Bridgewater-Raynham school committee debates post-election budget, faces July 1 DESE deadline

Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District officials debated budget options Tuesday after voter overrides failed in both member towns, with the committee under a July 1 deadline to submit an amended or recertified budget to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

The failed overrides prompted discussion of three main paths: amend and resubmit a reduced “post-election” budget to the towns, accept the smaller town-approved increases (3 percent for Raynham and 4.67 percent for Bridgewater), or allow DESE to impose a 1/12 budget that would apportion funding monthly and likely be smaller than the committee’s proposed spending.

The committee’s chair and staff told members the district has 15 days of extension from DESE to act and that, absent a certified budget by July 1, DESE ‘‘will step in’’ and implement a 1/12 budget for fiscal 2026 that would be allocated monthly to the district and assessed to the towns. The committee also discussed using district stabilization (E and D) funds to reduce the towns’ assessments and to lower the shortfall the district faces.

Superintendent Powers summarized the political and turnout context during the meeting…