Andover School Committee adopts $107.5 million FY2026 budget after public hearing

The Andover School Committee voted to adopt a $107,504,760 operating budget for fiscal year 2026 following a public hearing on March 6, 2025. The budget preserves programs while narrowing a multi‑year structural gap through personnel reductions, use of reserves and one‑time town support for special education costs.

Superintendent Doctor Parvey presented the superintendent’s recommended budget and said the administration used community feedback and the Budget Advisory Council’s guidance in building the proposal. “A dollar in from somewhere is a dollar out from somewhere else,” Doctor Parvey told the meeting, summarizing the town’s single‑bucket approach to revenue and spending and why the district prioritized sustaining services while trimming costs.

Why it matters: salaries make up roughly 80% of the district’s operating budget and the administration said it worked to preserve classroom programs and keep class sizes within school committee policy while addressing a multi‑year deficit. The district reported an initial FY2026 shortfall of roughly $1.87 million that was reduced to about $177,845 through a mix of personnel attrition, careful contract and non‑salary reductions, use of revolving accounts and other savings. Special‑education out‑of‑district tuition increases represented a parallel pressure the administration treated separately.

Key details from the presentation: the budget totals personnel expenses of $85,692,573 and $21,812,187 for general (non‑personnel) expenses. The operating budget supports 922 full‑time‑equivalent positions; 878 of those are educators and support staff and 44 are administrators, the presentation said. The administration highlighted special‑education tuition growth: private residential placements can cost “upwards of $500,000 per student,” Doctor Parvey said, and the district’s out‑of‑district placements rose from six students in 2025 to 13, creating a separate $3.2 million pressure the administration said it addressed through savings, increased circuit breaker reimbursements and reserve use.

On funding choices: the district used $1,112,508 from a circuit‑breaker reserve the administration said is maintained for high, unpredictable special‑education costs. The superintendent also told the committee the town manager submitted a separate warrant article seeking a $450,000 one‑time appropriation to help cover the spike in special‑education tuition; Doctor Parvey emphasized that the $450,000 must be voted at the Town Meeting and is not automatically included in the operating budget.

Public and advisory input: parents and advisory‑council members who addressed the hearing praised the expanded community outreach. “This year’s budget process shows a vast improvement over previous years,” said Dave Crowe, identified in the hearing as a member of the FY26 Budget Advisory Council. Susan McCrady, who said she serves on a superintendent advisory group, thanked the administration for the outreach and for efforts to limit layoffs and preserve services: “I just wanted to come tonight and really express my appreciation to the committee, to the administration, to the leadership team, for all the effort you’ve put forward in balancing the budget and for the increase to the community outreach,” she said.

Next steps: the committee will present the approved operating budget and the separate warrant article at the joint FinCom/Select Board/School Committee meeting and then at the Town Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The superintendent and finance staff said they will continue to monitor enrollments and placements through the spring and adjust staffing where legally required or where student needs dictate.

The committee’s final recorded vote on the FY2026 budget was recorded during the regular meeting that followed the hearing; the formal vote outcome is listed with other formal actions in a summary of votes taken at the meeting.