North Andover committee weighs temporary Kittredge closure, $4 million in cuts as FY26 guidance lands

North Andover School Committee members on Jan. 7 heard a recap of the Jan. 2 budget working session and directed staff to further explore options to meet town budget guidance after Superintendent Lathrop said, “That number is $64,804,000.” The committee did not adopt a final FY26 budget at the meeting but set a schedule for additional presentations and public hearings.

The working-session recap, delivered by Superintendent Lathrop, showed the town manager's guidance at $64,804,000 (a 4.42 percent increase over FY25), noted the town moved $334,000 in Medicaid revenue into the schools' budget, and described a $700,000 reserve reallocation previously approved by the finance committee and select board. District staff presented a target reduction of roughly $4,000,000 (the slide totals showed $4,094,129) to meet that guidance and outlined preliminary ways each cost center and school might contribute to that reduction.

Why this matters: the scenarios presented would change class-size ranges, reduce staff, shift some central-office and technology funding, and could include a temporary closure or relocation of Kittredge School. Those changes would affect students across the district and trigger formal steps (town-meeting votes, MSBA reviews and collective-bargaining considerations) before becoming final.

Key facts and staff direction

- Guidance and gap: Superintendent Lathrop reported the town manager's FY26 guidance of $64,804,000; district leaders estimated a gap of about $4 million relative to a projected level-service budget and identified a preliminary reduction target of $4,094,129.

- Revenue and reserves: the recap noted $334,000 in Medicaid revenue added to the district budget and a $700,000 reserve previously held for middle-school staffing that the town, finance committee and select board moved into the schools' budget.

-…