Fall River committee reviews $274 million FY26 foundation budget; PACE Center move delayed, $1 million request to city fails

The Fall River School Committee on March 3 reviewed a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that officials said meets net school spending but leaves capital work for early childhood facilities unfunded and predicts rising non-school-city costs such as transportation.

Resident Rachel Martin urged the committee to fully fund early childhood programming and to build a “state of the art early childhood building” with accessible outdoor space, a sensory room and separate therapy spaces, saying “early childhood education is not just an expense, it's… an investment in the future success of the city's children.”

Superintendent Tracy Curley presented the budget overview, calling a budget “not just a collection of numbers but an expression of our values and aspirations,” and CFO Kevin Almeda said the district’s foundation (net school spending) budget for FY26 is about $273–$274 million, with an average per-pupil figure the administration described as roughly $20,904.

Why it matters: The proposal reflects a 12–13% year‑over‑year jump in net school spending driven in part by the Student Opportunity Act funding cycle and a rise in enrollment the presentation said was about 673 students. The committee must weigh staffing requests, rising transportation and retirement costs, and one-time capital needs while preparing an adopted budget to send to the mayor and city council later this spring.

Key facts and figures - Foundation/net school spending: approximately…