Millis school leaders present FY26 budget request as enrollment and special‑needs counts rise

Summary

Superintendent Bob Malaney told the Millis Finance Committee on March 19 that the school department’s FY26 spending request is above the town’s 4% target because declining grants and choice receipts mean the district must absorb roughly $480,000 of previously offset salaries and because special-education and contracted-service costs are rising.

Superintendent Bob Malaney presented the Millis Public Schools’ proposed FY26 budget to the Millis Finance Committee on March 19, telling the committee the district’s request is higher than the town’s 4% target because several grant and revolving-fund offsets have expired or declined.

Malaney said enrollment across the district is largely flat compared with last year, at about 1,183 students, but the district has seen a substantial rise in students identified as ‘‘high needs’’ (English learners, low‑income students, and students with disabilities). He said students with disabilities now represent about 20.9% of the district — up from roughly 12.2% a decade ago — and that many of the students who moved into the district since October require special-education services included in their IEPs. When students arrive with IEPs the receiving district is legally required to provide the services in those plans, Malaney said.

Malaney and school committee…

Millis school leaders present FY26 budget request as enrollment and special‑needs counts rise

Summary

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