Shawsheen Tech School Committee Approves $38.8M Budget, a 3.75% Increase

Tewksbury’s assessment for FY25 will be $8,585,726. Plus: More takeaways from this week’s meeting

The Shawsheen Valley Technical High School Committee met on Tuesday with both of Tewksbury’s representatives in attendance.

Above, a student works on a bathroom in a project for the Billerica Housing Authority

School budget, capital expenditures, and assessments

The overall Shawsheen Tech budget for FY25 will be $38,828,465, a 3.75% increase over FY24. The school was able to absorb two ESSER-funded positions and add an English language development instructor for next year to manage an increase in the population of ESL students.

For capital expenditures, Superintendent Tony McIntosh said there will be a decrease in that budget, from $1,622,351 this year to $1,288,700 for FY25.

“One of the big things I think everybody’s aware of is the capital expenditures,” he said. “We’re in year 54 for this building, and there’s things that continue to come up that need to be addressed.”

Billerica is Shawsheen’s largest sending community, with 36% of the total student body, followed by Tewksbury at 28%, with 363 students currently enrolled. Tewksbury’s required minimum contribution for FY25 is $5,754,950, as Massachusetts is increasing the minimum contribution numbers for sending communities, according to McIntosh.

The town’s total assessment for FY25 will be $8,585,726, up just over 7%.

Sports teams’ performances and achievements

Director of Athletic Programs Al Costabile gave an update on Shawsheen Tech’s athletics success.

“I really appreciate an opportunity to spread some good news, and I hope you all like good news, cause that’s all I got,” said Costabile. Among the highlights, the Boston Globe awarded the school the Walter Markham award, which is given to the vocational school with the highest winning percentage of all its varsity sports combined. 

“We are very fortunate to have won it more than all the other vocational schools in the state, added up,” he said. “We probably won it about 65, 70 percent of the time.”

Costabile highlighted three areas: league champions, state vocational champions and teams that have advanced to the MIAA playoffs, both in the fall and in the winter. 

• The boy’s soccer team went 11-6-2 and qualified for the MIAA Division Three playoffs. 
• The golf team had an undefeated season, going 17-0 and being named all-league champions.
• The volleyball team went 21-3, advanced to the state vocational championship and won a Divisional MIAA playoff game. 
• The football cheering squad placed second in the CAC’s in the fall and advanced to the North Regionals, placing third. They earned a state competition bid in Worcester.
• The football team had another successful year, advancing to the final four in the CAC League championship. “Our quarterback, Sid Tildsley, was once again named Boston Herald and Boston Globe All Scholastic,” he said. 
• Girl’s Hockey, a coop team with Bedford, has 13 wins already, a single season winning total. They are in the playoffs. 
• For swimming, the boys were state vocational champions, and the girls came in second. Four Rams swimmers qualified for the MIAA.
• The boy’s hockey team is state vocational champions and was able to play where the Bruins practice. “They are on the move at 21 and 1, best record in history,” said Costabile.

The boy’s basketball and cheer teams also saw success. However, the highlight of Costabile’s presentation was wrestling. The Rams have had their first undefeated season in Shawsheen history, becoming state vocational champions.  

“We came in second as a team in the all-state championship,” he said. “We had two state champions, Sidney Tildsley won his third straight Massachusetts State Championship, and James Tildsley won the Massachusetts State Championship as well. ”  

He went on to thank the committee for supporting athletes and coaches. 

School budget, enrollment, and co-op program

McIntosh said seven students have left since January, including some upperclassmen. In many cases, it’s because they didn’t get into their first-choice shops.

The Co-op program is successful, with 231 students — 59 from Tewksbury — supporting 203 local employers. Students have worked almost 85,000 hours to date and have earned $1.38 million in wages.

As of Feb. 1, 139 Tewksbury rising freshmen have applied for the Class of 2028; overall there are 534 applicants for 350 seats. Offers will likely go to 425 to 450, acknowledging that not all will accept.

Superintendent’s update

Fifty-four Shawsheen students tested in the Seal of Biliteracy program, in 15 languages including Farsi and Korean. 

“Which is, I think, double what we tested last year,” said McIntosh. 

The exam is over two days. Students have to read, write, speak and listen in the second language. Those skills are evaluated, and they’re scored at various levels on performance.

“Believe it or not, it’s actually harder to achieve the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy than it is the national Seal of Biliteracy — Massachusetts has a higher standard,” he said, adding that two or three students are actually testing in multiple languages. There are scholarships available to students who achieve the seal.

Two additional half-days have been added to the calendar, April 3 and June 12. Those days will be used to work with a consultant to develop career trees for each of the 20 program areas, with the goal of using the collateral for campus visits, open houses, and other events.

All academic teachers, guidance counselors, and support staff will work together on those days to identify entry-level, technical and professional careers for graduates of each vocational program. The effort will cost $4,500, which will be covered by Perkins funds. One goal is for academic teachers to learn more about the programs. There will also be printed materials made up to distribute to potential students.

Next year’s school calendar is in draft form and will likely be reviewed at the March meeting and approved in April, as the state’s dates often change and the committee may need to make adjustments.