2024-25 School Budget Update

 2024-25 School Budget Update

This week I would like to share some very important budgetary updates from the North Reading Public Schools in order to clarify some commonly asked questions we have heard in the community.

What are the budget drivers for the school budget for the school year 2024-25 and beyond?

Like all school districts, the majority of our budget is comprised of contractual salary obligations, which make up 83% of our total budget. This includes steps, lane movements, and longevity increases for eligible staff in the North Reading Public Schools and factors in savings through turnover based on historical trends.

Another major driver is the cost of Special Education services both in-district and out-of-district, including transportation for students to outside placements. The tuition prices for many out-of-district providers has increased at a significant rate in recent years, and the number of students needing services has also continued to rise. 

Our operational building and fixed costs, as well as utilities, elementary enrollment, and the needs of our specialized programs round out the drivers for our school department budget.

The Impact of the Failed Override on the North Reading Public Schools

The override request presented at the June 2024 Town Meeting factored in the school district’s needs for this school year (2024-25) as well as the following two years (2025-26 and 2026-27). Once the override failed at the ballot last year the district needed to immediately make cuts to address the $1.2 million budget gap.

These cuts included both existing positions and other positions that would have provided level services for all students, meaning students in classrooms in 2024-25 do not have the same level of support and resources that students had the previous year.

Positions that were cut from the budget and not replaced include the following:

• Academic Interventionists (3 positions)

• Guidance Counselor (1 position)

• Technology Technician (1 position)

• Classroom Teacher (2 positions)

• Special Education Teacher (3 positions)

• School Nurse (0.5 reduction to Floater Nurse position)

• Paraprofessionals (4 positions)

• Facilities (1 position)

• Athletic Coaches (3 positions)

Additionally, several positions would have been added in order to maintain level services for students. Without these positions class sizes have increased above the optimal level, especially at the primary grades. These positions include:

• Classroom Teacher (1.5 positions)

• Special Education Teacher (.4 position)

In addition, other cuts were made to expenses for school and district budgets as well as adjustments to the busing and transportation fees for students.

Have any of these positions been added back for 2024-25?

No, there have not been any restorations to the cuts for this school year. In addition to the cuts there have been resignations, retirements, non-renewals and other leaves of absence that have not impacted the total number of full time equivalent (FTE) positions in the district. In order to fill these vacancies we posted the positions and have made new hires as we do every year with our workforce of nearly 400 employees.   

Whenever possible, the individuals losing a position were hired into a vacancy in order to minimize unemployment expenses and retain highly qualified individual employees.

Have there been any additional expenses realized for 2024-25?

Yes, as recently discussed at the September 21, 2024 School Committee meeting we have seen an increase this year in our special education, transportation, and out-of-district tuition costs.  This can be attributed to some unanticipated scenarios that arose late last school year and others that have arisen this year. We are also aware of other potential costs on the horizon, resulting from recent move-ins and newly identified student needs requiring additional support above and beyond the out of district placement due to the complex nature of the profile. The District budgeted for transportation and placement costs for 40 students this year, up from 37 in FY24, and we are currently at 45 students this year as of October 1st.

Are these concerns unique to North Reading?

No, unfortunately the rising costs for operations have been a consistent need across the commonwealth and the budget drivers for our district are similar to those in many other cities and towns. Last spring there were 46 override votes, with 57% of those failing. The budget drivers in these districts are consistent with our own and we are committed to continuing the transparency around our needs to the entire community.

Next Steps

As we discussed in our presentations last year, we have concerns for this upcoming year and the years that follow given that our costs are continuing to increase and the available revenue from the town can not support our needs. As we begin our budget process to prepare for FY26 we will continue to identify any areas for potential cuts and be sure to communicate those possibilities with the school community.

We are committed to the students of North Reading as outlined in our district strategy, NRPS 2025.  This year we will once again be providing many opportunities throughout the year to listen to our students, staff, families, and members of the community as we begin to think about the plans for our next plan, NRPS 2030. Visit our website to learn more: https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/district/pages/nrps-2025. 

K-12 Action Team and Delay Procedures Updates

K-12 Action Team

Please save the date of September 25, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. in the Distance Learning Lab at the middle/high school for our first K-12 Action Team meeting. If you are interesting in attending or learning more please complete this brief online form.

This first meeting will be an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the ideas for our school and community based-teams to engage in action-oriented conversations around the following topics:

• Health and Wellness 

• Outdoor Time and Recess

• Cell Phones, Social Media, and Mental Health

• Bullying Prevention and Intervention

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

This first meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more and from here we will form our subgroups for the year. We will have three additional K-12 Action Team meetings throughout the year to receive updates from all of our subgroups (12/4 at 3:30 p.m., 3/12 at 3:30 p.m., and 5/28 at 6 p.m.).

Did you know? 

Outdoor recess times at all three elementary schools is now at 20 minutes and our School Committee and many active parents and community members have goals for increasing outdoor time at all five schools!

The Surgeon General has released an advisory about the effect of social media on mental health? What can we do about the impact on our children? 

We held a community forum in June to discuss topics related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and bring forward additional opportunities this school year for students, staff, and the entire community!

This is a great opportunity for the entire community to become involved in the work of our schools under the umbrella of the Town of North Reading’s Community Impact Team. I hope to see you on the 25th!

Changes to our Morning Delay Procedures

On this beautiful day it’s hard to imagine a morning of inclement weather but I wanted to inform everyone that the School Committee supported a recommendation to update our morning delay to now be a 2 hour delay. More information and the complete schedule is available on our website here. 

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Dr. Daly

 

2024-25 Welcome Back Letter

                                                                                                                  August 26, 2024

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

This weekend was a welcome return to the blue skies and pleasant weather that I hope you have been able to enjoy this summer. In recent weeks it has been a pleasure seeing our marching band and our student athletes returning to the fields, and witnessing the students beginning their orientation and taking part in the walkabouts and welcome-back activities.

As we look ahead to the start of the 2024-25 school year I write to offer a few reminders and important updates:

Thursday, September 5, 2024 is our first day 

of school for students (grades 1-12)

PreK & Kindergarten Orientation is on September 5th and 6th

Monday, September 9, 2024 is our first day 

for PreK and Kindergarten students

Throughout the year we will also be offering many opportunities for learning together through our ongoing Family University series. Our first event of the year is a Welcome for New Families and will take place on August 28, 2024 at 6 p.m. in the Distance Learning Lab/Virtual. Registration is required and a virtual link will be shared with those who register: https://forms.gle/pryQxoDkjvfYX9fM6

Our educators are busy preparing their classrooms and designing engaging lessons for the year. Last week our Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Mr. Sean Killeen, and our leadership team, and our mentor teachers welcomed our new staff for orientation on August 21st and 22nd. We are very excited about this new group of educators and welcome them to the North Reading Public Schools.

As always, I would like to offer a sincere thank you to Mr. Sonny Campagna and our incredible Facilities team who have once again done an amazing job preparing our school buildings and grounds for the upcoming year. The Digital Learning team, under the leadership of Dr. Daniel Downs, has also worked throughout the summer to update our devices and prepare the classrooms for the return of our students and educators. We also appreciate all of the administrative staff who completed so many behind-the-scenes tasks during the summer months!

Thank you to our administration and the educators who led our extended year programs and acceleration academies for students and multilingual learners. Our Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Mr. Michael Connelly, and Director of Student Services, Mrs. Cynthia Conant, along with their teams, have put in many hours throughout the summer to prepare us for the upcoming year.

Our district strategy for improvement, NRPS 2025, was reviewed this summer during our leadership retreat and all of our administrative and teacher leaders looked at the goals and action steps for the 2024-25 school year related to Student Services; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and Teaching and Learning. We also started thinking about where we would like to be at the end of our next five year plan, in 2030, and this will lead some of our conversations with the entire school community in the upcoming year.

As you are aware, budget cuts were implemented for the 2024-25 school year that have impacted class sizes, left key positions unfilled, and eliminated some important additional supports for our students. As a district we will always find a way to move forward, despite these ongoing budget challenges, and we will continue to communicate critical financial updates to our community as we recognize the needs for the upcoming fiscal year 2026.

School Safety

As always, the primary goal of our schools is providing the safest and most supportive learning environment for all students. This year we will continue to implement several action steps in cooperation with the North Reading Police and Fire Departments.

As always, our School Resource Officer will be present in our schools and provide our students with a positive connection to law enforcement on a regular basis. In addition, we will continue to have an increased presence of patrol officers who will continue to familiarize themselves with our school buildings, staff, and students as they routinely visit our schools in coordination with the building administration in order to provide enhanced visibility, security, and accountability for our emergency operations plans. 

Our school safety team, composed of members of the school, police, and fire departments, met over the summer to revisit and update our school emergency operations plans. We have developed a schedule of fire and evacuation drills, as well as ALICE training for staff and students. While this schedule does not provide the exact dates and times of each drill or training it communicates a plan for the year and the windows for when drills will occur in order to provide an opportunity for families, students, and staff to better understand our proactive approach for school safety. This will also provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to inquire with specific questions related to these drills and training in a timely manner.

ALICE Training and Drill Timeline

2024-25

• ALICE Drill with Administrators and Office Staff: August/September

• All Employee ALICE Training Review Sept 

• FIRE Drill #1 (September)

• ALICE Drill planning and debrief (December/January)

• FIRE Drill #2 (October)

• ALICE scenario exercise with All Employees (January 2025)

• ALICE scenario exercise with Students and Staff (January 29, 2025)

• FIRE Drill #3 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring)

• ALICE/ Health and Safety scenario with Students and Staff (Spring)

• FIRE Drill #4 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring)

*Possible additional scenarios could include a tornado watch, evacuation for gas leak, chemical spill, 

               blocked egress etc.

As a school safety team we have reviewed the developmental appropriateness of the drills and exercises as well as concerns related to trauma. Our approach will incorporate this awareness and we will practice drills that are sensitive to these concerns. 

We will communicate more information at the school level as a follow up to each individual drill so that you are able to have a dialogue with your children and students. If you have any questions about this upcoming schedule or our approaches please contact your building principal and we will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns.

Finally, as a district we are once again participating in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Training program. This grant funded program, offered by the Executive Office of Technology Services & Security, provides training for all North Reading Public Schools educators and staff that has proven beneficial both professionally and personally as we work to ensure data privacy, safety, and security in the cyberworld. This year there will be additional modules available to train families and I look forward to sharing those details with our school community later this year.

We are so excited to welcome our students back on September 5, 2024 and I hope that everyone enjoys the remaining days of summer with their family and friends!

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Outdoor Time and Recess

The North Reading School Committee has a goal that states, "The School Committee will support the district in exploring opportunities for outdoor time for students and the Superintendent will prepare a presentation on this topic for the committee in the Spring of 2024." At this time we are forming a working group consisting of school employees, the Superintendent, a School Committee member, and interested parents, families, and caregivers to come together and discuss this topic and make a recommendation to the school committee at an upcoming meeting.

The first meeting of this working group will take place on May 8, 2024 at 4pm at the Middle/High School. If you are interested in participating and/or providing your thoughts and feedback, please complete this brief form and we will follow up with those registered with more details on the location.

https://forms.gle/jjEZBcR62NjAcajM9

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

Budget Update 4.23.24

 

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

This email is a reminder of the upcoming Community Informational Webinar on the Town Budget Process on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 8:00 p.m. The link for this virtual meeting will be posted here when available.

It is very important that all parents, caregivers, families, and staff attend either the Webinar or the in-person session on May 9, 2024 in the Distance Learning Lab at the North Reading Middle High School to learn more.

We will be discussing the budget gaps that are impacting not only this upcoming year (FY25) but also the following two years (FY26 and FY27). 

The current budget for next school year, voted last night by the North Reading School Committee, includes the following $1.2 million dollars in cuts:

• Meets all contractual salary and operational expense obligations;

• Elimination of 15.2 positions;

• Higher class sizes and student/teacher caseload at all levels;

• Less breadth and depth of curriculum at secondary level;

• Reduced ability to address student health issues and nursing coverage;

• Less digital learning and technology staff for instruction and tech support;

• Less ability to address students in need of academic support;

• Less funding for classroom supplies and technology

• Less Custodial staff for cleaning services and coverage needs;

• Higher coach to student athlete ratio’s

• Higher risk for budget overages and increased reliance on special revenue accounts (i.e. food service account);

• Increased user fees to families for the busing program.

Voters will have the opportunity to consider an override proposal that will allow us to continue with level services funding for these vital programs and opportunities for students as well as to continuously improve as a district. ​The two upcoming information sessions are meant to clarify questions about the budget process and to inform the public about the budgetary needs of the Town and the Schools in North Reading.

Date and time	Topic	Location	Presenters
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 8:00 p.m.	Community Informational Webinar	Virtual, link to be shared soon	Town Administrator, Town Finance Director, Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
Thursday, May 9, 2024 7:30 p.m.	Community Informational In-person Session	In-person, North Reading Middle/High School Distance Learning Lab	Town Administrator, Town Finance Director, Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
June 10, 2024 7:00 p.m.	Town Meeting	North Reading Middle/High School	Town Boards and Officials

Please also see the Town of North Reading’s page for additional information by visiting  FY25 Budget Central to see a list of recent and upcoming meetings, documents, and presentations.

​Thank you,

​Dr. Daly

End of Year Schedule

 

FY 25 Budget Update

 

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

As an update to our budget process for Fiscal Year 25 I would like to share this link to Monday’s Public Budget Hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LnIrTJJrXM

During the meeting the School Committee discussed the current budget gap of $1.2 million dollars for level services and $1.6 million dollars for our modified level services plan along with potential cuts that would need to be made in order to balance the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Principals and Directors provided impact statements that addressed how these cuts would affect our students, programs, and buildings. I strongly recommend that everyone in our school community review this presentation and follow along with the updates in the North Reading Transcript and participate in our upcoming public presentations:

Date and time	Topic	Location	Presenters
Monday, April 22, 2024 6:30 p.m.	School Committee Budget Vote	Hybrid; J. Turner Hood Elementary School and virtual	North Reading School Committee, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 8:00 p.m.	Community Informational Webinar	Virtual, link to be shared soon	Town Administrator, Town Finance Director, Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
Thursday, May 9, 2024 7:30 p.m.	Community Informational In-person Session	In-person, North Reading Middle/High School Distance Learning Lab	Town Administrator, Town Finance Director, Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
June 10, 2024 7:00 p.m.	Town Meeting	North Reading Middle/High School	Town Boards and Officials

Please also see the Town of North Reading’s page for additional information by visiting  FY25 Budget Central to see a list of recent and upcoming meetings, documents, and presentations.