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Quincy Council approves $146.6 million FY2026 school budget; district highlights retention and new RDLC program
Summary
The City Council approved the Quincy Public Schools FY2026 appropriation of $146,634,627. School leaders said the budget preserves staff and programs, highlighted strong teacher retention, and noted expansion at the Dr. Rick DeCristoforo Learning Center (RDLC).
The Quincy City Council approved the Quincy Public Schools FY2026 appropriation of $146,634,627 during the council’s departmental hearings.
Superintendent Thomas Mulvey told the council that the appropriation funds current staffing and programs and that, unlike some neighboring districts, Quincy is not proposing layoffs. The budget includes reassignments of positions to balance class sizes and programs rather than eliminating posts, the superintendent said.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Perkins said the district is expanding the Dr. Rick DeCristoforo Learning Center (RDLC), a program that serves students with autism and other disabilities. Perkins said the RDLC served 48 students in the current year and is projected to serve 54 next year; the in-city program avoids out-of-district tuition costs the district would otherwise pay.
James Mulaney, the district’s senior director of business affairs, provided the budget math: the FY2026 request totals $146,634,627, a $4,198,160 increase over FY2025. Funding sources cited in the presentation included an appropriation proposed by the mayor of $138,384,627 and an expected circuit-breaker (special education reimbursement) payment of $8,350,000. The budget also assumes the prior SR3 funding offset would not be available and the district used other internal offsets such as projected retiree salary savings.
Mulaney said the district is budgeting for step-and-level salary increases but not for a new negotiated percentage raise in the FY2026 baseline. He listed several pressure points the budget addressed, including increased out-of-district special-education tuition costs, additional in-district special-education aide requirements, and transportation costs for students with specialized needs.
Councilors asked questions about classroom impacts, staffing shifts and reimbursement timing. The council approved the appropriation by voice vote; the transcript records the motion to approve the appropriation and the outcome recorded as “the ayes have it.”
The school budget will next proceed through the usual administrative steps for implementation and the district will report on circuit-breaker reimbursements and staffing adjustments in subsequent school committee and council briefings.
