Auburn presents $64.7 million FY26 budget proposal; principals seek math coaches and more social-emotional staff

The Auburn School Department presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget of $64,718,893 at its March 5 meeting and opened Cost Center 1 with principals reporting enrollment, class sizes and building priorities.

Superintendent Sue Doris told the committee the proposal represents a 4.2% increase over the current year and carries an education mill rate of $9.06; using current assessed value, she said the change would raise taxes on a $150,000 home by $46.39. "We were very fortunate this year to receive an increase in state subsidy," Doris said, noting staff will present more detailed revenue figures later in the process.

The budget presentation emphasized two major cost drivers: an estimated $1.1 million increase for health insurance (a 15% rate assumption) and a roughly $1.3 million rise in special-education costs driven by student needs and out-of-district tuition. Business Manager Amanda Kuchar and staff noted health-trust pool ratings and employee enrollment could change the final insurance figure.

Nut graf: School principals used the Cost Center 1 presentation to report enrollment counts and classroom ratios, explain small staff adjustments and request targeted support for math instruction and social-emotional learning (SEL). Several principals described sizable multilingual learner (MLL) caseloads and a plan to transfer an existing MLL teacher position between buildings rather than add net new staff.

Principals' reports and requests

East Auburn Principal Michelle Gagne projected total enrollment of 151…