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Vocational-school budget drives heated debate as Methuen officials weigh school cuts and town's share
Summary
A contentious exchange at Methuen's budget workshop centered on a $5.1 million assessment from Greater Lawrence Technical School and competing FY2026 school budgets that could trigger layoffs in Methuen Public Schools.
Greater Lawrence Technical School's proposed FY2026 assessment for Methuen, and broader questions about school funding, dominated a long and sometimes contentious portion of the Methuen City Council's budget workshop Tuesday.
John Lavoie, superintendent-director of Greater Lawrence Technical School, told the council the district's assessment for Methuen will be $5,117,501 for FY2026, an increase he said stems largely from enrollment growth at the vocational regional school and state funding changes. "We took in 62 additional students for this school year," Lavoie said, explaining the enrollment rise raised Methuen's share of the regional tab.
The figures prompted sharply worded objections from several councilors, who said Methuen faces tough choices for its own school budget and should not automatically "rubber stamp" large increases to the regional vocational district. Councilor Ferretra called the GLTS budget "full of…
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