Norwood committee hears preliminary FY26 budget, votes to draft warrant language to start MassHealth reimbursement and special-education stabilization funds

The Norwood School Committee on Wednesday reviewed a preliminary FY2026 operating budget that would total about $66.18 million — roughly an 8.1% increase over the current year — and voted to ask district staff to draft draft warrant-article language to seek free-cash support in March to help start a MassHealth reimbursement revolving account and to top up the district’s special-education stabilization fund.

Superintendent Tim Leff and finance staff presented the budget summary and several possible funding strategies for committee consideration. The preliminary request includes 9.6 full-time-equivalent positions tied to the opening of Coakley Middle School, higher transportation costs tied to a required bid and added routes, and contractual salary increases that together drive the proposed increase.

Why it matters: The package compresses multiple long-term staffing and program requests — from ELL and special-education coverage at the middle school to transportation and curriculum refreshes — into one early set of choices that the town and school committee will need to reconcile as the spring budget and town-meeting calendar approach.

The committee heard line-item highlights from Sean Mannion, the district finance lead, and from Leff. Mannion described three main drivers of the increase: base salary and step/column changes (about 3.8% of the 8.1% total), transportation (about 1.5%), and staffing tied to the new middle school (about 1.2%). The remainder of the proposed increase covers operating costs such as curriculum materials, supplies and contracted services.

Mannion and Leff said the preliminary budget includes 9.6 new FTEs for the middle school opening (a net increase after shifts in staff from elementary…