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Superintendent proposes $83.4 million FY26 budget, asks town for $1.7 million increase
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Philip Thornton presented the FY26 budget summary at the Cumberland School Committee meeting, describing a $83,445,398 all-in proposal, with a $1.7 million (3.39%) request to the town and use of fund balance to cover a projected shortfall.
Superintendent Dr. Philip Thornton presented the Cumberland Public Schools' proposed fiscal year 2026 budget Thursday, asking the town for an additional $1.7 million while warning the district must use fund balance to cover remaining gaps.
Thornton described the total “all in” budget as $83,445,398, a roughly 4% increase over the prior year. He said salary costs total about $47.7 million and employee benefits about $17 million, leaving salary and benefits north of $66 million — roughly 80% of the district's spending. Thornton said pension costs are up about 6.5% and medical costs about 4%.
The proposal assumes a $1.6 million increase in state aid and requests $1.7 million from the town (a 3.39% local increase). Thornton said the administration plans to use $1.29 million of fund balance as part of the package; earlier years used $2.2 million of fund balance and the district's undesignated fund balance was described in the meeting as ranging near the district policy range of 2%–4%.
Assistant Superintendent/finance presenter Tim McGrath reviewed revenue and major spending areas, noting out-of-district tuitions and transportation are large non-personnel expenses and that the budget projects roughly $2.7 million for tuition to Blackstone Valley Prep for an estimated 300 students. McGrath also said the budget now shows an E-rate reimbursement as revenue for information-technology purchases and described the town's non-MOE capital fund as a one-time source planned at $300,000 in the proposed package.
Thornton said the administration considered staffing and one-year grant positions in carving savings and is not proposing cuts to programs he described as “the offense” that keep Cumberland in a higher-achievement, lower-cost quadrant compared with other districts.
Committee members asked for follow-up detail. Ms. Smith, chairing the fiscal subcommittee, said budget workshops are scheduled; the committee set a March 19 workshop and opted to wait to decide a potential March 24 meeting after that session.
Ending
The committee did not vote on the budget Thursday and scheduled at least one workshop to review line-item detail. Members and administrators said they would provide personnel and object-code backup documents for committee review before the next workshop.
