The North Middlesex Regional School Committee and district administrators on Thursday announced the potential closing of two schools at the end of the current school year, as well as cuts to programs and teaching staff to address ongoing structural funding issues created by inadequate state support.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the North Middlesex Regional School Committee approved a plan to close Ashby Elementary School and Spaulding Memorial School in Townsend at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year if appropriate funding from the towns, state, and federal levels are not received.
Current estimates show that the district’s level-services budget for 2025-2026 may need to be reduced by up to $3 million to meet the towns’ guidelines. Closing two schools will alleviate, but not eliminate, a looming budget shortfall. This means North Middlesex will consider devastating program reductions, increased fees, and significant staff layoffs.
Earlier this year, voters in Ashby and Townsend declined to approve a Proposition 2 ½ override that would have maintained service levels in the current school year. As a result, the district accessed rainy-day funds.
In August, officials in Ashby, Pepperell, and Townsend requested the district limit the increase in school assessments to 3 percent in the coming year. Maintaining educational services at this year’s level is estimated to increase assessments by 11 percent, due to inflationary pressures and a rise in costs for out-of-district placements for students with significant physical, emotional, and educational challenges.
“We have heard from our voters. They are tired. They are no longer willing to fund the schools because the state is unwilling to fund its mandates,” said School Committee member Will Hackler, who chairs the board’s Finance Subcommittee.
Meanwhile, North Middlesex and similar districts have endured multiple years of minimal increases in state aid, as well as inflation increasing costs well beyond the towns’ ability to meet the limits of Proposition 2 1/2.
More than 200 districts statewide received the minimum state increase for this school year, a little more than $100 per pupil. This year North Middlesex received about $300,000 in per-pupil aid, within a budget increase of $2.7 million.
The state’s total commitment to the North Middlesex district has increased by $535,000 since 2000, or about $25,000 per year.
The budget crunch has been exacerbated by an inequitable state funding formula, which has prioritized large urban districts over smaller regional districts. Further, funding is based on enrollment, meaning districts may struggle to meet the individual needs of all students.
“For years Massachusetts has been focused on equity, giving all students what they need,” Superintendent Brad Morgan said. “If that’s what the state wants, then they should not treat us all equally, but equitably, and give the school districts what they need to provide an education.”
Many smaller and regional school districts across the state are contemplating similar school closures and cuts to programs and staff for next year.
“North Middlesex may be the first district to go over the financial cliff, but we won’t be the last one,” School Committee Chair Lisa Martin said.