Monomoy School Budget Up 7.04 Percent

 HARWICH – The latest draft of the fiscal 2027 Monomoy Regional School District budget shows a 7.04 percent increase, but school officials said questions remain in several areas and will have to be answered before the budget is finalized.

The total of the draft budget is $52,708,097, with Harwich’s assessment of $33,780,157, an 8.47 percent increase, and Chatham’s assessment at $11,979,723, an 7.74 percent increase. The assessments are reduced by an estimated $6,948,217 in offsetting revenues from state aid, charter school tuition, medical reimbursement, interest payments, miscellaneous revenue, excess and deficiency funds, and transportation offsetting funds.

In his presentation to the select board Monday, district business manager Michael McMillan said pressures driving up the budget include an unknown increase in health insurance, which the district has estimated in the present draft as a 15 percent increase, along with hikes in property insurance, transportation, utilities and outside placements.

 “We are aware of how significant this budget is,” said McMillan. “Transportation costs are seeing a big increase along with student placements outside the district.” Capital construction, including the middle school renovations, and other debt-funded projects are key factors in the budget, he added. 

As for staffing, collective bargaining agreements, which include cost of living increases and additional step increases, and non-union staff, including administrators, and cost of living increases, which are not yet finalized. 

Staff reductions and turnovers may provide some relief, according to McMillan. In teachers and professional staff, there is a reduction of 4.5 full-time employees and in Unit B, instructional assistants, there is a 0.7 position increase proposed. There is a proposed addition of an Innovation Career Pathways business teacher, but that position is based on the district receiving a grant. In all, district staffing will be reduced by four full-time employees over last year, to 353 members.

The district enrollment is on the decline with the total enrollment for next year projected at 1,594, a 3 percent reduction over this year. Chatham Elementary School enrollment is projected at 145 students, a 5 percent reduction. The Harwich Elementary School projection is 398 students, a 3 percent decline. The middle school projection is 363 students, a 5 percent reduction, and the high school estimate is 689 students, a 2 percent decline.

Assessments by towns, based on the three-year student population, are 76.37 percent for Harwich and 23.63 percent for Chatham. 

 “Our initial draft is a ‘level service, reduced staffing’ budget,” school committee chair Meredith Henderson wrote in a letter to the select board. “It is designed to maintain the current programs and services provided to our students while making some strategic changes to address needs.”

Henderson also wrote that approximately 1 percent of the increase is due to the initial debt payments for the middle school exterior restoration project. The increases in assessments is higher than the overall budget increases due to external factors, especially forecasted lower state revenue and a reduction in reliance on the district’s excess and deficiency account and other non-tax funding sources, according to Henderson.

Several years ago the regional agreement was changed so that each town funds its elementary school. McMillan said the Chatham Elementary School is more expensive to run than Harwich Elementary. 

 “Harwich‘s assessment is lower than it might be, if we didn’t change it,” McMillan said. Harwich’s assessment would have been $1.4 million higher while Chatham’s would have been $1.4 million lower, he said. 

 The budget contains several capital and maintenance projects totalling $466,000. Superintendent Scott Carpenter cautioned against putting off some of the projects for another year. 

 “You don’t want to kick the can down the road because, eventually it reaches a cliff,” he said. 

 Noting the successes the district has had in bringing in school choice students, Carpenter said the district needs to continue providing quality education for students so that families don’t consider sending their students to neighboring school districts.

Carpenter also said he would be reaching out to school principals to examine areas where the budget can be cut.

 McMillan said he anticipates having the health insurance rate set in the next week and getting additional information on key assumptions in the budget in the next couple of weeks. The school committee will also be reviewing options for reductions. The school committee is scheduled to take its final vote on the budget on March 12. 

The select board recommended school officials come back as soon as they have additional information on the unknown costs and revenue projections for a more detailed discussion.