Easton superintendent outlines $5.4 million town shortfall, timeline for cuts and possible override

Superintendent Jennifer Cabral told the Easton School Committee on Feb. 27 that the district is facing a townwide shortfall of roughly $5.4 million heading into the FY2026 budget process and must present a legally balanced budget in early April.

Cabral said the gap results from a combination of rising fixed costs — notably special-education tuition, transportation contracts and health‑insurance premiums — and shrinking one‑time federal grants that had helped offset expenses after the pandemic. “This is not a scare tactic. This is not a projection or an assumption. This is a mathematical reality,” Cabral said during a 90‑minute budget briefing to the committee and the public.

Why it matters: Easton Public Schools already spend a far lower per‑pupil amount than many neighboring districts, Cabral said, and roughly 85% of the district’s operating budget is personnel. That makes the budget particularly sensitive to increases in contractual obligations and to any loss of grants. Without short‑term revenue the district will be forced to make regressive…