Administrators present FY26 recommended budget; list $415,500 in level-1 priorities and enrollment reductions

Pembroke administrators presented their fiscal 2026 administrative recommended budget on April 1, proposing a $40,005,050 spending plan that the superintendent described as balanced to the town manager's contribution and state Chapter 70 increases.

The administration identified $415,500 in level-1 priorities it recommended adding to the base budget, and outlined a set of enrollment-related staffing reductions that together narrow the district's budget gap. Administrators said some priority items could be funded by external grants if awarded, which would free local dollars for other uses.

Why it matters: The FY26 recommended budget guides what the district will ask the town to fund at annual town meeting. The list of priorities and the reductions the administration proposed determine which classroom supports and programs may be added, kept or reduced in the coming year.

Top priorities and proposed reductions

Level-1 priorities (totaling $415,500) include:

- Start-up staffing for a social-emotional/behavioral program at Habemak (one teacher and one RBT to launch year one); - Increase the high school pathways coordinator from 0.6 to full time and add a 0.4 business teacher to preserve the business pathway offerings; - Add a full-time board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) to share services across buildings (supplementing contracted BCBA hours); - Create a coordinator of counseling/behavioral health (the district said a behavioral-health grant could cover roughly half of this salary); - Move some district technology work to managed services to improve efficiency; and - Add a shared elementary math interventionist across the three elementary schools.

Administrators also included a modest increase to extracurricular stipends (several stipends at various levels).

Enrollment-related reductions proposed to help balance the budget (staffing-based reductions totaling about $459,000 in salary and benefits):

- One fewer third-grade teacher at North Elementary (retirement/attrition); - One fewer sixth-grade teacher at Habemak (reconfiguration); - Two fewer middle-school staff positions (one science and one social studies) with district redesign to split coverage across teachers; and - One districtwide English learner (ESL) teacher position (the position has been budgeted but was unfilled after multiple recruitment efforts).

Funding context and trade-offs

Administrators said the recommended FY26 total reflects an increase in Chapter 70 aid (state school funding) and a larger town contribution in the town manager's recommended numbers. The presentation noted: the district's in-district per-pupil spending remains below many peer districts, that benefits costs vary with employer/employee contribution shares, and that special-education and out-of-district placements remain a large source of budget pressure.

Administrators emphasized the role of potential grant funding in advancing priorities. They said the district will apply for state pothole-type grants and other sources to fund some start-up items (for example, funding for the Habemak behavioral program start-up or for Chromebooks and secondary laptops). The district noted that some grants are time-limited; if grant funding is used to start staff positions, the committee will have to consider long-term funding before grant expiration.

Next steps and timeline

Administrators said the district expects to present to the town's joint budget session on April 15. The committee will decide whether to hold its public budget hearing on April 29 or May 6; the district then plans to take a final vote to forward a recommended budget to town meeting in mid-May. Administrators will update committee materials to reflect the fee motions adopted at the April 1 meeting and to recalculate the gap or surplus.