Hingham School Committee Approves 2025–26 Staff Reductions

HINGHAM - At its April 7 meeting, the Hingham School Committee approved a slate of staff reductions for the 2025–26 school year, citing ongoing budget constraints and enrollment shifts. The vote was unanimous.

“These are the positions that we will actually have to reduce in force,” said Superintendent Katie Roberts. “We also have a number of positions that were named that we will simply not be filling. Those will not however, require a reduction in force letter.”

The proposed layoffs include four elementary interventionist positions, a 0.2 Spanish FTE at Plymouth River School, and one general education teacher each at East and Foster elementary schools.

Roberts noted that enrollment at Foster is being closely monitored due to “kindergarten and grade one numbers [being] at a tipping point.”

Middle and high school reductions include one middle school reading interventionist, a 0.4 FTE cut through restructuring sixth grade exploratory offerings, and one high school administrative assistant.

Other changes include a previously approved secondary special education administrator reduction, a 0.5 cut to the communications specialist position (which may be restored using cable grant funds), and a budget-neutral restructuring of the district nurse manager role.

Chair Nancy “Nes” Correnti, who is completing her term this spring, expressed the School Committee’s shared frustration.

“None of us want to see this happen. Not one of us is happy about this,” Correnti said. “Please pay attention. I would just plead that you come to town meeting and show up to every single election because your voices aren’t heard unless you do those two things.”

Roberts echoed that sentiment.

“Each of the positions to be named this evening have brought incredible value to our town, to our students, to our schools. And so it certainly is nothing that we take lightly.”

Committee member Michelle Ayer highlighted concerns over the reduced communications role.

“If there’s a way to build back up the communication specialist, we’ve made huge strides in the district with that,” Ayer said. “So if we’re able to use the cable grant and beef that back up, I think it’s really important.”

The motion to approve the reductions was made by Jen Benham and seconded by Alyson Anderson. It passed without opposition.

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