Woburn panel advances FY26 budget to public hearing, restores high school cultural specialist

The Woburn School Committee voted April 16 to send a proposed fiscal year 2026 spending plan to a public hearing with an approximately 6.68% year‑over‑year increase and, after debate, voted to restore a grant‑funded cultural specialist position at Woburn High School.

The vote to send the budget to a public hearing came after presentations from district staff outlining drivers of the increase and a sustained discussion among committee members about staffing priorities. “A maintenance budget means all the things we did last year continue,” the mayor of Woburn told the committee, urging members to consider whether proposed changes were additions to maintenance or true new programs.

Why it matters: The committee’s decision sets the number that will go to city leaders and to public review. The proposal funds staff additions the administration says are needed for special education, elementary interventions, registration and operations; reversing the removal of a cultural specialist was the clearest example at the meeting of how community and committee pressure changed staffing decisions before the budget moves forward.

Presentation and drivers District budget presenter Alex (school staff member) told the committee the proposed FY26 package represented about a $5.9 million year‑over‑year increase and a 6.58% rise on several slides, placing the total near $96 million (the presentation cited $96,853,000 on one slide and $96,310,543 on a summary slide). He identified the primary drivers as salary and contracted increases (including a negotiated cost‑of‑living adjustment, steps and longevity), higher special‑education transportation costs and the expiry of a grant offset the district had used in FY25.

Key figures and changes cited in the presentation: - Presenter: proposed year‑over‑year increase of about $5,900,000 (presented as a 6.58% increase). - Salaries and benefits account for the largest portion of the increase; presenter said contractual obligations account for roughly two‑thirds of the year‑over‑year growth. - Special‑education transportation rose by about $900,000, driven in part by steep price increases for specialized buses. - A previous off‑setting grant (presenter referenced an offset of about $600,000 in FY25) is expiring and must be replaced in the operating budget. - Savings captured while trimming the draft included roughly $300,000 from lower electricity costs after building repairs and more efficient solar system performance, and a 10% reduction (about $200,000) in general education transportation after a favorable contract bid. - The administration presented 11 additional full‑time equivalents for FY26: three mandated special‑education positions, four additional elementary positions, four positions to support central registration, and one assistant superintendent for finance and operations.

Offsets and fiscal context During the discussion, district staff clarified offsets the administration expects to apply to the operating budget. Dr. Ryan (district staff) reported an anticipated circuit‑breaker reimbursement carryover of approximately $4,523,469 and additional rent‑related allocations of about $750,000 that the administration plans to apply against special‑education cost pressures. Staff said those offsets were part of how the proposed year‑over‑year increase was reduced from an earlier preliminary estimate.

Cultural specialist debate and vote A substantial portion of the meeting’s debate focused on one personnel decision: whether to convert a grant‑funded high school cultural specialist into an operating position or to instead fund an associate/assistant principal role the high‑school leadership requested. Committee member Mister Austin moved to add the cultural specialist back into the operating budget; members discussed the role’s student‑facing work and whether an associate principal would better meet building needs. School administration said the cultural specialist had been funded through a grant that expired and that the high school leadership said an associate principal would better address management and operational needs.

After discussion, the committee voted to restore the cultural specialist position to the FY26 operating budget. Roll call on that motion recorded five votes in favor and two opposed: Mister Austin (yes); Miss Chisholm (no); Miss Cormier (yes); Mister Lipsett (yes); Miss Morenan (no); Miss Wetzel (yes); Miss Crowley (yes). The committee recorded the restored position as one $65,000 line item.

Other budget motions The committee also moved to restore $25,000 to the district legal line, citing upcoming negotiations. That amendment passed by voice vote. Later the committee voted to send the full proposed FY26 budget (the presentation figure, adjusted by the committee’s amendments, yielded roughly a 6.68% increase in the packet numbers) to a public hearing; the public hearing was set for April 30, 2025.

What the committee said - Jennifer Jones, a parent from Sherman Terrace who addressed the committee during public comment, urged the committee to protect extracurricular programs such as the Woburn band, saying those programs “challenge the students to work hard and work together.” - The mayor of Woburn described the city’s view of a “maintenance” budget as one that preserves last year’s investments and adds only the legally or contractually required increases; he said city hall and school leaders would continue collaborative discussions before final decisions. - Dr. Crowley, superintendent, and district staff emphasized staffing additions intended to keep students in district and expand intervention services, particularly for reading and elementary math supports.

Next steps The committee will publish the proposed FY26 budget and hold the public hearing on April 30, 2025. The committee also scheduled its redistricting vote for May 5, 2025. The budget as sent to public hearing will be part of the city’s larger fiscal review and is subject to city council action and further adjustment.

Ending note Committee members and city officials said the budget process will continue to be collaborative and iterative, with additional meetings between the school administration, the mayor’s office and the city council before the city’s final appropriation.