Scituate Public Schools presents lean FY26 budget; leaders stress staffing, special education and cybersecurity costs

Scituate — School leaders presented a proposed FY26 budget on Jan. 27 that they said holds staffing steady while shifting tighter spending on supplies and increasing funds for special education, technology and curriculum adoption.

Superintendent Dr. Grama opened the presentation by saying the proposed FY26 package “is approximately 80% people. It's a people business,” and emphasized that the budget is built to avoid layoffs and an override. Business staff said the district’s total proposed budget is roughly $52.3 million, combining a town contribution of about $48.1 million and roughly $4 million in grants and revolving funds.

Why it matters: Committee members and staff framed the FY26 proposal as an attempt to protect current staff amid “tight” municipal revenue growth while responding to volatile, high-cost areas such as out‑of‑district special education tuition and technology security upgrades. School leaders highlighted that special education tuition lines increased by about $400,000 in the proposal and that textbook/curriculum purchases are a major one‑time cost this year.

Budget highlights and tradeoffs - Staffing: Presenters said total FTEs remain flat from FY25 to FY26; the committee heard that the budget spreads available salary resources across lines to preserve current positions while leaving negotiating flexibility for six union contracts. - Special education: The budget sets special education spending near $3.9 million, a roughly $400,000 increase tied principally to higher private school/out‑of‑district tuition costs. Leaders described the volatility of that line as a “six‑figure swing” from year to year and said the district is lobbying state-level agencies for predictability. - Technology and cybersecurity: The proposal increases technology funding after several years of reliance on one‑time town articles. Presenters said eRate reimbursements will cover a portion of planned network upgrades, and cybersecurity investments are funded with a combination of one‑time grants and operating dollars. - Curriculum and instructional materials: The district plans a sizable investment in social studies materials for grades 6–12 (presenters showed $200,000 lines for both middle and high school textbook purchases) and professional development tied to those adoptions. - Transportation and athletics: Officials noted transportation is run in‑house and described it as a cost‑saving measure relative to districts that contract out bus service. Athletics spending was described as “flat” and the district reiterated it will not reintroduce athletic fees.

What the committee asked and directed: Members pressed staff on the special education tuition increases, asking about lobbying channels and options to reduce out‑of‑district placements. Presenters recommended continuing to invest in in‑district programming to limit placements and noted an operational services division (OSD) process sets some tuition rates. Committee members also asked for future budget materials that demonstrate return on investment for recent curriculum and technology spending.

Next steps: Staff said they will present a deeper FY26 budget review at a dedicated meeting Feb. 3, and will return with amended slides and more detail on program-specific line items. Dr. Grama and the business office indicated they will propose any required transfers or “true‑ups” later in the fiscal year if actual revenue or expenditures differ from current estimates.

Ending: Committee members voiced general support for preserving staff and for incremental technology and curriculum investments while asking staff to continue seeking predictability for special education costs.