By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Public Schools’ proposed Fiscal 2024 budget represents a 3% increase over the current year’s figure, according to the presentation to the school committee Monday night by Superintendent Judith Kuehn and School Business Administrator Diane Saniuk.

The proposed spending plan totals $17.33 million, a $504,895 increase over the FY23 total of $16.8 million. Previous year budget increases from FY20 through FY23 were, respectively, 1.21%, 2.16%, 2.01%, and 3%.

“The lower increase in fiscal 2020 was COVID-related – when the schools were shut down,” Saniuk explained. “That year, the school department returned money to the town.”

Click here to read the school department’s FY24 budget proposal

The budget proposal sets forth district priorities, which include “celebrating the accomplishments of our students, educators, staff, and district; implementing Phase 1 of the district reconfiguration plan; and developing a blueprint for implementation of Phase 2,” Kuehn explained.

Other priorities include ensuring that all of Hull’s schools are “diverse, inclusive, accepting, welcoming, and a safe place for everyone,” and refining and streamlining the district’s multi-tiered systems of support for academic and social emotional development, among others.

Of the FY24 proposed budget, 76.64% is comprised of salaries; 7.14% is special education non-salary costs; 4.51% is for utilities; 2.82% for non-salary maintenance; 4.53% represents transportation; 1.37% for technology; and all other non-salary costs, 2.99%.

“Our teachers are the most valuable part of our district,” committee member Kyle Conley said.

Additional budget priorities include adding a second full day for the pre-kindergarten classroom for four-year-olds and expanding before- and after-school care for the same age group.

The proposed FY24 overall town budget is $47.5 million, including the schools. Of the proposed $30.1 million operating budget, $12.8 million, or 42.5%, is for general government, while the school department’s budget totals $17.3 million, representing 57.5% of the total operating budget, according to a recent presentation by Town Manager Philip Lemnios. All of the spending plans are subject to town meeting approval.

Saniuk and Kuehn outlined how the school department has spent, or plans to expend, its one-time, $1.5 million COVID19-related Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

“We’ve been very careful with our ESSER funds,” Kuehn said, “using them for one-time expenses only or for including something that we could absorb into the budget in the future.”

This emergency funding meant to address the consequences of COVID19 on learning that was granted to the school district supports academics, social-emotional needs, and operations.

Upcoming budget discussions are scheduled for Monday, March 13, during the regular school committee meeting; a Monday, March 27, joint meeting between the school committee and advisory board at town hall at 7 p.m.; the state-required public hearing on the FY 24 budget on Monday, April 10; the regular school committee meeting on Monday, April 24; and Monday, May 1, during town meeting at Hull High School.

“We will dig a little deeper into the budget during these meetings,” Saniuk said.

A future presentation to the school committee will link the proposed school budget to the current Hull Public Schools strategic plan, according to Kuehn.

Chair Stephanie Peters commented on the “transparent school budget process” outlined by the administrators and planned for the weeks leading up to town meeting.

In other business at the meeting, Hull High School Art teacher Candace Greland, along with a representative of Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, presented an honorable mention to HHS student Elizabeth Flattich-Breidenthal (Jacob Smith also was awarded this honor but was not present) for the poster they submitted for a MPY contest around the theme “Environment – the Earth loves you, love it back.” These two students were among 200 entrants. The non-profit MPY has a mission of prevention and intervention regarding matters of health and safety related to youth.