Wilmington superintendent presents recommended $X budget with cuts to meet town's 4% guideline

Superintendent Dr. John Brand presented the Wilmington Public Schools' superintendent's recommended budget for fiscal 2025-26 at the Jan. 22 School Committee meeting, saying the district trimmed roughly $650,000 from an earlier preliminary request to align with the town manager's guidance of a 4% overall increase.

Brand said the district took a two-pronged approach: first, seek reductions in non-salary accounts and deferred purchases; second, defer hiring three proposed district-level positions if necessary. "We tried to protect positions that directly serve students in new special-education placements," Brand said, and noted the district still seeks funding for an expanded program at Woburn Street School tied to incoming students.

The nut graf: the recommended plan reduces non-salary spending by about $420,000 and removes three recommended positions (a districtwide…