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 grades), funding for an expanded ELL teacher allocation, and proposed increases in paraprofessional pay so the district can recruit for higher-need roles. Transportation increases reflect two additional yellow buses needed for the middle school transition and a general market increase in vendor bids.

Leff also summarized several staffing items that remain off the preliminary operating budget but are still under discussion, including two additional behavioral-intervention positions, a possible speech-language pathologist for the middle school, a Freshman Academy counselor position, and additional custodial hours funded in part by the food-service revolving account. He said district leaders are exploring shifting some medically related services (OT/PT, speech) to a MassHealth-reimbursable process to create ongoing revenue support.

“There are a few warrant articles we’re trying to work with the town on to assist us to try to get some funds available to shift some of these desired positions and proven positions into our budget,” Leff said. “One of those is related to MassHealth. We’re trying to kick-start our MassHealth revolving account or the account that would be able to take in reimbursements that we get from medically related services provided in schools.”

Motion to draft warrants The committee voted 4–1 in favor of a motion asking district staff to draft warrant-article language for the March town meeting that would: (1) request up to $500,000 in free cash to establish or seed a MassHealth reimbursement revolving account to support medically reimbursable positions while billing systems are implemented; and (2) request that the town consider increasing the district’s special-education stabilization fund (the district’s “SPEd reserve”) to its legal maximum to provide a bridge for student-services changes that might arise after external reviews.

Members directed Superintendent Leff and Sean Mannion to work with the town manager’s office on draft language and submit a draft to the committee for review. Staff agreed to have draft language available for the committee’s Jan. 15 meeting and to submit preliminary language to the town by the town’s early-January deadline for March-warrant drafts.

Committee members emphasized this step is a drafting request, not an appropriation. “The draft language is due in early January,” a committee member said during the motion discussion. Committee members agreed the draft gives the group options but acknowledged there will be scrutiny from the town finance boards and the broader community before any appropriation would be approved.

Other budget items discussed - Curriculum refresh: Leff reiterated that the budget assumes funding for ELA and math curriculum refreshes that have been part of the district’s multi-year plan. He said the district is evaluating whether to stagger elementary refreshes so teachers are not asked to implement multiple new elementary curricula in back-to-back years. - Special-education tuition and circuit-breaker credits: Mannion reported current-year tuition spending projections are below the budgeted amount, helping the FY26 outlook; the FY26 projection nevertheless retains reliance on circuit-breaker credits and the special-education reserve. - Transportation: Mannion warned bids have been coming in 10–20% higher in many districts and that recruiting in-house drivers and monitors is a continuing challenge. The transportation increase also factors in projected McKinney-Vento (homeless-student) transport costs, which have grown.

Next steps District staff will continue refining the preliminary budget and present updates to the committee and to the budget subcommittee at the committee’s next meetings. The committee’s Jan. 15 meeting is the targeted date for reviewing draft warrant language prepared in consultation with the town.

Votes at a glance - Motion to request staff draft March-warrant language for a MassHealth revolving account (up to $500,000) and increase to the special-education stabilization fund: passed (4–1). Draft due to town in early January; staff to present drafts to the committee on Jan. 15. - Preliminary budget presentation: informational; no committee vote on the budget itself at this meeting.

Quotes “My recommendation to you tonight is actually to not do anything and not change the calendar,” Superintendent Tim Leff said during an earlier calendar discussion that also featured in the meeting’s budget conversation. “I feel as if the compliance check from DESE was there on purpose.”

Background and context The district reported a preliminary FY26 operating total of about $66,175,000 and an FTE staffing increase from about 573 to approximately 582.5 (an increase of roughly 9.6 FTEs, driven primarily by the middle school opening). Leff and Mannion told the committee the budget will continue to be refined and that they expect to return to the committee with updated line items and budget transfers in January.

Ending The committee left open a number of policy and operational choices — including whether to pursue warrant-article funding in March or wait until May town meeting — and assigned staff to prepare draft warrant language and additional budget detail for the January meetings.