Superintendent presents $190.4 million initial FY26 school budget; committee set to refine request

Framingham Public Schools presented its first draft of the FY26 operating budget Wednesday, asking for $190,400,000 — a 10.31% increase over the current year — and said administrators will work with city finance officials to pare that request before final submission.

Lincoln Lynch, executive director for finance and operations, described the document as an "initial budget" that includes current positions, proposed new positions and negotiated salary increases. Lynch said the increase is driven primarily by personnel costs: roughly $17.8 million of the increase and about $14.6 million attributable to salary increases and steps. "So at this point, we are at a 10.31% increase," Lynch told the committee.

Why it matters: The budget outlines how the district plans to fund mandated services and several new initiatives. Early numbers from the state — the department’s Cherry Sheet estimates released the same day — project an additional $6.5 million in Chapter 70 state aid tied to enrollment, a development Lynch described as encouraging and which will be factored into later drafts.

Key elements in the FY26 initial request: - Total initial operating budget: $190,400,000 (10.31% increase). - Personnel: Most of the increase; 51.7 new FTE requests ($3.13 million) with 17 listed as compliance positions required mainly for special education. - Turnover savings: Lynch included a turnover savings estimate of about $5.75 million to reflect staff retirements and hires at lower starting salaries. - Special education: Projected tuition and transportation costs for special education total roughly $30.8 million; total tuition shown at $24.4 million. Circuit breaker carryover was not assumed in the FY26 ask. - In-house busing: The initial budget includes a phased in-house busing plan (leasing buses through a vendor while hiring district drivers/monitors) with an initial projected cost of about $7.2 million in year-one operations (including leases and salaries). Lynch cautioned the committee that in-house operations typically take multiple years to reach full capacity. - Preschool expansion and partnerships: $992,000 included to expand seats through partnerships with Framingham State University, the YMCA and private providers. - Utilities and other operating costs: Utilities were projected at $3.2 million; telecommunications and other district operating costs are included.

Discussion and next steps: Committee members praised the level of detail and said they wanted clearer prioritization of the requests before the March budget book deadline. Several members urged administrators to identify lower-priority items to cut if required and to return with a prioritized list. Lynch said the district will refine the proposal as local revenue estimates from the city are finalized and after additional analysis of the state Cherry Sheet numbers. The final budget book and a public hearing are scheduled before the March submission to the mayor per the charter timeline.

Ending: The presentation sets a starting point for negotiations with the city and the school committee. Officials said they will continue to meet with the school committee finance subcommittee and the city’s finance staff and expected to return with a revised budget informed by updated revenue figures and priorities.