Superintendent outlines FY26 level‑services budget; committee approves 3% preschool tuition increase

Superintendent and district staff presented the Watertown Public Schools’ preliminary FY26 level‑services budget and identified a projected gap between the city allocation and the district roll‑up budget.

Key figures presented: the city’s FY26 allocation to the schools was listed at $61,893,912 (including a proposed $100,000 to continue universal pre‑K), while the district’s roll‑up projected expenses were $62,389,662, producing a negative delta of $495,749. The superintendent noted that when offsets (grants and enterprise/revolving revenues such as fees and food services) are included, the total cost of running the district is approximately $68 million.

District officials called out major budget drivers: salary step increases (a large share of staff are moving a step this year), out‑of‑district special education placements and related tuition increases, and higher non‑salary costs. The district reported an increase in known out‑of‑district special education placements from 54 (budgeted in FY25) to 68 for FY26, and estimated that new placements would add roughly $1.1 million to FY26 costs. The presentation also noted projected circuit breaker (state special education reimbursement) relief of $3,858,979.

Officials described fiscal tools and constraints: a special education stabilization fund in the city can provide midyear relief but is not a source for recurring FY26 budget building; statute allows prepaying up to 25% of tuition in advance when year‑end funds are available, and the district typically enters a prepaid tuition encumbrance (around $900,000) when appropriate.

School committee members reviewed a ranked list of priority requests totaling several hundred thousand dollars, including a social worker for early‑steps classrooms, two teachers at the Hosmer to maintain class sizes, a math interventionist, additional custodial staffing for the new high school and a 0.6 FTE social studies teacher at the high school (combined prioritized additions shown as roughly $750,000). The administration said it would pursue internal reallocations, review discretionary accounts, explore alternative revenue sources and consider fee adjustments only as a last resort.

On a separate agenda item, the committee voted to approve an annual 3% increase in preschool tuition for 2025‑26. District staff explained that tuition funds cover half of a preschool teacher and half of one preschool aide per classroom and that a predictable, modest annual increase is preferable to large catch‑up increases after multiple years without increases. The superintendent said the 3% figure reflects a reasonable average for salary steps and cost of living adjustments; committee members asked staff to continue exploring a sliding fee scale and other affordability strategies and to return to the committee if adjustments are needed.

The superintendent outlined next steps for the FY26 budget calendar: committee deliberations on Feb. 27 and March 6, a public hearing on March 24 on the recommended budget and a final vote in late March. Committee members asked that the administration continue identifying offsets and potential reallocations and that the full committee receive detailed line‑by‑line material in upcoming budget deliberations.