Hanover Schools Detail Steep Toll of Last Year's Budget Cuts

School officials painted a stark picture of how failed budget measures have impacted Hanover's public schools during a joint meeting with the Select Board last week, detailing staffing cuts, increased class sizes, and reduced educational offerings that have transformed the district over the past year.

Superintendent Matthew Ferron reported that 37 positions were eliminated following last year's unsuccessful override attempt, with impacts felt across all grade levels.

"The outcome of that is larger class size. It's fewer opportunities, it's less opportunities for enrichment," Ferron told board members. "The vast majority of those [cut positions] are classroom teachers."

The cuts triggered an unprecedented wave of staff departures, with 15 resignations after May 2023 — including 13 teachers, counselors and specialists, along with a principal and 10 support staff members.

"We've never had turnover like that before," Ferron said. "Our retention here in Hanover, especially amongst our teaching staff, is unbelievably strong. We have so many people here that have been here 10, 15, 20, 25 plus years."

The impact on students has been significant. Class sizes have grown by 10-20% across the board, leading to what Ferron described as "less personalized instruction" and "overcrowded" classrooms. Teachers are taking longer to return grades and provide feedback, while opportunities for one-on-one student interaction have diminished.

At the high school level, Advanced Placement classes have been reduced and become less accessible. Study halls are now mandatory for some students, and elective options have been eliminated or scaled back. Even traditional school events have been affected — the Cedar School winter concert was cancelled this year.

The district has also seen a dramatic reduction in curriculum leadership positions over the past five years. What was once a team of 11 curriculum leaders has been reduced to just three and a half positions.

"For many people who, this might not seem like a big deal, but in our ever changing world or just technology alone or making sure we are on the cutting edge of literacy and science and special education services, we need people to help with this," Ferron explained.

School Committee member Rachel Hughes highlighted specific examples of the cuts' impact on students, particularly at the high school level.

"Talking to high school kids right now is breaking my heart as they talk about not being able to take AP classes because we've had to shut some of the sections down," Hughes said. "I always saw that as such an amazing part of Hanover that if a kid wants to work hard in the school district, we let them take what they want to take."

Technology infrastructure has also suffered, with hundreds of damaged or outdated Chromebooks pulled from service with no replacement funding available. The district's network and WiFi infrastructure remains "under constant repair," according to Ferron.

School officials are now seeking a $3.5 million override budget that would restore many, but not all, of the lost positions. A full restoration budget of $4.3 million has also been proposed, though officials acknowledge this may be a harder sell to voters.

School Committee Chair Peter Miraglia emphasized that the positions above the proposed $3.5 million budget line "do not represent luxuries or nice to haves or things that just only wealthy affluent talents get. This is the bare minimum."

The joint meeting came as town officials work to craft an override proposal that can succeed at the ballot box, after last year's larger request was rejected by voters. The Select Board is expected to continue budget discussions at its next meeting on January 21.