Data for days

Welcome back!

Vacation week is coming to an end, and there’s plenty of news to cover. Fair warning: this edition has an enormous number of charts and graphs. When the data rains, it pours!?!?

Here’s what we have for you this week:

1. SPS Talks Student Benchmarking, Math Curriculum

2. SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

3. What to Expect at Town Meeting

4. A Grand Cleansing of Sudbury's Fair Shire

5. Town of Sudbury Releases Long-Term Financial Report and Reference Guide

Let’s get into it!

SPS Talks Student Benchmarking, Math Curriculum

By Kevin LaHaise

The April 14 meeting of the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee featured an exhaustive presentation on academic benchmarking. The presentation focused on social and emotional learning, mathematics, and English learning arts. The actionable portion was mathematics. The administration proposed a change to the grade seven math curriculum following the benchmarking presentation.

Grade seven at Ephraim Curtis Middle School wasn’t the only grade highlighted that evening. District parents provided public comment on the class sizes in grade four class sizes at Haynes Elementary school. Parents reported class sizes of 27 students, exceeding the upper end of the district guidelines.

Grade four was also one of the areas of concern in the math benchmarking. 30 percent of students in grade 4 were in the “approaching” benchmark category—roughly double that of all other grades assessed. 63 percent of fourth grade students were in the “meeting” category, which is a drop of roughly 20 percent from grades one through three.

The presentation demonstrated a clear drop at the fourth grade level with regard to the number of students meeting benchmark expectations.

While the data was cause for concern, the administration offered some reassurances by way of fictional data. They explained that 18 percent of the students in the “approaching” category were within one point of the “meeting” category. If you simply add a point to their scores, grade four actually improved by a percentage point from last year’s real data to the new fictional data for this imaginary FY2025.

Next up, the committee heard a presentation on proposed changes to the grade seven math curriculum. The committee approved a plan to break the grade seven math curriculum into two different tracks because the current curriculum crams too much content into a single year, which the administration reported was hurting outcomes for students and causing significant stress.

The new approach will bifurcate grade seven math into two paths. There will a standard grade seven mathematics for most students, and a compacted/accelerated option.

In order to get into grade eight algebra, new pathways were created for students who take the grade seven mathematics course. The compacted course qualifies students for grade eight algebra, but those who take regular grade seven mathematics will need to do a little extra to get in. Options include taking a trimester UA math course, doing an online class on their own, or testing into the eight grade algebra course.

Committee members voiced concerns about an asynchronous online learning option, but ultimately voiced comfort with trying something different. Chair Nicole Burnard said “I don’t love the asynchronous. I think if it’s part of our curriculum it should be taught by a teacher in a classroom. But I obviously understand the last four years has not worked, so we need to do something to better service our students. I would be willing to try it based on that.” (2:23:50)

SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

What to Expect at Town Meeting

By The League of Women Voters of Sudbury

When Sudbury’s Annual Town Meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 5, in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School auditorium, here’s how it works.

Only Sudbury registered voters are eligible to vote at Town Meeting. The deadline to register to vote before Town Meeting is Friday, April 25, at 5 p.m. Check your voter registration status or register to vote here.

You must be present at Town Meeting to vote. There is no remote or absentee voting. The Town website notes that: “Absentee voting is possible during elections, which use ballots as the voting mechanism. There are no ballots at a Town Meeting as motions are made on the floor of Town Meeting and may differ from the article presented in the warrant. Thus, Town Meeting votes must be taken in person.”

To get to the high school auditorium, 390 Lincoln Rd., park in the lot east of the school and follow the walkway down the small hill. Enter the building through the doors directly in front of you.

Voter check-in is in the hallway as you enter the building. Votes are taken at Town Meeting using an electronic handheld clicker. You must check in to receive the clicker that will allow your vote to be recorded. 

The clicker has two buttons: one for a “yes” vote and one for a “no” vote. All votes taken at Town Meeting will be “yes” or “no” votes in favor of or against the approval of each article. 

Check-in staff can demonstrate how to use the clicker, and the Moderator will review the voting procedures and offer a practice question with the clicker prior to the start of article voting. You can find additional information about the clickers on page iii of the Warrant.

Every household in Sudbury should have received a paper copy of the Town Meeting Warrant by U. S. mail, and a digital copy is available here. The Moderator will follow the order of the Warrant. Each article will be debated and voted on in turn, with the exception of articles on the Consent Calendar. The articles on the Consent Calendar are ones “that appear to raise no controversy,” according to the Warrant. Articles on the Consent Calendar, found on pages viii-xi of the Warrant, will be voted on as a group as the first order of business, without debate. Any article may be removed from the Consent Calendar at the request of at least seven voters.

Among the issues that will be decided at Town Meeting are town and school budgets, rules for accessory dwelling units, renovation of the Atkinson pool, a new start time for Town Meeting, roof replacement at Haynes and Nixon schools, financing a new reading curriculum, purchase of a fire engine and ambulance, and renovation of the Hosmer House.

The meeting will be broadcast live on SudburyTV. The internet livestream can be viewed on a computer, smartphone, or other device at sudburytv.org by scrolling down and clicking on the Government or HD livestream. A cable subscription is not needed to view the livestream. Cable TV subscribers can tune in on Comcast channels 8 and 1074 and Verizon channels 31 and 2130.

Information about accessibility accommodations for Annual Town Meeting can be found on the Town webpage and on pages i and ii of the Warrant.

This year’s Town Meeting begins Monday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, 390 Lincoln Rd., and is expected to run to at least 10:30 p.m. Town Meeting is likely to continue Tuesday, May 6, and may continue Wednesday, May 7, and Monday, May 12, if necessary.  Basic information about Annual Town Meeting is available on pages iv-viii of the Warrant. You can learn more about town meetings in the Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting and here.

A Grand Cleansing of Sudbury's Fair Shire

By Kevin LaHaise

Roadside Cleanup Day 2025 (In sloppy Shakespearean style)

Hark! Ye citizens of Sudbury, lend thine ears, for a tale of virtuous toil shall unfold!

Upon the twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of twenty and twenty-five, a grand cleansing shall befall our beloved shire. 'Tis Sudbury's Annual Roadside Cleanup Day, a day of beautification for roads, public areas, and parks.

Know ye, that each year, the good folk of Sudbury – civic groups, businesses, and residents – with hearts full of civic duty, give of their precious time and energy to banish litter from our town.

The Order of the Day, and How It Shall Be Done

First, participants shall sign their names to "Adopt a Street," claiming a route to make their own. Then, on Saturday, April twenty-sixth, these noble volunteers shall collect the discarded refuse that doth mar our landscape.

Let each gather cleanup supplies – a simple garbage bag will suffice – and proceed to their adopted area. There, with gloved hands, they shall gather litter from roadside and park. But heed this! Safety must be observed! Follow the Safety Guidelines with care, donning gloves and repellent against insects.

When the bags are full, they shall be placed in a consolidated pile, in a visible spot along the adopted route, preferably where two streets meet. The diligent workers of the DPW crew shall gather these bags in the week of April twenty-seventh. Let no one leave bags out before the appointed cleanup day.

Only those bags left along adopted routes shall be taken.

No sooner are the sacks upon the roadside placed, than count the hours, ere some good Sudbury soul, by ignorance misled, his fellow residents he will accuse of despoiling our fair town in Facebook's digital square!

A Call to Action and Tidings of Joy

So let it be! Sudbury's roads and parks shall be cleaner and healthier, all thanks to the noble efforts of its people! For those young scholars seeking credit for Community Service, know that volunteer hours on Cleanup Day shall be counted.

To sign up, visit the ADOPT A STREET MAP and claim your part in this great endeavor!

Fear not if Saturday's sun doth not favor your schedule. Cleanup may also be done on Friday, April twenty-fifth, or Sunday, April twenty-seventh. The DPW will commence collecting bags on Monday, April twenty-eighth.

Town of Sudbury Releases Long-Term Financial Report and Reference Guide

By Kevin LaHaise

According to the Open Government Partnership, “transparency occurs when ‘government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the public, and meets basic open data standards…’”

Based on that standard, the Town of Sudbury took a significant step to increase transparency on Friday, April 25, when it published nearly 200 pages of financial analysis spanning the last decade. The Fiscal Year 2017- Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Report and Reference Guide provides “a concise overview of financial performance from Fiscal Year 2017 through Fiscal Year 2026” according to the Town website. It goes on to state “This comprehensive document includes detailed tables comparing Sudbury with other communities and provides insights into significant financial data, budget trends, and future projections.” The report was prepared by Finance Director Victor Garofalo.

“Comprehensive” may be a bit of an understatement. Sudbury Weekly reviewed the report in detail and found a treasure trove of data-rich visualizations chronicling Town revenue and expenditures since Fiscal Year 2017. The report provides a detailed view into Town government spending, but it also provides comparisons to over a dozen similar communities in Massachusetts. It goes so far as to compare department-level spending per capita with each of the other communities included in the analysis.

The Town’s announcement pointed out “While some statistics may vary in the range of years covered due to data availability, the report adheres to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles to ensure accuracy and reliability. Data sources include state agencies, the town’s financial statements, internal systems, and operational reports.”

The Highlights

The volume of new insights contained in the report can’t be covered in a single article, so Sudbury Weekly will be featuring some of the data in a series of future articles. However, there are a few surprising insights that are worth calling out in this initial piece.

For example, Sudbury spends the third least, per capita, on General Government:

With regard to public safety, Sudbury is spending a bit above the median (per capita) for the Fire Department (page 74) , but below the median (per capita) for the Police Department.

One unsurprising chart highlights expenditures per capita on education. Sudbury is among the top spenders on education among the towns in the report. But note the text above the chart - the SPS employee benefits aren’t included in this number as they are covered in a separate section of the report.

The report also adds some new perspectives on education spending. While Sudbury has one of the higher costs per capita for education, the blended cost per pupil is on the lower end of the other towns. In fact, Sudbury’s per pupil cost is roughly two-thirds of what Weston and Lincoln are spending. When Lincoln-Sudbury is isolated out, it shows that Sudbury spends among the most per pupil on high school education among other regional schools.

Revenue Challenges

Town Manager Andy Sheehan has repeatedly emphasized in recent years that revenue was a bigger concern than expenditures in Sudbury. This report appears to hammer home that point with an exhaustive set of datapoints.

While the report documents expenditures at an entirely new level of granularity, one of the most striking insights is what the report doesn’t explicitly state: Sudbury is downright frugal in virtually all areas, other than education, when compared to other Towns.

Take, for example, the Department of Public Works (DPW). Sudbury is spending more than the median (per capita) cost on the DPW, but less than the average. This is one of the few Town departments where Sudbury isn’t in the lower rungs of spending compared to the other towns in the report. However, the report presents additional staffing data and comparisons to interpret. Sudbury’s DPW is managing more miles of road per employee than all but one other community in the analysis—potentially indicating a high level of efficiency in service delivery, or perhaps indicating the department is understaffed.

Sudbury has a reputation for high taxes - and it is well-documented that the average single-family tax bill is among the 20 largest in the state. But when compared to similar communities, Sudbury is in the middle of the pack:

The challenge for Sudbury is that it’s almost entirely dependent on residential property taxes to fund its annual budget. The report highlights this in a visualization:

The announcement of the report included a warning to residents “Looking ahead, the town anticipates significant budgetary challenges beginning in FY2027. These challenges will necessitate difficult decisions regarding future services, staffing levels, and capital projects.”

The report conveys the tightening financial environment in its analysis of unused levy capacity. (Page 25) Unused levy capacity is defined in the report as “the difference between the maximum tax revenue a municipality is permitted to raise under Proposition 2 ½ rules (levy limit) and the tax revenue actually raised (levy).” Sudbury is using effectively all of its levy capacity as of Fiscal Year 2025, and has the second lowest unused levy capacity in the analysis. Combined with weakening new growth over the last decade (page 22), the Town’s budget flexibility appears to be eroding.

Trying Times

The report paints a clear picture of Sudbury’s financial condition. On one hand, the Town appears to be delivering similar services to other towns, even with less spending in many major functional areas. On the other hand, the Town is at the end of its financial rope.

The Town isn’t growing significantly anymore, and it remains dependent on residential property taxes at a time when costs are skyrocketing. That presents the community with tough choices. While the Town has discussed diversifying the tax base for as long as anyone can remember; growing the commercial or industrial tax base would likely take years, if not decades.

The choice appears to be between cutting services that Sudbury arguably delivers at lower cost than peer communities, or an override that adds further tax burden to one of the highest single-family tax bills in the state. Uncertainty in the broader macroeconomic climate only adds to the difficulty of such discussions. Yet there’s no obvious area in this report where Sudbury is significantly outspending peer communities and could very easily absorb budget cuts.

A good example of this is in Health and Human Services, which includes Sudbury’s Health Department, the Senior Center and the Veteran’s Affairs Office. Those three functions operate on roughly $1 million combined budget. That’s already 30 percent less than the median (per capita) in comparable towns, and less than 50 percent of what nearby Lincoln and Wayland are spending.

Clearing The Air

Comparative frugality is the prevailing theme in the report, even though there has been some talk about overtaxing in various committee meetings in recent months. The report clarifies multiple misconceptions about Sudbury’s finances.

Sudbury Weekly has covered some controversy regarding the level of free cash the Town generated in Fiscal Year 2025, but the comparison to peer communities puts that in new perspective. Sudbury’s strong free cash number was actually among the lowest four in the comparison:

Similarly, while many residents may think the Town has borrowed a lot of money to fund recent land acquisitions and capital projects, Sudbury’s debt service (as a percent of the budget) was the second lowest of all towns in the analysis.

The report offers an enormous amount of information about the Town’s financial status, and Sudbury Weekly will cover additional pieces of the report in upcoming stories. Upon initial review, one thing is certain: the Town has provided the data the community will need to have fact-based conversations about the challenging fiscal years ahead.

Parting Thoughts

Get ready for a mighty busy week next week. The main event is the Select Board meeting on Tuesday. They’ll be discussing the town-wide facilities assessment and getting an update on the Atkinson Pool. They’ll have three other committees joining them in a joint session for the facilities assessment presentation.

A high level report from the facilities assessment is already published in the Select Board’s meeting packet. There’s nothing shocking in there, but the recommendation to turn Town Hall into an indoor pickleball facility was interesting.

Okay, that last part about pickleball is made up. But did they recommend we turn the Flynn building into a Sweet Greens? (Mmm ripple fries!) You’ll have to watch the meeting to find out. Jump to page 28 for the slide presentation.

That meeting may provide some critical context for articles residents will soon be voting on at Annual Town Meeting. But the Town Meeting warrant is still changing. The Sudbury Housing Authority voted to indefinitely postpone Article 46, which would have provided additional funds to their scattered-site duplex project. Meanwhile, we might find out on Tuesday, during the Select Board meeting, if the Town has the information it needs to proceed confidently with the Atkinson Pool article.

There’s already talk about a Special Town Meeting later this year for two school roof projects, so article sponsors are less likely to rush through an article now if they don’t feel fully confident about the underlying details, estimates, or public support. Don’t be surprised if there are more changes in the days and hours before Town Meeting.

This is also a good time to start developing your excuse for not attending Town Meeting. We’ve provided a list of possible excuses below.

• I don’t have the time. I’m a very busy and important executive!

• I couldn’t find a babysitter in a Town with about 1,200 high school students.

• What is Town Meeting?

• If SPS can offer “asynchronous” online math classes, I’m not attending Town Meeting until I can vote remotely.

• I have a debilitating fear of clickers.

• This is an antiquated form of government. I’m unwilling to participate, otherwise I might prove myself wrong and then I’ll feel compelled to attend every year.

• I wandered around L-S for an hour and never found the auditorium.

• I only attend Town Meetings in auditoriums that have center aisles.

• Town Meeting was on Cinco de Mayo! Unless they were going to serve free margaritas in the hall, there was no chance I was going to attend!

• My Covid dog ate my copy of the warrant.

Onward!