Exeter School Board adopts $25.67 million operating budget, highlights special-education costs and paraprofessional contract proposal

The Exeter School Board voted unanimously to approve a $25,669,231 operating budget for fiscal year 2026 during its public hearing and subsequent board meeting, a motion the board carried 5-0.

Board members emphasized that the proposed total is only slightly higher than the district's default budget and that special education drove most of the increase. "So in the scheme of things, it's not much more than the default budget," said Patrick, board member, explaining the narrow difference between the proposed figure and the default amount.

The warrant article read to the public described the article as the operating budget excluding separate warrant-article appropriations. It listed the proposed amount of $25,669,231 and said the default budget, should the article be defeated, would be $25,711,928. The board recommended passage of the $25,669,231 number and later approved it in the board meeting.

Why it matters: Board members and administrators said the largest single driver of the budget change is special education. The district identified roughly $843,000 of additional special-education funding needs and estimated that about $500,000 of the increase reflects supports such as paraeducators and registered behavior technicians (RBTs). Board members warned that failing to hire enough paraeducators would force the district to use contracted providers at higher per-person cost.

Administration and board members described separate, smaller increases and offsetting cuts. The budget includes a planned hire of a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) with a cited cost of about $245,000, while the administration reduced some substitute and certified staffing lines to offset other needs. "We're going to hire an additional BCBA," Patrick said. "But even given these increases...there's also been a number of cuts."

Collective-bargaining agreement for paraprofessionals: The board also presented a warrant article asking voters to approve the cost items in a tentative collective-bargaining agreement with the Exeter Paraprofessional Association. The article lists estimated district cost increases of $356,149 for fiscal 2026, $286,233 for 2027 and $170,759 for 2028; the warrant asked voters to appropriate $356,149 for the current fiscal year if they approve the article. Heather, board member, summarized the agreement's principal elements: an initial 8% salary increase in year one and expanded health-insurance coverage phased in over subsequent years intended to make paraprofessional positions more competitive and reduce reliance on contracted providers.

Special-education expendable trust: The board explained a separate warrant article to place up to $75,000 into a Special Education Expendable Trust Fund to cover unanticipated placements or costs. Administrators said the trust currently holds about $467,958 — enough to cover one high-cost placement — and that the $75,000 request would provide a buffer while the district identifies funds during the year. "This is really an amount to provide, or to eliminate any potential delay, for that child to receive services while the Exeter School District locates the appropriate sum within the current budget," an administrator said.

Capital reserve: A fourth warrant article would place up to $50,000 into a Capital Reserve Fund for unanticipated capital items; administrators described prior uses such as paving and lighting and said the fund gives the district flexibility for safety and facility projects.

Board action and next steps: During the board meeting portion, a member moved to approve the $25,669,231 operating budget and the motion passed by voice vote with all present members saying "aye." No final town-level vote on warrant articles occurs at the board meeting; the articles will appear before voters at the district's voting processes as described in the warrant. Board members discussed monitoring special-education contracted-services spending and recommended quarterly reports to track whether the paraprofessional agreement, if approved by voters, reduces contracted-service costs.

Ending: The board signed the warrant and budget documents for posting, and administrators said they will continue to monitor special-education expenses and report back to the board during the year.