Hull School Committee Revises Graduation Policy, Defying State Assessment Mandate

HULL — December 15, 2025 — Hull School Committee unanimously revises graduation competency policy and approves Prague-Paris student trip. The committee voted 5-0 Monday to strike a contested sentence from Policy IKF that tied graduation competency to end-of-year assessments, a change that must be submitted to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by December 31 or potentially face rejection. Superintendent Michael Jette acknowledged the risk but said the district is "willing to put the work in to explain where we've landed," noting the revision has no impact on the class of 2026's ability to graduate. The board also greenlit a July 2027 EF Tours Global Leadership Summit trip to Prague and Paris at approximately $5,400 per student before fundraising, merging a Phi chapter trip and student government initiative into a single nine-day itinerary focused on social responsibility. Director of Finance Diane Gallagher previewed the FY27 budget process, noting that Chapter 70 state aid has grown only from $3.8 million to just over $4 million over nine years, and flagged uncertainty around the 3.5 percent of school expenditures funded by federal grants.