Superintendent Kalishman told the Swampscott School Committee on Thursday that the district saw a substantial federal reduction in Title grant funding, which he described as "a 39% reduction from last year."

The grant cut came after the town approved the funding the district requested, Kalishman said, leaving the district to reconcile an overall net loss when federal Title grant changes were applied. "As much as, you know, it was great that the town fully funded us for what we asked for, obviously, and almost immediately afterwards, the federal government took away some title grants. So it's a 39% reduction from last year," he said.

Why it matters: the loss reduces the district's flexible program dollars even as the town increased support, forcing administrators to be selective in hiring and shifts in program priorities. Kalishman said principals were briefed and hiring was done "really smart" to limit exposure, but he warned that some positions the district has wanted for years remain unfunded.

Committee members asked about stopgap plans and whether the district had reserves. Kalishman said he had met with principals and explained the district had realized some savings tied to staffing decisions and new management-team hires, adding, "we're not in the clear of any stretch, but, had this not happened, we would have been in pretty good shape."

School Committee members pressed him to bring a more detailed financial review at the next meeting. Committee Chair Suzanne said a full financial update from the finance director would be coming when staff member Estella returned to provide a thorough review of the numbers.

The superintendent also emphasized the limits of one-time town support. "Even though we got the money we asked for from the town, it doesn't mean we got what we needed," he said, noting long-standing unfilled positions such as a middle-school health teacher.

The committee discussed next steps: Kalishman said staff would continue monitoring hiring needs and use existing savings where possible; a fuller budget briefing was promised at a future meeting so the committee could consider program-level impacts and any follow-up requests to the town.