Easton faces multi‑million dollar budget gap; school leaders warn of deep cuts without new revenue

Superintendent Dr. Cabral told the Easton School Committee on Jan. 23 that preliminary town budget projections show a gap of more than $6 million for fiscal 2026 — a figure she and town staff said will force difficult choices for the school district and town.

“Connor’s memo” — a budget overview prepared by the town administrator and finance staff — shows an estimated shortfall of approximately $6,383,504 based on preliminary revenue and level-service expense assumptions, Dr. Cabral said. She told the committee the figure reflects anticipated increases in school expenses, including contract step-and-lane increases, rising out‑of‑district special education costs, transportation and a projected rise in health-insurance costs driven by the Group Insurance Commission.

“Right now, as of this moment, today, the town has over a $6,000,000 shortfall for next year’s budget. That is factual. That is in Connor’s memo,” Dr. Cabral said during a detailed presentation that followed an earlier public open house and PACE (public advisory committee for education) discussions.

She said the school department’s projected increase is around 8.2 percent for level service; combined with the town’s projected increases and constrained revenue, the result is the multi‑million dollar shortfall. In addition to contract and program costs, the district is still funding roles created with ARPA federal grants because administrators say student needs remain elevated following the pandemic.

The superintendent said the district’s budget is heavily labor‑dependent — “more than 80 percent of our budget is labor” — limiting options for nonpersonnel savings. She warned that finding several million dollars in cuts would be “regressive” for the district and could force program reductions that would be larger and deeper than past budget contractions.

Committee and PACE leaders discussed short- and long-term options: large expense cuts, a townwide revenue override, or a combination of both. Committee members and PACE co-chairs said the group will present recommendations to the Select Board in March and continue community outreach. The town’s stabilization fund and other reserves were discussed; administrators said drawing those down would be short‑term and would raise longer‑term borrowing costs.

What’s next: the town will present a formal budget message to the Select Board next Monday; PACE will meet again Jan. 29. School leaders said they will continue detailed scenario planning and present options to the committee and the public in the weeks ahead.

Ending: School and town officials said the magnitude of the shortfall means both cuts and revenue options must be on the table; any decision will require public discussion before the town’s budget is finalized.