During budget presentations to the School Committee on Thursday, school principals asked for increases in the substitute account across the board and highlighted personnel and expense requests in other cases.

Marathon School

Representing Marathon School, Principal Lauren Dubeau said her fiscal year 2026 budget request had an increase of 3.3% or $188,493. One line item, the substitute account, went from $58,000 to $80,000, a figure Dubeau took by averaging account totals over three years.

Dubeau noted her proposal did not have any changes to permanent personnel at the pre-K-1 school, and supply requests were for items like paper, books, notebooks, folders, etc., which she called “consumables.”

With an addition in place, she said the art, music and library spaces now are restored for those uses, although a health/wellness teacher uses a cart going from room to room.

Elmwood School

Principal David Brauninger said his budget for Elmwood School showed a 3% increase of $138,240. Most of that amount (approximately $130,000) is proposed to fund a second, full-time assistant principal at the school.

He noted the assistant principal supports students and faculty, supervises and evaluates staff, leads educational initiatives and handles behavior management and discipline.

A second assistant principal would bring the caseload to 340 students. The assistant principal currently handles more than 660 students. (The projection for FY 26 is 680 students).

“There’s never a shortage of work,” said Brauninger, adding that he also is planning for when the three-grade Charleswood School opens in the future.

Brauninger’s budget includes an increase in the substitute account to $80,000 from $43,000. The number was derived from a three-year average and is necessary “to help us provide a continuation of learning when staff is absent.”

Hopkins School

Principal Matt Cotter’s proposed budget reflects a 2.1% or $105,466 increase. The school has 683 students. He is requesting a full-time reading tutor at $40,475 to help students build comprehension, decoding or fluency.

Cotter explained that 54 students currently need those services, but there are more than 100 in an in-between area who could benefit as well. The goal is to keep students in the classroom when possible while receiving this extra help.

Cotter also increased the substitute account by 62% to $70,000 to cover for teachers and paraprofessionals when they are out and asked for an increase of $3,700 in general supplies.

Hopkinton Middle School

Principal Matt Lefebvre’s budget at HMS shows an overall decrease of 0.4%.

The student population is 1,001, which is the projection for this school year. The next school year’s projection is 1,063.

Lefebvre’s request includes $19,600 for a 0.4 FTE (full-time equivalent) orchestra teacher in Grade 6. The addition would work with the full ensemble and teach two periods or four sections, he said.

The other personnel requests fall under the special education budget.

He also included an increase of $36,225 in the substitute account, a hike of 56.8%.

Lefevre added that 27 out of 31 line items are at or below the FY 25 budget, with slight increases for things like music equipment, science supplies and dynamic media.

Hopkinton High School

HHS Principal Evan Bishop said there was a “very collaborative process” with subject matter leaders, administrators and others to develop a budget that is “fiscally responsible but supports students and staff.”

The budget has an increase of 2.5% or $263,283 “before personnel requests,” according to Bishop.

Personnel requests amount to $250,108 and include the following: 1.2 FTE ($88,840) to keep classes at an appropriate level, he said.

Positions include 0.6 FTE for the Business, Technology and Engineering Department and largely is the result of a surge of interest by students in computer science courses.

Another 0.6 FTE would be for a French teacher, again based on the level of interest by students. Multiple sessions of French could not be offered this year because of a lack of staff, Bishop said.

He added that the average class size of the courses that did run was 27 students.

Also reflected in this budget is a 0.4 FTE wellness teacher who was added last July.

Bishop increased his substitute account from $55,000 to $80,000, a 43% increase.

Current enrollment is 1,276 and is projected to be more than 1,300, he said. The eighth grade class coming in is larger than the departing senior class by 15 students.

Bishop noted 16 out of 34 non-payroll accounts showed a decrease or were level funded. Five showed an increase of $2,000 or more and did things like fund eight coach buses to take students to and from the prom venue. Previously, this cost was covered by Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention (HOP), which likely is unable to help this year.

Other expense items included new vape detectors in bathrooms, table rentals for senior capstone projects, a new treadmill for the fitness center, and chair and ramp rentals for the outdoor graduation ceremony, necessitated by large class sizes.

Athletics

Athletic Director Ricky Andrade said his budget had no new personnel and reflected an increase of 1.9% or $31,159.

He said the increase is from the addition of already approved new coaching stipends and contracted services.

He said increases in officials’ fees and ice hockey rink costs are offset by decreases in pool costs and other contracted services.

Andrade said he had looked at the supplies and equipment accounts and removed line items for things that have not been purchased over the past several years.

School Committee chair Nancy Cavanaugh said that she appreciated having numerous presentations over two meetings instead of fewer over four meetings as had been done in the past.