Barnstable school leaders present $93.6 million FY26 budget as public raises alarms over proposed cuts

Superintendent Sara Hearn and Deputy Director Chris Dwelle presented a recommended fiscal year 2026 operating budget of $93,600,000 to the Barnstable Public Schools School Committee at the March 19 public hearing, and warned the committee that district revenues will not support level‑service spending without savings or additional state aid.

The budget hearing was the formal public presentation of the FY26 recommendation and the district’s fiscal forecast for FY27–FY28. Hearn told the committee the district faces a structural gap driven by the expiration of federal pandemic (ESSER) funds, slow state Chapter 70 aid growth, reductions in some federal grant lines and rising inflationary costs. “The bottom line is the current situation is not sustainable,” Hearn said.

Why it matters: The recommended budget preserves core programs but proposes targeted reductions and one‑time purchases funded from savings. Public commenters — including school counselors, psychologists, teachers, nurses and parents — urged the committee to retain positions they said are essential to student safety, mental health and learning, and questioned the use of limited savings for curriculum purchases.

Hearn and Dwelle described the fiscal assumptions and balancing steps. The recommended FY26 package represents a 4.75%…