Parents, teachers and staff press Bridgewater-Raynham committee to restore positions and services

Public comment at the Bridgewater-Raynham School Committee's March 25 meeting focused heavily on staffing, class sizes and support staff losses, with parents, educators and union representatives asking the district and towns for a larger restoration than the 10 positions proposed in the FY27 budget.

Lindsey Redfern, who identified herself as a BR graduate, educator and parent, said classrooms of 30 students and higher make it "really hard" for teachers to provide individual attention and asked the committee to present a budget that asks for "more than 10 teachers." Eric Hoy, speaking both as a district employee and parent, urged restoring 20 positions to begin rebuilding after the district eliminated roughly 72 positions over two years.

Secretaries and support staff detailed administrative gaps: Wendy Lussier, a Williams Intermediate School secretary and union steward, said the district lost 16% of secretaries district-wide last year and that some schools have been left without full-time coverage; she urged that secretarial positions be part of future budget conversations. Eric Mears and other parents described strain in special education services caused by vacancies and turnover.

Committee response: Members acknowledged the concerns and said the adopted FY27 budget represents a modest step forward, but they repeatedly cautioned that additional restorations would depend on town appropriations and state aid. Several members stressed the need for town-level transparency and long-term planning. "We cannot lose any more students or any more educators," a committee member said during debate.

What to watch: Parents and staff said they will continue to press town councils and state legislators for increased funding. The committee scheduled follow-ups with town finance bodies and a budget subcommittee debrief in early April.