Groton-Dunstable School News!

Over the next few months, the District budget will be a major focus and priority of the School Committee. Last year, after both towns voted down an override, many positions were cut in order to keep our budget within the level that Groton and Dunstable could afford without an override. As was projected, in order to provide level services this year, an override will again be required in both towns. We will be holding several opportunities for open forums and public Q&A sessions. In addition, we have a section of our website dedicated to providing information and answering frequently asked questions. Please read on to learn more about this process and to access helpful links.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

We are excited to share the 19 nominees for this month's Staff Spotlight! Please join us in extending our gratitude for all of their hard work and dedication to our District and check out our January presentation here: https://reflect-thegrotonchannel.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/11346?site=1

Nominations will be compiled on a monthly basis, so please use the link below to spotlight a staff member for the wonderful work that they do. All staff members are eligible to be nominated, and you can access the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_OtR2o61mn30WoiCm8VXRm_LFHeGIShGDVzUzR5j56mujwg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Our next Public Forum/Question & Answer (Q&A) will be over Zoom during our School Committee meeting on February 5th. Please join us to get budget updates and to ask questions and/or provide feedback to the School Committee about your budget priorities. The agenda with the Zoom link will be posted to the school website by the afternoon of Monday, February 3rd. You can find the agenda by going to:Home | Groton-Dunstable Regional School District, then selecting "Menu" and " Events" and then scrolling to February 5th.

Glossary of Budget-Related Terms

Over the next few months, the municipal boards and the School Committee will be having many public discussions relative to budget. Below are some of the most commonly used terms for your reference.

General Fund/Operating Budget- The total amount needed to fund all of the District's operations including salaries, benefits, utilities, transportation, contract services, supplies and materials and charges associated with out-of-district placements.

Assessment- The amount of the operating budget that each town is responsible for paying.

The assessment can (and does) increase at a different rate than the overall budget because when the budget increases, but the state aid does not increase at the same rate, the difference must be absorbed by the towns. This is why our operating budget is increasing by approximately 7% but the assessments to Groton and Dunstable are increasing at rates of approximately 10% each. To use an analogy- if the operating budget is a whole pie, the assessment given to each town is their piece of the pie. Each year, the state aid piece of the pie is getting smaller, which means the town pieces must grow larger.

* See below for a comparison of the breakdown between the combined local assessments and Chapter 70 funding in 2008 vs 2025.

Foundation Budget- Represents the minimum amount that a district must spend in order to provide an adequate education. It is based on the specific size and needs of its student population and is calculated by multiplying the number of students in 13 enrollment categories by cost rates in each of the 11 cost functional areas.

Enrollment categories:

1. Pre-school

2. Half-day K

3. Full day K

4. Elementary

5. Junior/Middle

6. High School

7. Vocational

8. Special Education-In District

9. Special Education- Out of District Tuition

10. English Language Learners Pre-K-5

11. English Language Learners 6-8

12. English Language Learners 9-12

13. Low Income

Required minimum local contribution- What the state of Massachusetts has determined is the minimum amount that each municipality should contribute to the school district according to the municipality’s ability to raise revenue based on the property values and income levels.

Net school spending-The minimum amount that a school district is permitted to spend. It is determined by adding a District’s Chapter 70 aid to the required minimum local contribution.

Per pupil expenditure-Per pupil expenditures are calculated by dividing a district's operating costs by its average pupil membership (FTEs), including in-district expenditures per pupil and total expenditures per pupil, which includes in-district and out-of-district spending and enrollment.

For more information about school finance, check out this helpful link. Chapter-2023-whitepaper.docx

Levy-The amount that a community can raise through property tax.

Levy Limit-The maximum the levy can be in a given year. Each year, the levy limit increases by 2 ½% plus new growth.

New Growth- New growth is calculated by multiplying the assessed value associated with new construction, renovations and other increases by the prior year tax rate. The additional tax revenue is then incorporated into the calculation of the next year's levy limit.

Proposition 2 ½-A law passed in 1980 which states that the levy can only be increased by 2½% each year, plus new growth, unless an override or debt exclusion is passed.

Override-A permanent increase to the levy limit.

Debt exclusion-A temporary increase to the levy limit in order to pay for something like a capital project. When the project has been fully paid off, the temporary increase ends.

For more information on the tax levy and overrides, check out this page: Proposition 2½ and Tax Rate Process | Mass.gov

Excess & Deficiency (E&D account)-The School Districts savings account, similar to the free cash account that municipalities hold.

RECAP

On January 8, 2025, Dr. Bruno presented some preliminary information about his proposed budget. You can find the link to the presentation here: Enrollment Trends FY21-FY25 GDRSD December 18, 2024 GDRSD School Committee

In his presentation, Dr. Bruno gave an overview of the budget, including giving an estimate of total cost and information about how that lines up with what each town can afford to pay within their levy limit. As a part of his proposed budget, he would like to reinstate the critical positions of an additional Counselor and Nurse at the Middle School.

Based on the preliminary numbers, the proposed budget would require an override in Groton of approximately $980,000 and in Dunstable of approximately $561,000. If Groton opted to not put an override request on the ballot, the school would need to reduce the budget by approximately $900,000 and the town of Dunstable would require a smaller override in the amount of approximately $260,000.

At this time, the numbers contained within the presentation are preliminary and could be slightly reduced, depending on a few pieces of information that have not yet been finalized:

1. The District is still waiting to get the final renewal information from our health insurance company; and

2. The School Committee may amend their budget guidance on funding Kindergarten expenses through the general fund, and/or stepping down E&D usage.

On January 22nd, Dr. Bruno gave a presentation on the impacts of the stagnant Chapter 70 funding that Groton Dunstable receives every year. Please see below for the link to this informative presentation that illustrates the magnitude of the revenue shortage that the District is facing.

FY25 Chapter 70 aid and Charter reimbursements

NEXT STEPS

February 5, 2025: School Committee will be meeting virtually to review the FY26 budget guidance to determine if any changes are needed. Additionally, there will be a Public Forum/Q&A as a part of the School Committee meeting. We encourage everyone to tune in and to participate if you have questions. Additionally, you are welcome to share what your priorities or concerns are going forward or make a statement (or send it in to be read anonymously) regarding any impacts from last year's cuts.

February 12, 2025: The Superintendent presents his final proposed budget to the School Committee for review. This document is the full line-item budget and is available to the public. It will be posted on the school website ( Home | Groton-Dunstable Regional School District) and a hard copy will be available in Central Office and at all Office Hours sessions.

February 26, 2025: The School Committee will then hold a public hearing on the budget on February 26th, in which anyone is welcome to attend and to participate.

March 1, 2025: The School Committee will be holding a community open house to tour the new Florence Roche building from 10am-12pm. Students and some staff members will be on hand to provide tours, and light refreshments will be served. Additionally, a Public Forum and Budget Q/A will be held in the cafeteria at Florence Roche from (11am-12pm)

March 12th, 2025: The School Committee must vote to certify the budget. Once that vote occurs, the budget cannot be increased above the certified amount (although it can still be decreased.)

Following this, there will be additional information sessions and public forums scheduled in both towns prior to both towns having their Town Meetings in the Spring.

We encourage you to continue to follow budget updates over the next few months and please feel free to send any specific budget questions to the budget FAQ’s email address: budgetquestions@gdrsd.org

The Communications Subcommittee is working on incorporating more student perspectives into our newsletters. Please see below to check out our Student Voice section, this month featuring students from the Middle School.

OFFICE HOURS

**We would welcome the opportunity to meet with different people and groups. If you have ideas for where we could hold an office hours session, or be available for a general Q&A, please reach out to Lacey at lmccabe@gdrsd.org to set it up.

Have a budget question? Need help figuring out who to go to for help with a school related issue? Want to offer feedback? Come check in at the School Committee's monthly Office Hours! Office hours are an informal way to meet with a few members (1-3) from the School Committee in order to ask questions or share concerns. The office hours will typically take place during the third week of each month, with morning hours on Tuesday and evening hours on Thursday. Below, please find the schedule and locations for the rest of this school year.

Groton Office Hours (Located at the Groton Public Library)

2/13 6-7 pm – Historical Room

3/18 10-11 am – Historical Room

4/17 6-7 pm – Historical Room
5/20 10-11 am – Community Room

Dunstable Office Hours (Located at the Dunstable Town Hall)

2/11 10-11am

3/20 6-7pm

4/15 10-11am

5/22 6-7pm

To the Groton Dunstable Community- Thank you so much to the students who have met with us so far. We have enjoyed speaking with each of you and are very excited to visit the rest of the schools during the second half of the school year. We wanted to make everyone aware that the Communications Subcommittee is collaborating to create a system moving forward to ensure that our student voice interviews are inclusive of multiple viewpoints and perspectives so that we have a clearer understanding of what is working well in our schools, and where we have room to grow.

5TH GRADE

We sat down with four 5th Grade students: Amelia Harris, Emma Shapiro, Emily Ichikawa, and Aditi Mishra, to ask them about their experiences so far at the Middle School.

QUESTION: How did you feel about transitioning from elementary school to middle school, either academically, socially, or both?

Aditi: I felt like the academic transition was hard at first but as the year got going, it got easier. My favorite subject is Art. Socially, it has gone well. At my old school there was a lot of bullying but not as much here, and it has been easy to meet people in my classes and through playing basketball.

Emma: Socially, I feel like it has been easy to make friends because we are in class with a lot of different kids throughout the day. For academics, my favorite subject is Social Studies. Ms. Stone teaches it really well and makes it fun and interesting.

Amelia- It has definitely been different because we have more independence, we switch classes and we have lockers. It was really confusing at the beginning to figure out where we needed to go but all of the teachers helped us to feel comfortable. At the beginning of the year, the teachers would all be in the hallway to help guide students where they need to go. One thing that is better in Middle School is that we have access to more resources and different types of classes. My favorite subject is either Math or ELA.

Emily: I felt like the schoolwork has been easy to adjust to because we use the same materials like IXL and Eureka that we did in elementary school. Since we already know how to use those programs, it makes it easier to adjust to the new material. My favorite subject is Math.

We then transitioned into a more general conversation about school. The students were incredibly articulate and had so much great information about their school experience.

Regarding extracurricular activities, the students all felt like there are a lot of great clubs available, but many of the students (particularly the younger students) may not know about all of the opportunities. They felt that it would be helpful to make a big bulletin board where students or teachers could advertise for clubs, and have posters with sign up info. The bulletin board could also be used to display pictures from the clubs to show what they do. Besides the bulletin board, the students thought it would be great to have a student-run newspaper where you could have information on upcoming activities or clubs, updates on the schedule and IA’s, and maybe have a student designed comic strip or section to show student artwork.

There was consensus that the school lunches were not well liked, and that many students packed their lunches.

Regarding the school day and schedule, students like how the schedule changes between day 1 and day 2 so that you don’t always have the same class in the morning vs. the afternoon, however, the felt that no matter which class was in the afternoon, it was really hard to stay focused at the end of the day. They suggested that teachers allow a short movement break during the afternoon block to help keep the students engaged. They also shared that they felt there was a lot of pressure to be on time to class because if you get 3 tardies, you get a lunch detention, and the 2 minutes between classes is not a long time to get to the next class, particularly if you have to go to another floor.

We also talked about improvements that could be made in the bathrooms and the nurses office, which will be shared with the building administrators.

6TH GRADE

We sat down with Walter Wilson and Declan Monet to talk through what their experience has been like as 6th graders.

QUESTION: Can you tell us about the biggest change for you between your experience as a 5th grader to being in the 6th grade:

Both: The biggest change was definitely the schedule. In 5th grade you have 2 teachers to cover the core subjects and in 6th you have a different teacher for each subject. Another change is for recess- it's not always set, so if there is time, we have it, but if we run out of time, we don’t.

QUESTION: What are your favorite classes or subjects?

Declan: My favorite subjects are Social Studies and Math. In Social Studies, it is really interesting to learn about real people and events.

Walter: My favorite subjects are ELA and Science. My Science teacher is Mrs. Morris and I love doing the experiments. I am looking forward to being able to do more experiments in the future. I also love ELA, and Mr. Putnam is a great teacher. He is very fun and engaging and always helps the students to get into the material.

QUESTION: How do you feel about your workload and how do you balance your homework with any after school activities that you might participate in?

Both: Most of the homework is Math and ELA. The material is more complicated as compared to 5th grade and it is sometimes hard to fit homework in with after school activities. Most of the time, the teachers give us some time to get homework done in class. “It wouldn’t be horrible, but it would be less likeable if we had to do all of the homework at home.”

QUESTION: What do you like about how the students treat each other at school? Are there any challenges?

Both: There is a good group of students and for the most part, everyone is welcoming, but there is also sometimes pressure to be popular or do the cool thing and some of the drama is started because of this. There does tend to be separation between groups, like at lunch, most of the time girls sit with girls and boys sit with boys.

QUESTION: Do you feel that there are adults in the building that students would trust to go to if they were having a problem?

Both: There are plenty of teachers that students can go to if they are needing help with peers or with their classes.

QUESTION: Do you have any advice for incoming 5th graders or for new students coming to the school?

Walter: I came from Swallow Union so at first there were a lot of people I didn’t know. I loved it because I got to meet a lot of new people. It seemed like the teachers were really nice and helpful to students. I felt like I learned a lot about how important communication is and how to branch out and talk to everyone. The hardest part is breaking out of your shell but then you can make new friends so it is worth it.

7TH GRADE

We met with Jack Luttati and Lyla Binder and they shared information about what 7th grade has been like for them so far.

QUESTION: Can you describe a typical day at your middle school?

Both: We go to our advisory first and then to the rest of our classes. The schedule is set up into a Day 1 and Day 2 system so that we don’t always have the same classes in the same order. Also, at the start of the second semester, we change 2 of our IA’s.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite subject or class?

Jack: I like Math the best. I have Mrs. Perreault and she is a great teacher. For my IA’s, Gym is my favorite.

Lyla: I like Science because I love cool experiments. A recent one that we did was when we were learning about tectonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes. We put graham crackers into water to learn how tectonic plates push together. I also like PLTW (Project Lead the Way) and Gym class.

QUESTION: What’s your favorite thing about being in Middle School?

Jack: I like that there is more independence and that we change classes.

Lyla: I like it better this year because they added more passing time to the schedule which makes it easier to get to the next class on time and even have time to check in with friends. I also like that for most classes, you have time during the day to start homework. Whatever you don’t finish, you do at home. Usually there is Math homework every night but Friday.

QUESTION: Do you participate in any extracurricular activities?

Lyla: Yes, I am in the ski club and I do cheer. Cheerleading is new to the Middle School this year and so far, I really like it.

Jack: I love sports. I play basketball, baseball and football.

QUESTION: Are there adults that students can turn to if they are having a problem with school or friends?

Both: Yes, there are definitely adults who are supportive and students could go to, although it may be different teachers for different students. The teachers are always willing to help.

8TH GRADE

We sat down with Camille Correira and Mason Bearer to talk through what their experience has been like as 8th graders and what they will miss about Middle School.

QUESTION: How do you like Advisory?

Both: Advisory is good, but it could be more structured. We have “Working Wednesdays”which are good and we should have more of that. In 8th Grade, we have Club Day every Friday in Advisory, which is cool.

QUESTION: What is Club Day?

Both: At the start of the year, there is a google form to select what clubs or activities you would be interested in, and then you can try them out during the year during Advisory on Fridays.

QUESTION: What have you tried so far?

Mason: I have done Sci Fi films and Chess Club.

Camille: I did Bracelet Making and Walking Club.

QUESTION: Do you participate in extracurricular activities or clubs after school?

Camille: I play basketball and I am starting lacrosse in the Spring.

Mason: I run track and cross country.

QUESTION: How is the workload this year? Do you feel like you have enough time to finish your work?

Mason: It is a lot of work, but in class there is usually enough time to finish everything. On Wednesdays, Advisory is a time when you can get stuff done that you need to. It could be homework or even something like organizing your locker or materials.

Camille: We have expanded blocks this year which gives them more time to get started on work during class.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite subject?

Mason: I like Math because there is always a right answer.

Camille: I like Science because I love doing experiments.

QUESTION: What has been your favorite part about Middle School and what will you miss the most when you go on to High School?

Mason: My favorite part of school has been cross country. I will miss the teachers the most.

Camille: The best part for me was spending time with friends and making memories. I will also miss the teachers the most. Most of my friends are going to the High School so I will still see them.

To any elderly or disabled residents of Groton who may need assistance with property tax relief, or if you know of someone who does, please use this link to apply.

Microsoft Word - Groton - TREAD Application - 10-02-2024 Rev 1.0.docx

Please consider attending the event Critical Conversations on Healthcare and Education Funding. It will be held on February 16th, from 2-4pm at the Groton Center, located at 163 Main Street in Groton. It is being sponsored by the Council on Aging and Groton Neighbors in conjunction with Margaret Scarsdale.

How to contact your elected officials to share your opinion on the budget or ask questions:

• Dunstable Select Board: https://www.dunstable-ma.gov/user/113/contact

• Dunstable Advisory Board: https://www.dunstable-ma.gov/user/63/contact

• Groton Select Board: selectboard@grotonma.gov

• Groton Finance Committee: accountant@grotonma.gov

School Committee:

• Lacey McCabe, Chair lmccabe@gdrsd.org

• Yasmeen Cheema ycheema@gdrsd.org

• Catherine Awa cawa@gdrsd.org

• Fay Raynor fraynor@gdrsd.org

• Rosanna Casavecchia rcasavecchia@gdrsd.org

• Rohit Bhasin rbhasin@gdrsd.org

• Christina Andriole candriole@gdrsd.org

Please inform your friends and neighbors of what you learned and engage them in conversation about the district to ensure all in our community are well informed. Our next issue of the School Committee newsletter will be out the week of February 24th.