Georgetown Public Schools Enacts Staffing Efficiency Plans for the Next School Year

GEORGETOWN – Superintendent Margo Ferrick announces that the Georgetown Public Schools has enacted staffing efficiency plans for School Year 2024-2025 aimed at meeting the changing needs of the district while aiming to create a budget plan that is sustainable over the next several years.

Included in Superintendent Ferrick’s plan:

• Pre-K will align with DESE guidelines, which includes a licensed teacher and two instructional educational support staff per classroom.
• The Penn Brook School will be divided into lower and upper elementary structure.
• The Middle School will create its own separate identity from the high school to promote students’ organization and executive functioning and allow educators to focus on specific grade levels
• 10 full-time positions will be eliminated, reflecting the changing needs of Georgetown’s students. 

Penn Brook is the largest school in town with nearly 700 of the district’s 1262 students, and the new structure will allow administrators to focus on fewer students, improving overall student outcomes.

The eliminated positions were based on the changing population of the Town of Georgetown and the modern needs of the Georgetown Public Schools. The positions are being eliminated due to attrition, adjustments of class sizes and a focus on strategic initiatives. Employees were notified on Friday that they will be transferred to other roles in the district for the next school year. These transfers were based on licensure, seniority and teacher strengths. Three employees were notified that they will not return next year.

“The staffing changes at our schools reflects our broad goal in the Georgetown Public Schools to modernize the curriculum and improve the quality of instruction and overall student outcomes across all grade levels,” Superintendent Ferrick said. “We have efficiently shifted staffing levels in the FY25 budget without mass layoffs, and thanks to diligent work by our leadership team and the Georgetown School Committee, we have cut costs in several line items.

“This work has allowed us to put forward a budget of $18.99 million. While the proposed budget still asks our local taxpayers for support, it reflects a professional commitment by the leaders of the school district that we will not do so lightly. We have put great care into next year’s budget in planning for future years, creating responsible staffing levels, avoiding mass layoffs and focusing on the areas that will improve educational excellence. When we spend taxpayer money — at any level — we have to do everything we can to prove to our residents that we are doing so responsibly.”

Adding to the need for increased budgetary care, state aid in the form of chapter 70 funds has not risen in any form that keeps up with inflation or the rising expenses faced by the district. In FY21, state aid accounted for 34.23% of the Georgetown Public Schools Budget. For FY24, it was just 31.99%, and the FY25 number is expected to continue the trend.

“These decisions are never made lightly. While three of our coworkers were informed that they will not be returning next year and several more will be working in a different role, we have so far been able to avoid the threat of deep cuts and mass layoffs that have bitterly divided other communities in Massachusetts,” Superintendent Ferrick said. “As a new superintendent in Georgetown putting forth our first budget, I am proud of the effort we have put forward to show our community that we take our fiscal responsibilities very seriously.” 

Parents, families and community members are invited to participate in the budget process. All meetings and budget presentations will be announced, and the Georgetown Public Schools plans to offer presentations during the day, during the evening, and remotely via Zoom.

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