Superintendent Sawyer told a joint meeting of the Attleboro School Committee and the Municipal Council on Jan. 6 that the district will submit a preliminary level-services FY26 budget of $109,117,356.76, an increase the administration says reflects rising insurance, retirement and special-education costs.

"Budgets are a reflection of values," Superintendent Sawyer said, explaining why the schools present a full budget picture to the council. He described Attleboro as "an underfunded school district," and said the community must account for a persistent gap between local spending and state averages.

The administration said the FY25 operating budget (excluding transportation) is $98,346,114. District finance leader Britney Carla, assistant director of finance and operations, said the district used $6,200,000 in ESSER funds and that $3,600,000 of that paid for air-quality upgrades. Carla said the upgrades and recent boiler work mean all buildings now have air conditioning and improved HVAC infrastructure.

Carla said the district projects an increase of about 187 students for FY26 and that the level-services preliminary budget represents a 4.9% increase over FY25. She called out specific cost drivers: a significant rise in health insurance and retirement contributions, and projected tuition increases for out-of-district special-education placements that the administration estimated at about 6% growth.

"For context, it's about 1% adjustment in health insurance equates to about $140,000," Carla said. She added that specialized transportation costs for McKinney-Vento, foster and special-education students are growing as vendors raise rates and some specialized services doubled recent cost-of-living increases.

Assistant Superintendent Reagan said the district is prioritizing teaching and learning while expanding supports for students' emotional, behavioral and language needs. Reagan and other administrators told the council the district is short approximately 200 staff positions compared with comparable funding levels, and that closing that gap would allow smaller class sizes and more in-district supports.

"We are missing about 200 personnel," Assistant Superintendent Reagan said, adding that the district's student-to-staff ratio has historically been about 15–17 in Attleboro compared with roughly 12–14 in similar districts.

School committee members and councilors pressed for context. Finance subcommittee chair Larson said Attleboro has funded schools among the bottom decile of Massachusetts municipalities on per-pupil measures and net school spending comparisons. Larson and others referenced the Chapter 70 funding formula and the Student Opportunity Act as background factors; the committee said broader state-level reform conversations remain several years away.

Officials highlighted recent capital and operational improvements the district funded or financed: HVAC work done with Trane expected to yield energy savings, an upcoming districtwide Wi-Fi switch replacement to be funded through the federal E-Rate program, and a phased upgrade to voice systems. Carla said those investments are allowing the district to redirect some efficiency savings toward maintenance elsewhere in the building portfolio.

Councilors asked about program impacts of the funding gap. Administrators said Attleboro is strong in Career & Technical Education — roughly 85% of high-school students are enrolled in CTE programs in the new high-school facility — but limited funding constrains adding staff or expanding hours in two-person CTE programs. Assistant Superintendent Reagan and program directors said the middle-school level needs additional focus and guidance supports.

Officials detailed other pressures: contracted transportation vendors increasing rates, a 10–18% rise in health and retirement costs cited by administrators, and ongoing growth in some tuition line items for special placements. McKinney-Vento placements can require long-distance daily transportation that the district said is volatile and costly, and in at least one past year the district estimated those transportation costs at roughly $70,000–$80,000.

The committee's budget-and-finance subcommittee voted to recommend submission of the FY26 level-services budget to City Hall. The full school committee approved the recommendation by voice vote. The meeting also included a consent agenda approving eight donations and contractual items (see "Votes at a glance").

Officials repeatedly emphasized that, while the district is operating with constrained resources, leaders do not foresee a short-term crisis and will continue to pursue efficiencies, state advocacy and philanthropic support to narrow the funding gap.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: accepted eight items (donations and contractual obligations including $356 from Gifts and Things Inc. for SkillsUSA, $86.60 from Attleboro Bliss Dairy Restaurant to a marketing class, Shutterfly contract $8,886.61, Feinstein Foundation donation $24,000, $1,000 from Bay Path University, $20.40 from Bay State Textile, a conveyed stroller valued at $1,500, and a day field trip for 52 students to the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts). Outcome: approved unanimously by the committee.

- FY26 level-services budget submission: motion recommended by the budget and finance subcommittee and approved by the full committee to submit a FY26 school budget of $109,117,356.76 to City Hall. Outcome: approved by voice vote.

Ending

Superintendent Sawyer and school leaders said they will continue working with the mayor's office and council as the state budget process unfolds in the coming months; they noted the governor's budget release later in January will clarify state aid estimates. The administration said it will return to the committee with refined figures as state and city budget processes advance.