By Carol Britton Meyer

The school committee and advisory board will meet in joint session this Saturday, March 29, at 8 a.m. to discuss the proposed $18.4-million fiscal 2026 school budget, representing a 3% – or $535,643 – increase over the fiscal 2025 budget figure.

SOURCE: HULL PUBLIC SCHOOOLS. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL FY26 BUDGET PROPOSAL.

The meeting, which will convene at town hall in the Louis C. Costa Room, initially was planned for last Monday but was postponed.

In the budget proposal to be presented by Superintendent of Schools Michael Jette, salaries total $14.17 million and expenses $4.2 million, including $1.5 million for special education-related (non-salary) costs; technology, $325,000; transportation (non-special ed), $787,692; maintenance (non-salary), $460,036; and utilities, $633,016.

In a letter to the advisory board accompanying the budget proposal, Jette said the development of the budget was a team effort guided by one principle: “to meet the academic and emotional needs of every student enrolled in the Hull Public Schools,” noting that HPS students “work daily to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their chosen path while preparing to become informed and engaged citizens of our global society.”

Click here for the Hull Public Schools FY26 Budget Proposal

Click here for the school department’s presentation to the advisory board

The proposed budget prioritizes academic excellence by closing educational gaps “while supporting the social and emotional wellness of all students through particular attention to equity, diversity and inclusion,” Jette said.

Nearly 80% of the school budget is dedicated to salaries.

“Schools are a people business that depends on being able to attract and retain highly qualified professionals in order to accomplish our goals,” Jette said in the letter. “While we are constantly examining our needs and using data to make future projections, there are still many uncertainties in developing a budget that must carry us through the payment of every educational bill received prior to June 30, 2026. That means this budget predicts and plans for spending that is 18 months into the future.”

School Business Administrator Diane Saniuk presented the preliminary budget to the school committee earlier this year, explaining that the collaborative process starts in September and involves staff and school leadership “assessing the needs, where we are, and where we want to go.” She noted that grant funding is not as available at the same level as in past years.

“Grants are basically drying up, and we’re relying more on town funding,” Chair David Twombly responded at that time. “If that goes down, we’ll be in trouble.”

The percentage of budget funds from grants has decreased over the years, from 6.37% in FY24 to 3.04% this year, with only 2.6% expected in FY26.

“It’s not necessarily anything the school district is doing wrong,” Twombly said back then. “There aren’t a lot of grants out there, and it’s a competitive process.”

According to the budget document and accompanying PowerPoint presentation (both of which are available for download at the links above) the mission of school district is to provide “a challenging and supportive learning environment to encourage all students to reach their greatest potential and to foster the growth of creative, curious, critical thinkers who are equipped to succeed as responsible, compassionate, and productive members of a diverse society.”

District priorities include:

• Enhancing student success and well-being

• Prioritizing professional development

• Expanding and diversifying educational offerings

• Utilizing data-driven decision making and targeted instruction

• Evaluating and strengthening the preK-12 math curriculum and instruction

• Investing in special education and inclusive programs

• Leveraging community and environmental opportunities by exploring new pathways and partnerships – in particular, utilizing Hull’s coastal location to enrich student learning experiences and expand career development opportunities.

The budget proposal includes about $36,000 in maintenance costs and $55,000 in utilities at the Memorial Middle School, which are to be shared with the town, as the building is slated to house municipal offices. The district also expects to spend $83,715 in tuition for Hull students who attend vocational schools.

In addition to the presentation to the advisory board on Saturday, the school department will hold a public hearing on its FY26 budget on Monday, April 7, at 6:35 p.m. at the high school. Members of the public are invited to hear more about the spending plan and ask questions directly of the school committee and administrators. Voters will have the final say on the municipal, school, and capital budgets at town meeting on May 5.

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