Methuen preliminary FY26 budget centers on rising special-education costs, staffing and state funding shortfalls

Superintendent Quang presented Methuen Public Schools’ preliminary fiscal 2026 budget at a March 24 workshop, saying the plan aims to preserve class-size goals while responding to what she described as sharply rising special-education, transportation and contracted-service costs.

The presentation put special-education spending at about $53.2 million — roughly 42 percent of the budget the district is proposing — and showed a package of staffing additions the administration says are needed to serve students with increasingly complex needs. Quang told the committee the budget also relies on two federal grant awards that had not been confirmed by the meeting.

Quang emphasized enrollment trends and the changing student profile. “The continual increase of our English learners … has almost doubled in five years,” she said, and the district’s “high‑needs” cohort — students who are English learners, low‑income or students with disabilities — now represents about 65 percent of enrollment. The superintendent said the district is…