Scituate School Committee reviews $48.3M FY26 operating budget; committee preserves staff and adds $210,217 from forecast

Scituate — Superintendent Birkhead presented a proposed FY2026 operating budget of $48.3 million to the Scituate School Committee at a public hearing Monday evening, saying the plan holds existing staff in place, restores targeted spending for curriculum and facilities and incorporates an additional $210,217 in revenue identified after the committee’s prior meeting.

Birkhead opened the hearing by calling the proposal “a reflection of your values,” and said the plan “avoids teacher staff layoffs and a potential override” while prioritizing competitive salaries, professional development and building maintenance.

The budget is driven by personnel costs and grant revenue. Birkhead told the committee that roughly 79–80 percent of the operating budget pays salaries and benefits and that the district also expects about $4.2 million in grants and revolving account revenue, putting the full budgetary picture near $52 million when those funds are included.

Why it matters: The presentation preserves classroom staffing and district programs while asking the committee to approve modest restorations and reclassifications after earlier belt-tightening. Committee members pressed district leaders on how the money will be used for curriculum adoption, technology and data systems that the district says will help teachers target instruction.

Key figures and changes - Proposed FY26 operating budget: $48.3 million (operating); total budget including grants and revolving funds roughly $52 million, according to the presentation. - Additional revenue: The financial forecast committee identified $210,217 after the committee’s prior meeting; the superintendent proposed using that sum to restore several line items. - Staffing: No new full-time equivalent positions were added to the FY26 operating budget overall; the superintendent said the budget is “keeping them all” (referring to current staff) and left a $75,000 placeholder in a salary line for special education volatility or a possible kindergarten hire if enrollment requires it. - Facilities/maintenance: The budget maintains a recurring $250,000 facilities/maintenance line. The superintendent also added $40,000 to contracted services for generator repairs to match recent actuals. - Curriculum: The superintendent restored part of the curriculum revision funding (an added roughly $18,000 compared with the prior draft) and kept a central curriculum-adoption line for multi-year text and materials work. Social studies and math adoption costs were described as prioritized in the district’s multi‑year cycle. - Technology and cybersecurity: Technology spending has increased in recent years; the presentation anticipates ongoing cybersecurity and device-replacement needs (fifth- and ninth-grade device replacement cycles) and includes $16,000 in FY26 for a data/dashboard subscription (OpenArchitects) after one year of grant-funded onboarding. - Transportation and special education: The district runs its own regular and special-education transportation; officials said that practice produces savings compared with fully contracted models. Special-education out-of-district tuitions previously surged and have since leveled; the superintendent noted roughly $400,000 of tuition increases in recent years and mentioned a town-level special-education reserve fund as a possible future hedge.

Committee questions and staff responses Committee members asked a series of operational and programmatic questions during the discussion. Highlights: - Communications staffing: Committee members asked whether the district should hire a full-time communications position. Birkhead said the district has used short-term contracted help for a website rebuild and training and added $27,750 to contracted services this budget to buy some hours for communications, while noting a full-time communications director is commonly used in other districts and could be considered when funds allow. - Enrollment and kindergarten uncertainty: The district reported relatively flat total enrollment (Oct. 1 counts of 2,745 in 2023–24 and 2,744 in the most recent reporting). The superintendent said kindergarten counts are volatile and the $75,000 placeholder is intended to allow the district to add staff if needed; the district also uses a 10-year enrollment projection from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to plan for growth. - Curriculum and professional development: Committee members asked for targeted support for writing and for assurances that curriculum-adoption funding will also cover teacher collaboration and post‑implementation work. The superintendent said the curriculum revisions line is intended to support implementation work, including professional development and follow-up. - Data/dashboard (OpenArchitects): Committee members pressed for a centralized data dashboard to make benchmark and assessment data more accessible to teachers. The superintendent said DESE S3 and partner grants are funding initial setup in FY25 and the district has budgeted $16,000 in FY26 for the subscription; district staff described that as the full FY26 subscription cost and said the work to integrate sources is underway at no cost to the district for FY25 through the state-funded start-up supports. - Math supports and WIN blocks: Committee members compared elementary “math specialist” and middle-school “math literacy” roles and asked why similar targeted supports do not appear at the high school. District staff said the roles are similar in purpose; the middle school now uses both push-in and pull-out small-group models with a WIN block to target students, and Gates (the middle school) will expand WIN access so 100% of students will have the block next year. High-school WIN is being reviewed and planned for enhancement.

Restorations and one-time items Birkhead said the additional $210,217 mainly restores line items reduced in earlier drafts and targets specific needs: a $75,000 placeholder salary line (contingency for kindergarten or special-education volatility), restoration of desk-and-chair replacement lines at two elementary schools (restored to $35,000 per building), additional curriculum revision money, and $40,000 for generator and contracted services maintenance lines.

Formal actions The meeting concluded without a vote on the budget; committee members will consider final approval at the committee’s next meeting. The only formal motion recorded during the hearing was a motion to adjourn. The motion to adjourn was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Quotes - “I believe the budget is a reflection of your values,” Superintendent Birkhead said at the start of the presentation. - “It’s pretty common in most school budgets that 80% or more of your budget is people,” Birkhead said, arguing staff retention was the top priority.

What’s next The committee will vote on the final FY26 operating budget at its next scheduled meeting (the superintendent asked the committee to consider approving the final budget at the next meeting). If approved by the committee, the budget proceeds to the town process that determines final appropriations and town meeting action.

Sources: presentation and discussion at the Scituate School Committee FY26 budget public hearing, Feb. 3, 2025.