Finance Committee recommends Concord’s $1.77 million share for Minuteman Regional Technical School budget

The Concord Finance Committee recommended affirmative action on Article 17, the Minute Man Regional Technical Vocational High School FY2026 assessment, after a presentation by the Concord representative to the District and the school business manager.

Minute Man is proposing a $32,461,056 district budget for FY2026, a 2.99% increase over FY2025. Concord’s assessed share in the warrant article is $1,772,373 — a 2.28% year‑over‑year increase, presenters said. The superintendent-recommended operating budget and several drivers were highlighted: a negotiated 3% contract increase for teachers plus steps and lanes, higher transportation costs associated with a new contractor, and a $300,000 increase to begin a new baseline contribution to the school’s OPEB (other post‑employment benefits) trust. Presenters also noted the district closed out its MSBA building project in August 2024 and will carry only debt service on that project going forward.

The school business manager, Nikki Andrade, and Concord Representative Steve Ledoux answered finance committee questions about enrollment, transportation utilization and the district’s lottery discussion. Andrade said current enrollment is about 669 students districtwide, with 632 from member towns and 37 from non‑member towns; Concord accounted for 38 students in the current student body. She said member‑town students are given priority under the district’s regional agreement and attributed recent increases in member‑town enrollment to the new facility opened in fall 2019. On transportation, Andrade said Minute Man is working with its new vendor to improve route efficiency and to deploy tracking tools so the district and parents can monitor actual ridership and stop usage.

During public comment, residents asked for Concord‑specific cost‑per‑student figures and a five‑year cost history for the town; presenters said they will add that detail to the materials released for town meeting. Finance Committee members then voted to recommend affirmative action on the article.

The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to Annual Town Meeting, where voters will take the final action on the appropriation.