With Enrollment Increasing, Keefe Technical Seeking $14.5 Million Budget For 2021-22 School Year

By Caroline Lanni

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FRAMINGHAM- Enrollment at Keefe Technical High School is increasing, and thus the budget proposed for the 2021-22 school year is up overall for the regional high school.

The career-technical high school located at 750 Winter Street in Framingham, has students from Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Ashland, and Natick. The majority of the students come from Framingham.

There were more than 400 applications for the 2021-22 freshman class.

Monday night, March 8, the 13-member Keefe Technical School Committee unanimous voted to approve assessments for the 2021-22 school year.

Student enrollment for this year increased by 2.1% said Keefe Technical Superintendent Jonathan Evans to the Committee Monday night.

“We have gone from 795 to 812 in-district students which is an increase in 17 students or 2.1%,” said Evans.

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According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Keefe Technical enrolled 817 students as of October 1, 2021.

That is 100 more students, than were enrolled on October 1, 2017, which was 717 students.

In 2012, there were only 670 students enrolled at the technical high school.

And in 2010, the regional high school only had 642 students.

The regional high school has 175 more students in the hallways than a decade ago.

Supt. Evans presented enrollment numbers and proposed budget assessments for each of the five communities than have students in the high school at Monday night’s meeting.

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There has been a “substantial increase in students” from the Town of Ashland going from 53 students to 63 students or 18.9% increase, said Evans.

The resulting assessment for the Town of Ashland is $1,323,379,” said Evans.

The City of Framingham “had a more modest increase but an increase none-the less going from 591 to 599 students,” said Evans.

That is a 1.4% enrollment increase.

The City of Framingham’s assessment or 2021-22 school budget for Keefe Technical High School is $9,987,504, said Supt. Evans.

“In the Town of Holliston we had a year that was more plateaued last year were once again up and we have gone from 60 to 68 students and that increase of eight students is an increase of 13.3% in enrollment and their resulting assessment is $1,421,995,” said Evans to the school Committee.

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The Town of Hopkinton saw a “decrease of five students from 31 to 26,” said Evans,

That 16% decrease in students from Hopkinton results in an assessment of $597,379,” said Evans.

“In Natick we have had a modest decrease of students,” said Evans. Natick’s numbers went from 60 to 56 students.

The resulting assessment for the Town of Natick is $1,250,715,” said Supt. Evans.

The total assessments for the five-member communities is $14,580,972, said Superintendent Evans.

School Committee Chair Ed Burman made a motion to approval the assessments of the five member communities.

The 13-member School Committee voted unanimously for this approval of the district’s assessments.

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Caroline Lanni is a 2021 spring SOURCE intern. Lanni is a senior communications major with a minor in journalism at Framingham State University. She wants to pursue a media career in broadcast journalism. She is a member of the dance team at Framingham State.