‘I’m an anxious mom’: Mass. parents concerned as kids go back to schools that made big budget cuts

Going back to school is going to feel a lot different in many Massachusetts communities this year.

Districts all over the area have laid off teachers and counselors.

Many beloved programs like art, music, and foreign language have been cut.

This is all due to tight budgets.

Meaghan Hohl is trying to enjoy the last days of summer with her rising 5th grader Sebastian and his brother William.

But this year, she has some back-to-school jitters.

“As my son gets ready, I’m an anxious mom.”

She says many parents in Hanover are devastated that a Proposition 2 ½ override didn’t pass earlier this year.

Hohl says that meant $2.7 million was cut from the school budget and 35 pink slips were issued.

“There’s going to be increased study halls in the cafeteria, 50 minutes with nothing to do because we don’t have funding to add a specialist.”

And there’s more. Much more.

Hanover School Superintendent Matthew Feron told Boston 25 News the average elementary class size will swell to 26-27 students.

At the High School, core classes will be bigger, and fewer Advanced Placement classes will be offered.

Families could pay up to $500 for transportation. It was free last year.

Fees for sports will also take a jump. Hockey will cost $720 this year compared to $260 last year.

“I worry about things like that getting cut across the town and not having the opportunity for our kids to have a well-rounded education.”

Many school districts across the state are wrestling with budget issues like Hanover.

Earlier this year, Brookline canceled a foreign language program in their elementary schools which required letting some teachers go.

Brookline School Superintendent Linus Guillory, Ph.D., said “We’re also looking at soaring costs. Our transportation costs are rising rapidly. The cost of doing business is just increasing and revenues are not keeping up with that increase.”

Cities and towns in Massachusetts fund their schools primarily through property taxes and state aid.

In Massachusetts, Proposition 2 ½ limits how much a community can increase property taxes each year unless voters override that cap.

Paul Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance said, “I think Prop 2 2 ½ is a wonderful mechanism to protect taxpayers from towns and cities who blow their budgets too quickly... .taxpayers routinely reject these Prop 2 ½ overrides and for the right reason – money doesn’t grow on trees.”

Boston 25 News reviewed a state database and found over the last three years about two dozen communities said “no” to raising their taxes.

This included communities like Boxford, Franklin, Georgetown, and Melrose.

“Even before the pandemic, we were fighting tight budgets because our student needs were increasing especially in the area of social, emotional, mental health needs. We’re dealing with academic recovery,” said Mary Bourque, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

She says those issues increased the need for educational specialists and therapists.

Throw in high inflation and the end of federal COVID funds “and that’s why you are starting to see those leading indicators, those red flags of districts having to go for Proposition 2 ½ overrides because they can’t balance budgets anymore against what is needed for their students.”

As President of the Hanover Parent Teacher Alliance, Hohl hopes her organization can fill some of the gaps this year but knows there will still be some big changes.

“I think everyone in the administration and in the schools is trying to be as positive as possible, knowing that kids at all ages really read your attitude.”

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