The Duxbury School Committee used part of Thursday’s meeting to update members on FY26 budget planning, the town’s override discussion and the schedule of upcoming joint meetings with the select board and finance committee.

Committee members reminded attendees that the school budget appears in the town budget as a single line item; the district has presented both a level-funded scenario and a proposed “level plus” scenario up to a 2.5% override. The committee’s representative for the school department said the schools would not present a new line-by-line budget at the joint meeting because the department has already presented its needs and the two budget scenarios.

The school department representative said the committee should expect questions from the select board and finance committee but that those bodies are primarily reviewing town budget line items. "We're on the agenda for school department budget discussion," the school department representative said, noting the schools had already presented their recommended scenarios.

Committee members asked whether a date existed for the select board to adopt an override number. Staff answered that no official date had been provided; they noted the warrant for the town meeting was originally scheduled to close Jan. 13 but that the select board could vote to close the warrant and later reopen it if necessary. The committee also scheduled three additional joint meetings on upcoming Thursdays to continue discussions with the finance committee and select board.

Members and the public raised the practical impact of the override on course offerings: several new programs rolled out at the middle and high school would be unavailable unless an override moved forward. One committee member said, “They will not be available at this. Okay. Not an override, which is why I'm a little frustrated tonight,” reflecting uncertainty about program availability while the override number was still unsettled.

The committee also moved its January 22 meeting to Jan. 29 to avoid a conflict with high school course selection night, aiming to allow families and staff to attend both events. The committee said the January 29 agenda would include MSBA-related items and other business relevant to the school community.

No formal votes on the override or changes to the budget were recorded in the transcript; the meeting record shows planning, scheduling and continued review as the main outcomes.