Hull School Committee Endorses 28 School Choice Seats, Ratifies New Educator Evaluation Standards

HULL — June 15, 2026 — Hull School Committee advances a 28-seat school choice framework and ratifies overhauled educator evaluation standards. Superintendent Michael Jette presented a first-year plan at the June 15 meeting to offer three seats in first grade, five in second grade, and five each in grades eight through eleven at Hull High School — with no additional staffing costs — as enrollment at the high school is projected to fall to 248 students next year from 277 two years ago. Revenue from choice students, estimated at up to $5,000 per pupil, would flow through the state cherry sheet to the town rather than directly to the school department, leading Jette to caution against building it into baseline budgets, citing Norton's experience managing $1.6 million in annual choice receipts. Director of Student Services Kristin Ryan told the committee that class-size figures alone "tell a number story" and urged that student-services capacity be factored into final seat counts before applications open. The committee also unanimously ratified a revised Appendix E to the collective bargaining agreement, updating educator evaluation rubrics from 2014 to 2024 DESE standards through a year-long Joint Labor-Management Committee process involving HTA co-president Mark McDonald and Assistant Superintendent Christine Cappadonna.