Braintree is in financial trouble. How many teachers, school employees could be laid off

BRAINTREE − Fewer teachers resulting in larger class sizes. Closing one or two elementary schools, which would require redistricting. Reducing course offerings and extracurricular programs in the secondary schools. And higher fees for bus transportation and school sports.

Read the latest story: Braintree mayor says budget problem is townwide, not just the schools

In all, 100 school employees could lose their jobs, including at least 65 of the system's 412 teachers.

Those are some of the cuts under consideration if the schools need to reduce their budget by $8 million below what it would cost to maintain current staff and programs in the 2024-25 school year.

School Superintendent James Lee presented the package to the school committee Monday night, stressing he is not recommending it and that "nothing is final or exhaustive" and it is "still a work in progress."

Lee said the school system needs $83.5 million to maintain current school programs and personnel during the 2024-25 school year. The budget guideline set by Mayor Erin Joyce is $75.5 million, or $770,000 more than the current school budget of $74.73 million, an increase of just over 1%.

Personnel costs make up bulk of school budget

Of the $8 million, $5.2 million is needed for pay raises, both the contractual increases but also raises for teachers with additional years of experience and educational credits, he said. Another $1.5 million is needed for special education programs, $800,000 to offset inflation and $400,000 for higher transportation costs.

"If we need to talk about reductions, we need to talk about personnel, because that is where the money is," Lee said. He said 84% of the school budget goes to personnel costs.

With cuts of that size in the teaching staff, Lee estimated class sizes would grow from 18 to 21 or 22 in the lower elementary grades, with similar increases at other grade levels.

He said closing one or two of the six elementary schools would harm the system's relationship with the state School Building Authority, which contributed to the renovation and expansion of East Middle School and the construction of a new South Middle School to reduce overcrowding at the elementary schools. The town is seeking money from the authority to renovate or replace Braintree High School.

With cuts in the teaching staff, school committee Chair Lisa Fiske Heger said, "We will be redistricting one way or the other."

Union official calls for Proposition 2½ override

Speaking before Lee made his presentation, Braintree Education Association Vice President Molly Fitzgerald called for a Proposition 2½ tax-limit override to prevent the cuts. She said cuts on that scale would represent "a major shift in the quality of education for Braintree children."

Joyce said an override is being considered, but the decision has not been made. She said an override request needs to be part of a longer-term financial plan for the town and "not a one-time fix."

Since the tax-limiting measure was approved by Massachusetts voters in a 1980 referendum, Braintree voters have never approved a Proposition 2½ override for funding the town's operating budget. Voters did approve a temporary override, or debt exclusion, in 2020 to pay for the new South Middle School and other school improvements.

Joyce spelled out the town's income problems to the committee. Property taxes, the town's main source of revenue, are limited to a 2.5% overall increase, she said. The estimated increase in state school aid is .75% and local revenues, such as fees and restaurant and motor vehicle excise taxes, are projected to remain roughly the same in the coming budget year, she said.

Another problem is the town has been using one-time revenues, including free cash, to balance the operating budget for the past several years, something Joyce says is "unsustainable."

More: St. Thomas More property in Braintree is one step closer to becoming condos. What's next

As a parent with three children in the school system, Joyce said the kind of cuts being contemplated make her "really unhappy."

School committee Vice Chair Rachel Horak said it presents "a very dire situation" for the schools.

Heger said she expects the committee will be "talking about this right up to May 1," when Joyce must present her budget proposal to the town council.

The committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on its budget proposal April 8 with a location to be determined.

Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree teacher layoffs and redistricting may be coming