MONTAGUE — As a result of the new admissions process involving a lottery system at Franklin County Technical School, the district intends to hire a fifth special education instructor as it will see a 32% increase in students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for the 2026-2027 school year.
The School Committee voted unanimously last week to hire a fifth instructor at the request of Director of Student Services and Guidance John Palumbo and district leadership. Superintendent Richard Martin explained that since the lottery system was implemented in accordance with new state regulations for vocational schools, Franklin Tech has “firmed up” enrollment numbers for next school year, and as student information was processed, the number of pupils with IEPs was found to be “major.”
“Last year was a little higher, but not too much,” Palumbo said. “But now this year, we have 66 [new students with IEPs] coming in. … We have 23 seniors on IEPs graduating, so we’ve got to make room for 43 more kids on IEPs.”
For the first time, the district used an unweighted lottery system to admit students for the 2026-2027 school year. According to the district’s website, an unweighted lottery means that each student who applies has an equal chance of selection for admission. The policy for admission states that “students may disclose a disability, but this will not in any way affect the admissions decision,” and that if a student with an IEP is accepted into the district, their plan will be reviewed to see if it can be implemented as is, if it needs to be updated or if there needs to be consideration of other placement options.
Palumbo noted that this increase in students with IEPs is not uncommon for vocational schools with lottery systems, based on conversations he’s had with staff at other districts, and that the admissions process was done early enough to address this increase for next school year.
Additional staff will be needed to make sure the district can support the students with IEPs and not fall into noncompliance with state standards for special education. This means that the school will need a fifth full-time instructor, with Martin saying there’s a possibility a paraprofessional will also need to be hired down the line.
“It’s a critical issue, and we can say that one year from now, we’ll be faced with the same exact issue with another 66-plus kids on IEPs coming in. So it’s not going away,” Martin said. “We’re going to add another teacher; we may need to add a teacher mid-year next year, so it’s a pretty significant issue that needs to be addressed.”
One of the questions from the School Committee was whether any of the students would require special education transportation, and Palumbo explained that it would be needed for one of the 66 students for the upcoming school year, and possibly for a second student later. Business Director Elizabeth Bouchard said there is a special education earmark grant available that could be used for future needs.
A helpful break
Although the district cut staff as part of the FY27 budget, a change in health insurance has provided a bit of cushioning for hiring this new special education teacher.
Earlier in the School Committee meeting, Bouchard announced that the district had given notice to its health insurance provider, Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust (HCGIT), that it intends to leave the trust following concerns for its solvency. The district will start a captive insurance plan under FernRock Insurance Agency, effective July 1.
Bouchard explained that by joining the new insurance group, the rate increase heading into FY27 will change from the 12.48% it was facing with HCGIT, to just 6%. This leaves $136,000 available in the FY27 budget that will go toward hiring the new special education instructor, while staying within the confines of the approved $16.8 million budget number.
Martin indicated that the district isn’t going to hire one person for $136,000, but it may need to use “every last penny” from those savings down the line as student needs become more apparent as the school year begins.
