters locally: attendees said clearer attendance expectations support sequential learning and classroom assessment, while members and a parent advocate stressed the need to incorporate family perspective and to explain how make-up options will work in practice. One committee member suggested adding a short explanatory paragraph drawn from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance—“students who attend school regularly are more likely to have success in school and careers”—to make the policy’s rationale clearer to families.

Questions from committee members and public commenters focused on (1) how the policy affects older students (the committee confirmed parental approval of absences remains required after age 16 in the draft), (2) the precise point that counts as an absence for a full day (the committee agreed to add the DESE convention about a half-day cutoff, often around 11 a.m., into the policy), (3) how teachers will record partial attendance when students arrive late, and (4) whether disciplinary-like consequences listed in the draft—“may lose access to privileges such as prom, graduation, and extracurricular programming” after 16 or more unexcused absences over four quarters—should remain in the policy or be handled separately.

Committee members and the administration agreed on next steps: Dr. Perkins and staff will incorporate the technical edits discussed (for example, adding explicit language that grades for students in grades 6–8 are letter grades in middle school), specify the exact half‑day time threshold in line with DESE practice, and add clearer language about school-based incentives and supports used before restrictions on privileges are applied. The administration also said it will produce a plain-language handout for families explaining attendance expectations and available credit-recovery options.

No final vote was taken; committee leadership said the revised draft will be returned to the school committee at a subsequent meeting for formal consideration and vote. The policy changes were discussed at a May 7 policy subcommittee meeting and will remain on the agenda for the June meeting after the edits and outreach plan are added.

Clarifying details noted during the meeting included: the draft’s referenced threshold of 16 unexcused absences over four quarters; the policy language clarifying a student with a reduction of 15 credits; credit-recovery options listed in the draft (summer school, Quincy Evening High School, or other school‑approved programs subject to administrative approval); and a plan to add the DESE half-day convention (approximately 11 a.m.) to the policy to define a full‑day absence. The committee asked staff to produce a simple parent-facing summary prior to implementation.

Speakers quoted or recorded on the record for this discussion are listed in the article’s speaker section. The committee distinguished between matters of discussion (questions and suggested edits), direction (staff to revise language and prepare outreach materials), and formal action (no vote; item to return to the committee for a future vote).","The Quincy School Committee on May 21 reviewed proposed revisions to the district grading policy (Policy Book Section 9.11) and the middle- and high‑school attendance rules (Section 10.6), with educators endorsing the changes and committee members asking for clearer family outreach and precise language before a vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Quincy mayor and school leaders present FY2026 level-service budget; committee questions rentals, special education costs and athletics fees

Quincy committee reviews proposed grading, attendance policy changes after educator endorsement