Dozens of parents, teachers and union leaders urged the Methuen City Council on Monday to reject the mayor’s proposed budget and prevent planned layoffs that speakers said would cut classrooms and student services.

Public commenters said the cuts — variously described during the meeting as affecting between roughly 40 and more than 100 positions depending on counting method — would hollow out reading specialists, counseling, special education supports and arts and elective offerings. The comments came during the council’s regular meeting at the Great Hall, where the mayor also defended parts of his budget and the council approved multiple short-term transfers funded from free cash.

The push to preserve positions gained repeated, emotional testimony. “These layoffs, they don’t save money, they will cost us,” said John Drew, a Methuen homeowner and parent, who told the council that delaying votes past contractual layoff deadlines amounted to “political gamesmanship.”

Educators spoke in detail about how staffing reductions would change classroom conditions. “Without these strong literacy skills, a student’s path forward becomes steep and uncertain,” said Jillian Sullivan, a reading specialist at the Tenney Grammar School, describing how district reading staff fell from roughly 33 educators before the pandemic to nine now and would drop further under the cuts.

Teachers and labor leaders asked the council to use one-time reserves to prevent layoffs. “Protect these schools,” said Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, who appeared with local union leaders to press the council to prioritize classroom positions.

Mayor Beauregard told the council he remains focused on avoiding layoffs and pointed to options he said could protect jobs, including using one-time reserves and consolidating nonpersonnel costs. The mayor said the city is proposing an increase in school funding year over year and cited line-item adjustments — for example, reducing certain nonpersonnel building expenses — that he said could free up funds to preserve classroom positions.

Votes at a glance
- TR 25-20: Resolution authorizing transfer of $650,000 from free cash to compensate absent/leave reserve to fund paid time off payouts. Motion moved by Councilor Ferretra; seconded; approved.
- TR 25-21: Resolution authorizing transfer of $200,000 from free cash to injured-in-line-of-duty reserve. Motion moved and approved.
- TR 25-22: Resolution authorizing transfer of $500,000 from free cash to unemployment reserve to fund unemployment benefits. Motion moved and approved; council discussed timing and possible increased unemployment exposure if layoffs occur before positions are restored.
- TR 25-23: Resolution authorizing transfer of $300,000 from free cash to workers’ compensation reserve. Motion moved and approved.
- TR 25-24: Resolution authorizing transfer of $900,000 from free cash to the Methuen Public Schools budget line to cover one-time fiscal 2025 special-education costs. Motion moved and approved.

Those transfers were approved as one-time uses of free cash intended to cover short-term liabilities tied to personnel, insurance and special-education costs. Councilors and members of the public debated whether using reserves now creates a gap for future budgets; several councilors and the mayor said the transfers are time-limited and that longer-term structural changes or new revenue will be needed by FY27.

Council discussion and staff materials
City financial staff provided a packet with detailed ten-year histories of revenues and expenditures and said the transfers reflect one-time needs. The chief administrative and financial officer (CAFO) noted the city’s stabilization and free-cash balances have grown in recent years but warned repeated use of one-time reserves to plug operational gaps would be unsustainable.

Councilors asked for more detail about unemployment exposure and how many employees might be affected if layoffs proceed before budget votes are finalized. The CAFO agreed to provide clarifications on summer unemployment payments and on the timing of any subsequent requests tied to certification of free cash.

Why it matters
The council’s decisions this month determine whether layoffs proceed before September school staffing and, if implemented, how long displaced employees may remain on unemployment. Teachers and staff cited research and personal experience in arguing that layoffs would reduce literacy supports, increase class sizes and limit services for English learners and medically fragile students. Officials said the city faces competing demands across departments and that one-time reserve spending should not become a recurring fix.

What’s next
Councilors said they plan additional budget workshops and a finance committee review before finalizing the fiscal 2026 operating budget. Several speakers and elected officials urged earlier and clearer budget timelines in future years so school planning can proceed without repeated uncertainty.