Medford budget analyst outlines FY26 school budget: enrollment uptick, federal-grant uncertainty and multiple staffing requests

Gerald McHugh, the Medford School Department’s budget analyst, presented an overview of Fiscal Year 2026 budget planning at the March 5 Medford School Committee meeting, highlighting a projected uptick in kindergarten enrollment, multiple staffing requests from principals and uncertainty around federal grants.

McHugh said the district recorded 699 births for the cohort entering kindergarten and that the budget baseline uses October 1, 2024 enrollment as the starting point for FY26 projections. "We are predicting an increase in kindergarten enrollment," he told the committee, and cautioned that year-to-year kindergarten cohorts have fluctuated in recent years.

Budget drivers cited included a projected net enrollment increase (McHugh described the year-over-year change as an increase of roughly 65 students in total), the need to reserve funds for expiring collective-bargaining agreements and a list of principal and director requests that currently total roughly $2.7 million in new spending if all are adopted. McHugh said the district is not proposing to fund every request but wanted principals to fully state their needs.

State and federal funding context McHugh briefed the committee on state and federal revenue. He said the governor’s Chapter 70 proposal would raise Medford’s Chapter 70 aid by about $338,000 based on current estimates. The presentation also listed federal and federal-flow-through programs that support district operations: ESSER funds, Title I (reading and math instruction), Title II-A (professional development), Title III (English Learner programs), Title IV (student support and enrichment), Perkins (vocational education), IDEA (special education) and various competitive grants.

Committee members asked about federal funding uncertainty. McHugh said he had "not heard any specifics" about cuts but that the district is monitoring proposals and will budget some undesignated salary money to mitigate possible grant reductions. Committee members also noted that most federal aid flows through state education agencies, a point emphasized by a committee member who shared an explanatory post by MASC representative Tracy O’Connell Novick in the meeting chat.

Revolving funds and program-specific notes McHugh reviewed revolving-fund balances (school lunch, Kids’ Corner, athletic revolving accounts, before/after care, pool operations and other fee-based accounts). He cautioned that revenue commonly lags spending in revolving funds because of reporting and deposit processes and said some revolving accounts have been used to cover salaries in previous tight-budget years.

Staffing and program requests Highlights of items discussed: - Technology: request to add a network-focused staff position, replace aging servers and UPS units and cover nearly $800,000 in annual software licenses. - Schools: a potential additional elementary teacher at Brooks (held pending final registration), literacy and math interventionists, a BCBA, special-education staff and restoration of some world-language sections including Spanish and an additional French 2 section as a stipend assignment. - High school: interest in a small alternative program pilot (similar in aim to Curtis Tufts), expanded Saturday/Acceleration Academy support and an increased PSAT subsidy (McHugh noted a suggested $2,000 increase to expand participation coverage). - Operations: converting some lunch-monitor salaries to the general fund to comply with DESE reporting, and hiring two swing custodial positions and an assistant director after settling a facilities contract.

McHugh said the district will use $5.25 million of voter-approved override funds (after accounting for $1.75 million advanced earlier by the city) to shore up the FY26 budget and that the total working budget is approximately $83 million. He also said circuit-breaker reimbursements for special-education tuition and transportation will help offset some special-education cost increases in FY26.

Next steps McHugh said the department will post materials to the district website, provide committee members spreadsheets and continue refining projection details and program proposals before the committee adopts a final FY26 school budget.