Cohasset Schools Are Facing Preventable Cuts
Background
The latest presentation of the proposed Cohasset Schools budget identified a budget increase of 3.6% that will be allowed by the town despite the requirement of an 11.8% increase to meet the budget needs. The schools have also proposed an 8.8% increase that requires uncertain grant funding to cover the remainder to maintain budget needs.
The cut to a 3.6% increase will require the town to lay off 10 teachers and seriously reduce instructional supplies. We have seen this pattern year after year, as inflation increased budget requirements during and following the COVID pandemic, the school budget was cut back every year to far below inflation – a structural problem based in Massachusetts’ Proposition 2 ½.
This is despite Cohasset ranking 284th in instructional supply expenditure per student (29th percentile), ranking 130th in teacher pay (67th percentile), and 277th in teachers per student (30th percentile)[1]; while the town ranks in the 90th percentile in revenues per capita[2]. The school’s budget problem is not oversized teaching staff, supplies, or overpaid teachers – it is the town underfunding and failing to invest in our students. So the solution to the problem is not reducing teachers or supplies.
The latest school budget presentation is linked below for details.
Need
To maintain level service, Cohasset Schools needs an additional $1.3 million beyond the 3.6% increase contemplated in the latest presentation. This equates to less than a 3% increase to property tax bills – a few hundred dollars when our average single family home tax bill is around $14,000.
Status
Both the School Committee and Select Board have said they don’t have enough time to prepare an override for town meeting in May. They’ve punted the solutions to next year. This is too late. We will have lost great teachers that will not come back. This budget problem was identified a year ago and nothing has been done to remedy it in the past year. And this still does not address the numerous fees increased on parents last year to cover the budget deficit, including athletics, kindergarten, bussing and school parking.
Action
What can we do? Attend meetings where you make public comments and contact elected representatives. The Select Board and Advisory Committee will have regular meetings over the next two months to discuss the budget and other town meeting items – below are links to the agenda, time, location, and virtual links for the next two.
Also below is contact information for the Select Board members and the Advisory Committee chair, as well as a form letter to address the school budget if needed.
Latest School Committee Budget Presentation
Next Select Board Meeting - March 3rd
Next Advisory Committee Meeting - March 4th
Select Board contact information:
Ellen Maher, Chair, emaher@cohassetma.gov
Chris Plecs, Vice Chair, cplecs@cohassetma.gov
David Farrag, Member, dfarrag@cohassetma.gov
Paul Grady, Member, pgrady@cohassetma.gov
Advisory Committee Chair: Jeanne Astino, jastino@cohassetma.gov
Form Letter:
Dear Select Board,
I am writing out of concern for the proposed cuts to Cohasset Schools outlined in the school budget presentation on February 25th. The reduction in staff and supplies is not acceptable to maintain the outstanding performance of our schools and does not reflect our values as a town. I strongly encourage you to plan an operational override for FY27 to ensure our schools maintain their standing as among the best in the state and that our students do not suffer due to budget constraints, specifically taking consideration of the fact that our schools are relatively underfunded compared to our standing as a high revenue town.
[1] These rankings are out of 399 districts. Data pulled from DESE district comparison tool and reflect the latest available date (2024).
[2] This data is from DLS town comparison tool and reflects the latest available data (2025).
