Schools Need Additional Money for 2024-2025 Year

Dear Reader– this is a long article and covers many different questions I have heard regarding the School Committee’s request for a Prop 2½ Override. It may be more information than you want, but the devil is always in the details, and in this case, some of those details date back several years. MG

On September 10th, Holliston voters will decide whether to approve a Prop 2½ Override for $1,170,366 to fund the contract agreement between the Holliston School Committee (HSC) and the Holliston Federation of Teachers (HFT), and to provide $44,345 for cost-of-living increases for non-union town employees. This operational override enables the town to spend beyond the 2½% cap on the levy (the amount of money raised from property taxes), and this amount becomes a permanent part of the levy. The last operational override in Holliston was in 2010 for $986,598 for the schools’ FY2011 budget. 

In a statement to the town on May 24, 2024, the School Committee said: “The Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which begins July 1, 2024, has been challenging for several reasons: inflationary increases in operating costs, the important need to pay our paraprofessionals more to remain competitive with surrounding districts, weak Town new growth, and special education tuition and transportation costs, among other budget drivers. Our Teacher’s Contract ends on August 31, 2024, and we are committed to providing fair and competitive compensation to attract and retain outstanding teachers, who, in turn, support our students in achieving high outcomes.” Negotiations began in November.

In the words of local resident, high school teacher and president of the union, Jaime Cutone, “I look at this override as a chance for Holliston to show how we prioritize education and to say we are willing to pay for it. If the teachers’ contract had been part of the annual budget, the focus would be on the overall need for an increase in spending for the schools. The school district simply cannot keep up with the increase in costs while being limited by Prop 2^1/2. I believe that the passage of this override will lead us closer to the educational environment we want for our community.” 

What does the school override fund?

1. It provides Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) to over 150 classroom teachers, and another 100 or so specialists, counselors, therapists, etc., 4% in year one and 3% in each of the two following years. Annual Cost-of-Living-Adjustments are standard practice in government service though the size of the COLA varies. 

2. The contract will amend the pay scale for teachers. The current pay scale defines the salary to be paid to a teacher in each of 13 steps. Once a teacher reaches the top step, they cannot get further raises, other than the COLA, unless expressly included in a union contract.
   
   The proposed contract removes the entry step of the pay scale and reduces the total number of steps. New teachers will start at the higher pay. The teachers who are currently paid at the entry level step are held harmless and will proceed to climb the steps according to the existing requirements. In Year 2 of the proposed contract, there will be a new top step added to the pay scale that will be $1,500 higher than the current top step and restore the total number of steps. 

3. In Year 2, students in Miller, Adams, and the high school will gain an additional 15 minutes per day of instructional time; Placentino students will gain 10 minutes. This may sound insignificant, but it amounts to an additional 7.5 days (5) of learning in a school year. Over the span of K-12, it adds up to 540 hours, which is more than one-half year of academic instruction (not study hall, lunch, or recess). 

4. The override request includes funds for additional buses that will be required to accommodate the extended student day. Start times for school will be adjusted with all grades starting later than Miller and earlier than Placentino do now. These changes will occur in Year 2.

Rationale

Salaries are important in attracting new teachers. Teachers are in high demand – and the supply is low – across the state and country. Between 2021 and 2023, all Districts lost teachers, but Holliston lost relatively more, likely due to internal turbulence in the district (explained later in article). In 2024, teacher retention numbers are almost back to normal levels compared to others. 

“This contract keeps Holliston’s teacher salaries competitive and positions us well to attract talent. That said, the picture will change next year when more than 50% of the districts we include in our comparisons have contracts expiring. Holliston will be outpaced by some, but we feel we have positioned the town well for the next three years,” explains Dan Alfred, SC chair.

The HSC has historically used the communities in the Tri-Valley League and The Education Collaborative, plus Milford, for comparisons on salaries. Milford and Wellesley are not academic competitors for rankings, but they do compete with Holliston for talent in teachers and administrators.  “That does not mean we are striving to match them in academics and/or spending,” according to Dan Alfred, but the SC goal is to remain competitive for teachers.

Review of block scheduling and start times.
The contract also opens the door to conversations about block scheduling and school start times – two issues that have been very controversial for a long time. With all sides willing to evaluate those policies, the School Committee pledged to engage the parent community, the teachers and administrators to find workable solutions.

Rebuild morale
The School Committee hopes this contract will rebuild faith and trust among the teachers, the HSC, and the community and move the District onward and upward and position everyone to pursue changes in a reasonable and collaborative manner. The members recognize there are many issues to be addressed. 

Background of the Turbulence – 2020 to date

Please note – only two members of the 2020 School Committee are on the Committee today along with two who have served since May 2023. The remaining three were elected in May 2024. A “young” committee, so to speak.

On March 12, 2020, the negotiating members of the Holliston Federation of Teachers union (HFT) and Holliston School Committee (HSC) reached a tentative agreement (by consensus) on a new contract for the three years ending in August 2023. 

Later, that same day, former Superintendent Brad Jackson announced the closing of Holliston Public Schools as required by the state due to COVID-19. Jackson left the district three months later for a new position closer to home.

The March agreement included 2% across the board increases and an additional 2% for the teachers at the top step of the salary chart. This additional 2% was critically important to the longer-serving teachers who had lost income because of two salary freezes that took place between 2010 and 2020.  New teachers were coming into the system at higher steps with higher salaries, and the senior teachers hoped to recover some of the lost income via the 2020-2023 contract.

The teachers ratified the tentative agreement on May 5.

The School Committee then had to decide whether to sign the MOA knowing that it would increase costs for the year ahead while they faced the unknown expenses of dealing with COVID. The HSC took the side of caution and, on May 7, voted against the agreement. 

The teachers worked under an expired contract for the 2020-2021 school year and agreed to a 2% retroactive COLA in September 2021 for the previous year. Negotiation sessions were held almost monthly from May 2020- June 2021. The Union remained committed to reinstating the terms of the Tentative Agreement from 2020, and the HSC continued to focus on the cost of the contract given the financial uncertainty of COVID. 

HFT Complaint to State

The HFT filed a complaint with the Department of Labor.  A Factfinding hearing was conducted on October 12, 2021, and the HFT argued that the HSC should have honored the 2020 agreement with no changes. “The teachers felt unsupported by the School Committee when they reneged on the agreement…after it became evident that the schools were not experiencing a financial crisis,” said HFT President Cutone in statements.

The School Committee and Administration stated that the school budget for FY22 had already increased by 5.6% and other contracts within the school district had been signed for COLAs of 2%. They sought to adjust downward.  

The Factfinder concluded that the HSC had legitimate reasons not to sign the MOA in 2020 given the financial uncertainty of COVID. However, he noted, in retrospect, there was no financial disaster, and the town was in solid financial condition. He noted that the only difference between the two proposals was $350,000 in year one.

FYI: School budgets are not locked into line items in the way that general government is. There is flexibility to move money from one area to another as needed. Typically, the administration fully funds the personnel costs up front knowing that there will be attrition. The dollars that are freed up from personnel changes during the year are then redirected to under-funded routine things like paper and copying. 

By the time the Factfinding report was released, it was February 2022 – too late in the year to fully fund the increases in the original agreement and allow time enough for attrition and money-shifts to occur. The Factfinder recommended a compromise whereby the top-step salary increase was delayed until half-way through years one and two. The delays were necessary to ensure there would be cash on hand to pay the increased salaries.

The contract that was signed by HSC and HFT on March 8, 2022, was for the compromise offer, i.e. for less money than the original MOA. As an example of the impact of the changes, in dollars and cents, a mid-level teacher (M-7) would lose $1,066 over the course of 2020-2024.  For a teacher at the top step, the loss over the four years was $4,176. Longer term, the effects of the salary reductions would compound. 

The teachers were very upset. Some said they felt betrayed. There were sore feelings and low morale all around. “The prevailing sentiment was feeling unsupported by the SC for reneging on the agreement made in good faith,” according to Jaime Cutone, President of NFT. The union launched a campaign to garner support for teachers in the negotiations. The campaign ended when the agreement was signed on March 8, 2022.

Simultaneously, everyone was adjusting to the new superintendent, Dr. Susan Kustka, and trying to cope with COVID. Dark days. 

The Pandemic

Dr. Susan Kustka decided to keep the primary grades operating throughout COVID. The other grades were hybrid. In retrospect, Kustka received credit for the way she navigated the District through COVID, but the stress on the students and the staff was constantly churning as accommodations and demands unfolded. Everyone lived in a state of flux and anxiety and then in April 2021, “normal” class schedules resumed. Morale was low in every school district, but coming on the heels of the contract dispute, Holliston was down. Teachers left the system in greater numbers than other districts.

HHS Rankings

In the background, too, Holliston High School’s rankings by USA News/Boston.com and Niche.com were dropping and had been for a few years. The scores had parents alarmed and home buyers rethinking Holliston for a new house. The School Committee, teachers and Administration were pressured from above and below, inside and out. 

It wasn’t that Holliston High was suddenly a poorly-performing school, but it had slipped from the heights of glory that it had enjoyed. The town fell behind neighboring communities that it had always bested. Niche.com still gave HHS an A-, but not being the best in the area was unnerving to morale.

State Curriculum Alignment

And as if that were not enough to dampen the spirits and increase the stress, the District was cited by the Commonwealth for not having its curriculum aligned across all Holliston schools as required. The curriculum is supposed to knit together and consistently build upon itself year-to-year for a complete and integrated education, K through 12. 

Dr. Kustka took steps to address that problem, and curriculum development became a thorny issue. It may be that Dr. Kustka was steering the ship with a more “hands-on approach” than her predecessor had. Tensions rose, teachers became uncomfortable with changes that they said were hurting the students and reducing teaching time, and the Teachers’ Union took a nearly unanimous “Vote of No Confidence” in Dr. Kustka in May 2023. 

Superintendent Kustka’s Contract

While not directly linked to the contract or override, many people question today why the Superintendent remains in place despite the HFT’s “no confidence” vote. In the spring of 2022, Dr. Kustka requested a three-year contract extension (until June 30, 2026), which is the standard practice. The HSC delayed a decision until September 2022 while it conducted a teacher survey.  Though the survey results revealed some areas of concern, they were not enough (in the view of HSC at the time) to offset her accomplishments.

The HSC voted to offer Dr. Kustka a new three-year contract in September 2022. 
During the performance review on Dr. Kustka, the SC identified areas that needed improvement. While the Superintendent’s final contract was not agreed to and signed until February 2023, it was legally binding as of September 2022. This was eight months before the teachers’ vote of no confidence and six months before a School Committee Zoom office hours meeting where almost 40 staff members raised significant concerns about the superintendent. 

Today the committee is monitoring the Superintendent. At the end of the process, it will be the responsibility of the SC to decide whether to extend her contract or release her and do a search for a new chief administrator. 

Whew – that’s 2,436 words of background. Thanks for hanging in here. On to questions.

FAQ

How much will the Override cost a homeowner? 

The estimate is that the average priced $649,000 house will have a $201 annual tax increase for the total override, $50+ per quarter.

It is important to note that there are relief programs for seniors, veterans and low-income taxpayers. The newest program is the Circuit Breaker, which is not limited to seniors. Anyone who accesses the state’s Circuit Breaker program automatically qualifies locally. Applications are available now. Residents should contact the Assessor’s Office at 508-429-0604 for details.

What happens if the override does not pass? (The following is a quote from the Chair of HSC)

The Memorandum of Agreement between the HSC and Union is null and void.

The teachers will be working under an expired contract. The current contract expires in on August 31^st, 2024.

The teachers and supporters will be disappointed and feel unsupported by the community; some may be resentful; some may fear losing their jobs; emotions will run high all around as the HSC and HFT return to the negotiating table.

In negotiations, the HSC will potentially be in a weaker position having failed to garner support from voters. Regardless, it is almost certain that any resulting contract will be less attractive for both the HPS and teachers.

There is no guarantee that the extended instructional time, path to potential bell schedule changes or changes in start times will make it into any future agreement.

Paying for any eventual agreement will likely require sacrifice and almost certainly wont leave money available for any changes in bus schedules.

To meet the terms of an agreement and remain within the FY 2025 budget, the HSC and Administration will potentially need to consider places to cut spending. Since the school budget is predominantly spent on people (~80% of the budget is personnel), cuts would very likely include additional reductions to staffing levels to some degree – though what positions would be impacted has not been discussed let alone decided as this is a hypothetical future scenario that will be avoided if at all possible. 

If the override fails, at some point, whether to regain any lost services/programs or just to level fund existing levels of service, the schools will almost certainly need to come back to the Town for an override. Our expenses rise higher than what we get from the town and local aid each year. There is slippage each year, and there is little opportunity for new programs, innovation or changes. However, the School Committee has pledged, if this override passes, that it will not seek another override for at least the term of this contract. Those are the facts.

Why didn’t SC ask for Override at Annual Town Meeting?

On May 23, the SC ratified the MOA at their meeting and announced that the contract was contingent on the successful passage of an override.  This information was widely disseminated on May 24^th as part of a joint statement by the HSC and HFT. The announcement created a stir. 

Why the sudden request for a Special Town Meeting and a Special Town Election? Surely the School Committee knew what was coming. 

“No.” The members are adamant that they did not expect an agreement now, and in fact, they expected that negotiations would go into fall or beyond. They feared that the contract would expire at the end of August, and teachers would be working under an expired contract – a very tenuous position for morale. 

During the budget process (winter 2024), the School Committee had conversations about the “possible” need for an override depending on the terms of the negotiations. They raised it with the Town Administrator, Select Board and Finance Committee…but by the time the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting was going to press (April), there was no new contract – not even the whiff of a possibility. 

The committee did not mention the need for an override at Town Meeting, because that seemed like a poor negotiating strategy. The HSC had no idea what the size of any final request would be, or even if an override for FY25 would be necessary, but they knew they didn’t have a blank check. They had nothing new to offer and anticipated a summer of negotiations. 

Unexpectedly, on May 23^rd, the teachers’ union ratified the MOA that had been reached on May 20th …just 10 days after the Annual Town Meeting.  The HSC ratified the agreement as soon as possible after the HFT’s vote. They did not want to delay for a few reasons.

1. The timeline to get Special Town Meeting and Elections arranged would be challenging and summer was just three weeks away.

2. The HSC expected that the Select Board would not call for either a town meeting or election until an agreement was officially ratified.  

3. And the HSC wanted to avoid the protracted process of 2020 when the HFT had ratified the MOA within a few weeks, but the HSC did not vote until more than two months later with changes in the terms. 

Could Kindergarten money be used?

Angry residents on FB demanded to know why the School Committee approved the funding for free full day kindergarten in the budget – why not use that money for the contract instead? The fact is that kindergarten was fully funded by the town in 2023-2024. 

Since a 2014 Task Force reviewed the issue, the overwhelming opinion of the District and parents was that Holliston was behind the vast majority of communities in the state by not offering free, full day kindergarten and that the only obstacle to implementation was cost. 

In 2021, Dr. Kustka and her administrative team and the School Committee asked the Select Board for funding sufficient to cover kindergarten three or four times – to get out beyond COVID – using one-time ARPA funds (combined with some one-time School ESSER funding). They asked the Town to help find a long-term solution to funding the program when the one – time money was exhausted. After careful review by the Finance Committee and approval of the budget by Town Meeting, Holliston started funding full day kindergarten in the 2023-2024 school year using an unexpected increase in Ch 70 funds from the state and increased local tax revenue from updated real estate assessments of the cannabis manufacturers. 

The HSC never considered risking the kindergarten program by pursuing an override to fund it. Because if that effort failed and Holliston had to resume charging tuition, Holliston would lose the increased Chapter 70 funding. This would result in a net loss.

Furthermore, offering free kindergarten is another way to keep Holliston competitive as a district. There were very few other towns in the state that did not offer free kindergarten, and the fees created a burden on lower income families. It was the right thing to do.

Why have we hired new administrators?

The District has increased its administrative staff by ONE employee, the Director of SEL/DEI. Otherwise, the number of administrators in the school buildings and in central office remains the same. There are some curriculum positions, but they are teacher positions and covered by HFT.  The curriculum positions, while controversial for some, were funded from cuts within the school budget and did not result in increased town funding. Some teachers would like more support from administrators at the building levels, and this may be an issue for future school committee discussions.

Is the COLA unusually high?

Some people criticize the size of the COLA increases this year, particularly in year one, some terming it fiscally irresponsible. The Committee stands by the Agreement noting that these negotiations led to changes in instructional time (increased work for teachers), opportunities for changes in scheduling and start times, and positioned the teacher salaries competitively for a few years. 

Since fiscal year 1999, Holliston’s COLA has averaged 2.39%, this includes periods of significant economic weakness. Over this same period, average hourly earnings in the United States increased 3.32% on average and Wages and Salaries in the Boston metro area have increased an average of 3.74% 

It’s not all gloom and doom.

Residents might want to review the presentation made to the School Committee at the end of the school year in May. The presentation highlights the positive actions that are underway or have been completed over the past year. The members also get to hear from students who are celebrating their individual and group accomplishments, “and there are many,” said Alfred. “There is much to celebrate.”

In the final analysis…

There have been problems within the District. The School Committee, teachers and parents seem to agree on that.

Since May 2023, Holliston voters elected five new members to the seven-member School Committee all of whom talked about transparency, communication and conversation among the District, the parents, and the community, and the need to address many issues i.e. block scheduling, start times, school administration, and above all, building trust within the district and with the community.

The volunteers on the HSC say this override is an opportunity for change. They are asking for a chance to implement what is in the override as the first steps to rebuilding each grade, each school across the district. They acknowledge that this override cannot fix every problem – they need time and engagement with the parents and townspeople to define the problems and identify the best solutions. 

Election – September 10^th, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the High School Field House.

Election details:

The deadline to register to vote in the Special Election is August 31, 2024, and the deadline to apply for a Vote by Mail application is September 3, 2024. There is no “in-person” early voting for the Special Election.

The Special Election ballots and labels are fluorescent pink to avoid confusing them with the State Primary ballots. The state election is September 3, and the ballots are fluorescent green. 

In My Humble Opinion…
If not today, when?

Everything costs more. The good news for homeowners is that house values have skyrocketed. Some folks are house rich and cash poor, and that makes an override problematic for them. For seniors with limited incomes, there are programs to relieve or postpone tax bills. Talk to the Tax Assessor. But this hit will hurt some.

It is safe to say that every department in town has worked on less money than it needed all the while trying to provide a good standard of service. There just is not enough money to do everything. That has happened to the schools, too. Sure, the district uses a huge share of the town’s total budget – that is true for every community – and that is because the vast majority of the cost of educating our children is personnel – teachers, counselors, coaches, etc.

In that vein, I believe that the schools have been underfunded annually. Even if they miss by just $100,000 a year, the cumulative effect over time is that we need an override. I think we can count on that – and the founders of Prop 2 ½ thought so, too, which is why there are provisions for overrides. 

I understand the temptation to vote no – especially if we have no kids in the schools. But we used to – or we had grandchildren in other school districts – and we want those kids to benefit from a good education. Public education is all about everyone benefiting from an educated society. I believe in public education as a defining strength of the USA.

And while I do aspire to have the high school rise to its days of glory in the rankings, I’m gratified that we are still among the best in the state…and the state is the best in the nation. With all of that in mind, I support this override.

MG

Please contact School Committee members for more information or questions. You can also check the SC website for the language of the Agreement and even more details!