North Middlesex committee weighs FY26 budget, public pushes back on proposed school closure; committee later votes to close Ashby

The North Middlesex Regional School District school committee held a public hearing on the proposed FY26 budget on Feb. 6, during which administration presented a spending plan that trims earlier level-service increases and would require at least one school closure and reduction of staff to close the districtgap.

Superintendent Brad Morgan and business manager Nancy Haines framed the budget as an attempt to deliver a constrained but educationally defensible plan. Morgan said the district began with a level-services increase of 5.58% but had reduced that to a proposed 3.16% after about $1.6 million in cuts. Haines described the major drivers of the FY26 budget: salaries and benefits (roughly 2.77% of the 3.16% increase), rising out-of-district tuition, transportation and insurance; she also listed reductions the administration had made to capital, curriculum, technology and stabilization transfers.

Key figures and program impacts presented by administration:

- Proposed FY26 operating increase: 3.16% (administration said this was down from an initial 5.58%); initial level-service projection was 5.58%. - Approximate dollars discussed in presentation: reductions of roughly $1.6 million to reach 3.16%. - Projected staff impact in the current proposal: reduction of 10.36 full-time-equivalent positions in the general fund. - Potential savings from closing a building were reported in the range of about $400,000—600,000 depending on which building and configuration were chosen. - The district reported total FY26 spending in the presentation in round numbers as roughly $68,000,001.76.

Administrators explained options for consolidation and the trade-offs involved. Haines and Morgan emphasized the districtmandated services that cannot be cut (for example, special education and multilingual programs), leaving reductions to general-education staffing and discretionary lines if revenue does not increase.

The administration presented multiple configuration options, including models that would close 1 or 2 elementary buildings (options had included closing Spalding Memorial School, closing Ashby Elementary, or alternative redistricting). Morgan said one administration recommendation favored keeping Ashby open under a K—1 model with redistricting of some West-Townsend students into Ashby to better balance class sizes; another option kept Ashby K—5 but still shifted students to balance loads.

Public comment: residents from Townsend and Pepperell, including several Spalding staff and parents, urged the committee not to close Spalding Memorial School. Speakers cited transitions for young children, after-school transportation time, community identity and the one-time cost to move playgrounds or retrofit another building. "It's possible Townsend and Ashby students could attend preschool at Swannacook, then go to kindergarten and first grade at Ashby, and then go back to Swannacook and attend second, third, and fourth grade," one Spalding teacher told the committee, warning of multiple transitions for small children. Several commenters said long bus rides (more than an hour in some runs under some options) and larger class sizes would be harmful.

Committee debate: members repeatedly returned to several trade-offs: (1) a single-school closure vs. two-school closure; (2) immediate budgetary savings vs. long-term capacity and flexibility; (3) the community and equity impacts of sending young Townsend children to Ashby or sending Ashby children to Townsend. Committee members and town officials also asked about the possibility of selling or repurposing a district building (Swannacook was discussed as a sale candidate) and requested more detail about estimated proceeds and the legislative steps that would be required.

A rescission vote earlier in the process had removed a prior committee direction so the administration could explore alternative configurations. After extended discussion the committee took a formal motion on what building to close. A motion to close Ashby Elementary and keep Spalding Memorial School open was moved and seconded; a roll-call vote approved that motion 5—4. Committee members said the vote was difficult but that they had to balance near-term savings against the districtcapacity and long-term enrollment uncertainty.

What this means: - The committee's action gives staff direction to prepare implementation steps for consolidating programs and staffing consistent with the chosen configuration; staff and the committee will need to finalize redistricting maps, transportation routing, and a staffing plan that aligns with the adopted budget. - The committee also asked administration to continue exploring sale or repurposing options for district property and to return to the committee with details (including potential timing and restrictions) about any building-sale proceeds.

Next steps and calendar: the school committee must adopt a final FY26 budget by its Feb. 26 meeting for town-level review. Administration and the committee said more work is required on transportation routing, redistricting, and the staffing implications; the committee also flagged the state filing and town meeting calendar for any potential override or special town-meeting votes.