Early draft of Frontier budget projects nearly $1M increase

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Amid recent hikes in health insurance costs, an early draft of Frontier Regional School District’s general budget projects an approximately $946,000 increase for fiscal year 2027.

Director of Business Administration Shelley Poreda explained an early draft of the roughly $14.23 million general budget to the Frontier School Committee on Tuesday night ahead of the March 3 public hearing. Poreda said the numbers represent a “level-service” budget with existing programs, staffing and student needs. According to her presentation, the jump will likely bring the per-student cost to $27,554.

Poreda said budget discussions at Frontier School Committee meetings typically kick off later in the year, but budgeting for the recent rise in health insurance costs and preparing for potential future hikes necessitated an earlier start to the conversation in an effort to maintain transparency with the committee and prevent surprises.

After budgeting for an initial 18% increase heading into fiscal year 2026, the Frontier Regional School District and other members of the Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust faced another 20% increase. Heading into FY27, the current draft of Frontier’s general budget accounts for a total 40% increase, including the 20% Oct. 1 bump and a placeholder of a 20% increase for anticipated premiums, Poreda told School Committee members.

“Things are not going to be as simple for us to navigate as they have been in prior years,” Poreda said to preface her outline of the budget. “We’re getting hit two-fold.”

Superintendent Darius Modestow stressed the difference between the FY27 budget and budgets for past fiscal years. He told School Committee members that budget increases typically amount to $300,000, with a $301,888 increase in FY26. By contrast, health insurance increases alone will cost about $500,000.

“This is not a number we’re going to be able to manipulate,” Modestow said.

According to the draft, the health insurance rates will likely bump up non-wage growth in the budget by 4.65%, or about $617,565, with wage growth accounting for 2.47%, or $328,112, of the increase.

“This is significant. We don’t normally see non-wage growth of this level,” Poreda said.

To offset costs and curb the budget hike, Poreda mentioned potentially using $100,000 in School Choice funds. In an email on Wednesday, Poreda said the administration will analyze data over the next month and discuss options for budget reductions with the School Committee at the Feb. 10 meeting. Later in the meeting, Poreda added that the administration is discussing strategies to offset costs without impacting the lives of Frontier students.

The School Committee also unanimously approved a “soft freeze” of the current budget. Modestow described the freeze as a “frost,” with a commitment to being frugal. While he said the “soft freeze” includes a degree of “vagueness,” he mentioned waiting to purchase 100 new Chromebooks while still paying for necessary expenditures like required books for Advanced Placement English as examples of decisions made during the “soft freeze.”

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