Leominster School Committee approves FY26 budget, confirms adjusted last school days after high‑school fire

Leominster School Committee members on the evening’s agenda approved a fiscal year 2026 budget request and a set of related operational items, and set differing final school days after a January fire at the high school cafeteria.

The committee approved the proposed FY26 spending plan presented by district staff and clarified several timing and funding details. The committee also approved that the official last day of school for kindergarten through eighth grade will be Monday, June 16, and that Leominster High School and the CTEI building will have a final half day on Tuesday, June 17, to make up a day lost after a January 6 cafeteria fire.

The budget matters because the plan sets staff positions, special‑education placements and operating allocations for the coming year and depends on state funding decisions still pending in the legislature. The committee’s approval moves the district’s request forward to the city budget process.

District staff member Robin opened the budget review, saying the presentation revisited the “key elements of the fiscal year 20 26 budget proposal, originally presented at the meeting held on April 7.” Robin reported a preliminary net school spending increase of $7,579,126, of which $5,952,698 was attributed to Chapter 78 adjustments and $1,626,428 to the local contribution. The presentation noted the legislature’s separate house and senate processes would still determine final state funding levels before a negotiated number is returned to the district.

The presentation identified the Student Opportunity Act as a continuing source of targeted funds for low‑income students, English learners and students with disabilities; the district said it would receive an additional $3,300,000 for FY26 driven by a 9.1% increase in the low‑income student rate. The presenter also reported that October 1 enrollment used for state calculations rose by 113 students to 6,122.

Robin described the budget structure the committee reviewed: wages and salaries and benefits account for the largest shares of the request; the district presented a total wages and salaries figure of $70,037,582 and listed other expense categories and estimates including a presented expenses line of $34,499,878 and indirect charges in the presentation. The district also listed specific items included in the request: $882,000 carried for 12 posted unfilled positions from FY25, $925,000 proposed for 12 new positions to address enrollment growth and student needs, and an increase in the athletic stipend budget from $350,000 to $385,000. Staff said circuit‑breaker revolving funds of $3,200,000 would continue to offset some special‑education tuition costs.

Special‑education tuition totals and projections were included in the presentation: the district listed special‑education tuition expenditures of $9,277,000 and said it was projecting a 6.8% increase in out‑of‑district tuition costs for FY26 amounting to roughly $590,089. The presentation also noted that one‑time federal COVID funds had been fully expended.

Committee members discussed salary‑related approaches the committee could ask the city council to consider, including a range for contract increases and tying future adjustments to an index. Board members and staff said the final budget returned to the city council as part of the municipal budget process would include recommended numbers and that city budget negotiations could change the amounts ultimately available.

Votes at a glance: the committee recorded the following formal outcomes during the meeting: the motion setting the last day of school for grades K–8 as June 16 and for high school/CTEI as June 17 (both half days) was moved by Melissa and approved by voice vote; a motion to continue Leominster as a School Choice district (to accept incoming choice students where space is available) was moved by Ron and approved by voice vote; a motion to approve the FY26 budget was moved (record indicates Mr. Ron made the motion) and approved by voice vote; several general‑fund, grant and revolving warrants were presented and approved by voice vote (warrant numbers and totals recorded in the minutes). The committee also approved the reading of several policies as part of a policy reading agenda item.

During the meeting the committee chair and other members also updated the public on the Fallbrook school building project and repayment options. The chair noted state reimbursement percentages from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) differ from the commonly quoted figures and said the district’s current working estimate of the MSBA reimbursement was nearer 56% rather than the higher percentages sometimes cited; the chair said preliminary calculations showed an estimated annual local delta of approximately $600,000 under conservative assumptions and that the city council would soon need to decide how to fund the project (debt exclusion, use of levy capacity, meals tax receipts or other sources).

Other routine items approved included multiple warrants for payment of expenses. The finance reports and subcommittee recommendations on professional services and planning for a post‑strategic‑plan process were noted for follow up.

The committee’s public hearing on the budget included no substantive public objections recorded in the transcript; staff and committee members reiterated that final numbers would hinge on state action and city budget deliberations.

The meeting moved on after passage of the budget and related votes to an update on the Student Opportunity Act implementation and the superintendent’s midyear evaluation process.