Medford School Committee approves FY26 municipal request; budget totals $87.6 million

The Medford School Committee voted to approve and forward the district's fiscal year 2026 municipal request on a 6'yes, 1'abstain roll call, sending a proposed $87,583,000 budget to the mayor and city council for consideration.

The adopted municipal request would raise the district's base budget from about $83 million to a proposed total of $87,583,000. The proposal, the committee was told, does not include new school-based positions at this time and preserves funds for salary adjustments, maintenance, special education and technology while shifting some programs previously paid for with federal grants into the general fund.

Noel Velez, a district staff presenter, told the committee the public hearing was held under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 38N and that the notice ran in the Boston Globe on March 13, 2025. He said the district had held two prior public hearings on the preliminary budget on March 5 and March 20.

Why it matters: The budget is the School Committee's formal municipal request to the city. Approving the request allows the city and mayor's office to incorporate the schools' ask into the municipal budgeting process; final appropriations will be set by the city council. Committee members said the approved request balances near-term operational needs with continuing uncertainty about federal grants and the timetable for classroom-schedule changes at the high school.

Key details

- Proposed total: $87,583,000; 2025 base cited in the presentation: $83,000,000. - Enrollment projection: roughly 4,235 students (the presenters said this reflects about 20 more…