WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School District administration is forecasting a fiscal year 2025 budget with little room for additional programming in the preK-12 district.

 

"This is likely one of those budget years when we'll be focusing hard on what we have to do and not as much on what we'd like to do," Superintendent Jason McCandless told the School Committee last week. "Any additions, particularly around staffing, will likely have to be met with proportionate reductions elsewhere."

 

Assistant Superintendent Joseph Bergeron, who also serves as the district's budget director, walked the committee members through what he characterized as a "preliminary, draft, partial" budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.

 

Bergeron repeatedly stressed the numerous unknowns — including state funding from the Chapter 70 and 71 programs — and promised greater detail for the committee's two planned meetings in February.

 

But the gist of Bergeron's lengthy commentary, like McCandless' brief synopsis, was the same: the district is likely to have rising costs beyond its control that will strain its ability to do more "discretionary" spending while meeting the assessment increases sought by member towns Williamstown and Lanesborough.

 

On the revenue side, districts across the commonwealth are waiting for word from Boston about Chapters 70 and 71. But the indication on federal grants for FY25 already is discouraging.

 

"We do know the federal government is in discussions around cuts to title grant funding," Bergeron said. "Title 1, for us, is around $150,000. If we were to cut that by 50 percent, we'd be looking at a $75,000 reduction in grant funding."

 

As for expenses, the district knows it is looking at a 3 percent increase in transportation costs, per the current multi-year contract with its bus provider. And a similar — but as yet unknown — increase is possible for the budget's No. 1 expense: salaries.

 

"We are trying to finalize our look ahead in terms of retirements and departures of staff moving out of the district," Bergeron said. "By the time we hit February, we will have firm numbers for [full-time equivalents] so we can have intelligent discussions here.

 

"I will say that based on our contracts and the bulk of staff being known, we're looking at a 2.5 to 3 percent increase on the overall budget in terms of expenditures based on those staff remaining in their positions and naturally seeing increases based on their union contracts."

 

Much less known — for now — is the impact of a potential increase in the district's cost for employees' health insurance.

 

"The first figure [indicated in the draft] that hasn't changed yet but almost definitely will is health insurance," Bergeron said, indicating a $3.2 million expense for the district in the current fiscal year.

 

"Berkshire Health Group will meet in late January to adopt its [FY25] rates. So far, a lot of the rumblings we're receiving are that we'll probably see increases there. … We need to brace for anywhere from 0 to 10 percent, and I don't think it will be 0. I think it will be something that needs to be reckoned with within the rest of our budget."

 

The School Committee is slated to finalize the fiscal 2025 budget at its March 14 meeting. The district sends a bottom line budget to both member towns for approval at their annual town meetings in the form of an assessment to each town to support operating and capital expenses of the regional school district.

 

Last Thursday's preliminary look at the budget landscape coincided with the annual budget requests from the district's two elementary schools.

 

Principals Nolan Pratt of Lanesborough Elementary and Cindy Sheehy of Williamstown Elementary presented the needs identified by each building's School Council, which looked at data and solicited faculty input among other factors.

 

Pratt said LES is hoping to maintain appropriate staffing, acquire a supportive curriculum for special education teachers and interventionists and continue to roll out short-throw projectors in the classroom.

 

At WES, teachers have asked to add a math interventionist position and a special education teacher, Sheehy said. But the principal said the school is continuing to look at data to see if it supports the need for additional staff.

 

She did say the school is seeking a modest budget line to support extracurricular activities.

 

"Traditionally, at Williamstown, we have not had a wide array of after-school clubs like the middle/high school," Sheehy said. "It's something we've been looking at this year to bridge the gap."

 

School Committee member Jose Constantine asked McCandless what answer he had for principals looking to add capacity in a year when he said such additions may need to be matched by offsets elsewhere in the budget.

 

McCandless said additional staffing, "may not be feasible."

 

"I think we look at what we annually look at when we're faced with these kinds of choices, which is to first take a look at is there any place that, as responsible leaders, we potentially could make adjustments to full-time staffing members or even moving full-time to part-time because we are over-staffed," McCandless said. "I would not want to be put on the spot to talk about that, because … I don't believe we have many, if any, areas where that's a reality.

 

"My best advice to these folks, as we all work together [is] that we look at, 'OK, that may not be feasible. Are there places in existing employee schedules where we could get some of these services?' And can we continue to make the ground ready to bear riper, better, faster fruit when the time comes that we are able to swing some of these changes?"

 

In other business on Thursday, the School Committee:

 

• Heard an update from Director of Curriculum and Instruction Joelle Brookner about the district's efforts to serve multilingual learners, sometimes referred to as "English as a Second Language" learners in other districts. "We're surveying multiple families," Brookner said. "If anyone in the home speaks a language other than English, we reach out to families and screen students. Based on how a student performs, they will be identified or not identified as needing English language instruction." 

 

• Heard from Bergeron about short-term capital improvements needed at the two elementary schools: doors, fire and security systems at WES and exterior doors at LES, where work already has been done to update the fire and security systems. Bergeron said there will be money included in the FY25 budget to address needs at both schools, which are nearing their 25th year of operation.

 

• Unanimously approved the three-year District Improvement Plan as presented by McCandless with the stipulation that he add a column that identifies metrics the district should use to assess progress toward specific goals.

 

♦ Signed off on tuition agreements for the towns of Hancock and New Ashford through fiscal year 2026. The towns will see 3 percent increase from FY24 to FY25.