Brewster School Budget Will Require Override

BREWSTER – By a 4-0 vote, the Brewster School Committee supported a budget that is up 12 percent over last year’s and likely will require an operational override of between $700,000 to $800,000 this spring.

The Nauset Regional schools are also over their 4.5 percent target, so there could be two school overrides to vote on at town meeting and the annual town election. The regular operations in both cases are below 4.5 percent for the Brewster schools, but costs outside the local control are accelerating far more than 4 percent, especially special education, fringe benefits and transportation.

“Your principals have done exactly what they’ve been asked to do and made uncomfortable and tough choices,” Nauset Regional Superintendent Brooke Clenchy told the Brewster School Committee at their March 14 public hearing on the budget. “These gentlemen have had to make some very difficult cuts [that] it isn’t even where our [finance committees] and selectmen want it to be, and it just causes me concern. They’re saying this is the best we can do.”

The Nauset region has 2,109 students and 520 employees. The Brewster elementary schools host 438 students, with 207 in grades 3 through 5 at the Eddy School and 231 in pre-kindergarten through second grade at the Stony Brook School.

“We know that there will be an override because it’s not close to the 4.5 percent. So much of it is expenses we have no control over,” committee chair Katie Jacobus said. “We know the numbers we’re looking at preserve four sections per grade. And we know these numbers do not include any world language program.”

“It’s like $800,000,” finance committee liaison Robert Tobias said of his back-of-the-envelope calculation for the override.

“It’s certainly sizable,” Jacobus said. “Last year’s override for the elementary schools was $316,000.”

Personnel costs make up $3,965,530 or 76 percent of the Stony Brook operating budget of $5,210,891. Special education makes up 10.34 percent ($538,000) of the budget. Personnel is an even greater portion of the Eddy School budget at 82.25 percent or $3,814,368. Transportation is actually a greater cost for the Eddy School at $234,824 than special education at $207,446 or 4.47 percent. The total Eddy School budget is $4,637,641.

Looking closer at the numbers, the regular day costs at Stony Brook for fiscal 2025 are up $148,868 or 4.44 percent, while special ed costs are up $399,923 or 30.61 percent. At the Eddy School the regular day expenses are up $165,161 or 5.54 percent, while special ed costs rose $342,770 or 29.84 percent. Special ed expenses are driving an overall increase for the two Brewster elementary schools of 12 percent or $1,056,722. In addition, fringe benefits are up 11 percent.

In total, factoring Brewster’s share of central office costs, the elementary schools present a 12.97 percent increase, well over the town’s request to keep expense increases to 4.5 percent. Thus an override will be needed.

The total assessment from the Nauset region is $37,369,351, including the $7.5 million in debt that covers the high school renovation and other projects. Brewster’s share would be about $17.4 million.

Clenchy explained that the first budget draft covers contractual obligations and is unlikely to hit town targets limiting increases to 2.5 or 3 percent.

“When you’re doing contractual obligations it’s never at 2.5 percent or 3 percent, ever,” she said. “So we know we’re always going to be out of sync, that we’ll never hit a 2.5 or 3 percent or even a 4 percent margin on that first draft.”

Based on various factors, Brewster Town Manager determined that a 4.5 percent increase could be accommodated without an override.

School officials went back to work and began making cuts aimed at that target.

“And that’s difficult for us with the special education component,” Clenchy added. “That is pretty much all compliance. There’s no wiggle room.”

When the world language instructor departed in December, that program was dropped from the budget. Many parents protested and the committee was still contemplating reinstating it.

“If we’re doing an override anyways, can we throw this in there?” Carol Jelinek asked.

“If we do decide to bring it back, reimplement it, how difficult would that be?” Sarah Sherman wondered. “Part of the reason that program was so beloved was that the woman who ran it was so good. So we also have to replace that talent.”

Stony Brook Principal Keith Gauley said the reason for the program was the committee’s global citizenship goal. That’s why it intentionally started in kindergarten and grade one to maximize the exposure to students over time. He suggested that the total cost would be $160,000 to $180,000 to continue the program through both Brewster elementary schools.

“We are struggling to find teachers to teach this,” Clenchy noted. “Even if we were to implement this in every school for equity purposes, there’s not enough bodies to be able to do it.”

While the committee will look for ways to reinstate the program in the future, it won’t be in next year’s budget. Members approved the operating budget of $12,380,162 for the elementary schools.