School budget preview: committee reviews $3.13M in new position requests and preserves existing student fees
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Summary
Framingham administrators presented $3.13 million in proposed new positions for FY 2026, with compliance roles prioritized; the committee approved keeping athletic fees at $0 and transportation at $250 per student (max $500/family) and approved parking fees after separate vote.
District finance staff presented a preliminary FY 2026 budget request that includes $3,130,450 in new position requests, divided between compliance positions (about $845,429) and noncompliance requests (about $2.22 million). The packet notes the list reflects principal and director requests and will be adjusted after the city provides a municipal revenue number.
The superintendent and finance director said compliance positions — including special-education staff, an 18–22 program team and staffing to convert the Evening Academy to a Virtual Success Academy — are likely priorities that the district will try to preserve. Finance staff said they are continuing to identify efficiencies in additional-salary spending and expect to reduce the initial 10.31% preliminary budget increase to a more manageable number once mayoral guidance on revenue is available.
Parents and advocates addressed the committee during public comment. "The Framingham CPAC expressed support for all the positions listed in the memo on new positions requested for financial year '26," said Therese Actum Roberts, a board member of the Framingham Special Education Parent Advisory Council, urging the committee to include the proposed positions in the budget to meet rising demand for services.
On fees, the committee reviewed the annual fee schedule. The athletic fee remains $0, the transportation fee remains $250 per student with a $500 family cap, and parking permits at Framingham High School stay at $125 for the upper lot and $75 for the lower lot. The committee first approved all fees except parking in a roll-call vote and then approved parking permits in a separate roll-call vote; the parking vote passed 8–1 with District 4 (Adam Freudberg) recorded as "no." Finance staff reported $26,775.77 in the high-school parking revolving account and said those funds are restricted to parking-lot uses such as restriping or security cameras.
Committee members urged staff to develop options for expanding parking capacity at Framingham High School; finance staff estimated an approximate engineering/design cost of about $10,000 per additional parking space depending on stormwater and site work, and said they would commission a study to determine feasible additions.
Members asked staff to return with revised FY 2026 recommendations after receiving final revenue figures from the city and to surface opportunities for modest district-wide stipended after‑school programming where possible. The public hearing on the FY 2026 budget is scheduled for March 19; the committee said it will use that meeting to gather public input and refine priorities.
