Concord-Carlisle and Concord school leaders present budgets that meet town guidelines, highlight special-education and homeless cost pressures

School administrators presented preliminary Fiscal Year 2026 operating budgets for the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District and Concord Public Schools at the Jan. 7 meeting, saying both budgets meet the guideline set by the Concord Finance Committee but include one-time pressures tied to special education and to transportation for families housed in the Concord emergency shelter.

Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter and Chief Financial Officer Bob Smith (presentation leads) said the regional budget rose roughly 3.86 percent overall, a figure driven primarily by out-of-district special-education tuition increases. Without those tuition increases, the underlying operational increase would have been about 2.5 percent, they said. At the Concord Public Schools (CPS) level, leaders reported a FY26 budget that meets the district guideline of 2.4 percent.

The nut graf: the single largest driver for the regional increase is private and collaborative special-education tuition, which the administration said added roughly $462,000 in gross tuition costs. Separately, both budgets carry new or continuing costs tied to students affected by the Concord shelter: the district expects to spend for additional transportation in FY26 and to rely on state grant reimbursements that are paid on a lagged basis.

Administrators described trade-offs made during a zero-based review process that began in the fall. They cited software and cybersecurity subscriptions, textbook and interactive-board replacement, and an expanded professional-development plan (including a planned K–5 literacy program roll-out) among the budgeted priorities. For the regional budget, Bob Smith said debt service declines modestly in FY26 and that the district is benefitting from a reduced retirement assessment from the town.

On the shelter-related costs, district staff said they expect grant funding to continue for the near term but cautioned the timing and percentage reimbursement are uncertain. “We will front the costs and seek reimbursement from the state on the following year’s settlement,” the CFO said, noting prior-year practice. Administrators asked the committee to schedule the public budget hearing for the CPS operating budget in early February so the committee can hear testimony and vote before warrant deadlines.

Administrators and committee members said they will prepare additional materials for the next meeting showing line-item shifts, a list of items not funded (the “wish list”), and a clearer mapping of how DEIB- and METCO-related spending appears in the budget. The committee also plans more public outreach, including community coffees in Carlisle and Concord, and to cover the FY26 public hearing and any warrant articles at upcoming meetings.

Ending: The committee set follow-up steps: a public budget hearing in early February, additional detail on homeless-transportation projections and grant timing, and an expanded community explanation of where key instructional and equity-related investments appear in the budgets.