Plympton School Committee Freezes Budget Over $213,000 FY25 Shortfall

PLYMPTON -- October 28, 2024, Plympton School Committee votes to freeze the Dennett Elementary budget amid a $213,000 projected FY25 deficit. Finance Director Sarah Hickey told the committee at the October 28 meeting that after she and Principal Peter Veneto combed through every non-salary budget line, the district's projected overspend had been trimmed from roughly $263,000 to $213,000, driven primarily by unplanned out-of-district special education placements, a newly required one-to-one paraprofessional, and long-term substitute costs after that budget line was cut last spring. An unfilled paraprofessional vacancy saving $17,500 and a special education stabilization fund holding approximately $50,617 reduce the remaining gap to about $144,500, still far beyond what internal cuts can address. Superintendent Jason Fraser and the committee chair said they will seek a joint meeting with the Finance Committee and town manager to map out next steps before the district's next regular meeting on December 9. The committee also unanimously accepted $107,636 in federal entitlement grants and approved a school resource officer MOU with Sergeant Valente of the Plympton Police Department.