FY27 School Budget Reductions and Staffing Cuts

The FY27 school budget process began with the identification of a $2.3 million deficit against the target budget in Draft 4, prompting the need for multiple tiers of reductions to reach a balanced total of $101,967,320.

On May 5 the School Committee reviewed Tier 2 proposals that cut 4 teaching positions and 2.5 administrative positions due to declining high-school enrollment; the motion passed 6-1 and produced Draft 5 at $102,610,544.

The May 12 meeting advanced further cuts by approving a $236,442 Tier 2 package that reduced ELL staffing at Higgins Middle School and a separate $460,000 reduction in out-of-district tuition, health insurance, and utilities, bringing cumulative reductions to $696,442.

These actions set up the May 21 public hearing where the superintendent presented the final balanced budget and the committee prepared to vote separately on the salary and non-salary lines.

Competing positions center on whether the reductions protect classroom integrity by trimming administration first or whether they disproportionately harm specialized supports and frontline staff already facing low wages and high workloads.

Public comment at the May 21 meeting highlighted anxiety over the cumulative impact on teaching positions, ELL services, and paraprofessionals while the board maintained that the package was required to close the multi-million-dollar gap.