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Acton‑Boxborough finance forecast shows steep near‑term increases; committee debates 'level service' guidance
Summary
District finance staff presented a multiyear projection showing a preliminary FY27 budget of about $124.5 million, a projected 6.4% increase driven mainly by salaries and health‑insurance costs. Committee members debated whether to direct the administration to prepare a strict level‑service budget or to prioritize preserving particular services as
Acton‑Boxborough finance staff told the school committee Tuesday that preliminary multiyear modeling shows a projected FY27 operating total of roughly $124.5 million — about a 6.4% increase over FY26 — if the district maintains current service levels.
The projection flagged two primary drivers: salary increases (cost‑of‑living adjustments, step and lane movement) and rising health‑insurance and retiree‑insurance costs. Finance staff advised using conservative assumptions for modeling because insurance vendors had given ranges; staff said they were carrying an 18% increase for active employee health insurance and a 54% increase for retirees as conservative planning figures.
Why it matters: The projected increases are large relative to recent budgets and would strain the two member towns’ municipal budgets if passed as modeled. Committee members said the projection makes clear that reorganization alone will not close the longer‑term gap and pressed for actionable guidance to the administration…
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