North Middlesex committee directs staff to model budget-cut options amid $2.5M gap

The North Middlesex Regional School Committee on Wednesday directed Superintendent Brad Morgan to present high-level options to address a projected FY26 budget shortfall after administrators said the district faces roughly $2.5 million in added costs compared with the FY25 baseline.

Committee members asked staff to model scenarios that include (1) staffing reductions, (2) building consolidation/redistricting and (3) program and operational savings other than an immediate override. The committee voted in favor of the direction without a recorded roll-call tally.

The district’s administration described several drivers of the increase: higher special-education costs driven by student move-ins and program needs; an estimated half‑million dollar increase in insurance; and pension/principal costs the district must absorb. Administration estimated those and other pressures could push the budget about $2.5 million over current FY25 spending, before collective‑bargaining increases or finalized state numbers.

“Using our E&D last year was a stopgap. It was not a solution,” Superintendent Brad Morgan said while laying out potential approaches and trade-offs. He told the committee that the towns that share the regional assessment have indicated limited appetite for increases — town officials asked the district to limit its assessment increase to about 3 percent, which the administration said translates to roughly a 1.8 percent increase for the district’s portion of the budget.

Committee members pushed for quick work and for options that would avoid wasting staff time on full feasibility studies for choices the committee may not pursue. Several members asked that initial options be “high level” and include pros and cons so they can narrow which approaches merit deeper, feasibility-level analysis.

The committee set a workshop to begin the conversation and follow-up work: a short workshop was scheduled and members agreed to expedite information-gathering. The motion directing the superintendent to develop and present these options passed by voice vote; no detailed vote count was provided in the minutes.

Why it matters: the district’s towns pay about 60 percent of the budget; a gap on the district side translates into a meaningful assessment increase at town meetings or would require reductions in staff, programs, or facilities. Committee members repeatedly said they wanted alternatives to asking towns for an override, noting limited public appetite for additional tax votes.

What’s next: Superintendent Morgan will return with high-level options for staff reductions, building consolidation scenarios (including potential reconfiguration of classrooms and student assignment), and program/operational savings. The committee scheduled a follow-up workshop to review materials and narrowed topics for staff to analyze further.