Cambridge interim superintendent proposes 4.5% increase for FY26 operating budget amid rising contract and transportation costs

Interim Superintendent Dave Murphy and Chief Financial Officer Ivy Washington presented the Cambridge Public Schools’ proposed FY26 operating budget at a Feb. 24 joint roundtable of the Cambridge City Council and the School Committee, asking the two governing bodies to consider a $12 million increase — about 4.5% — that brings the district’s operating total to roughly $280.25 million.

The administration said the requested increase is driven primarily by salary and benefit obligations, including recently settled collective bargaining agreements and cost-of-living adjustments. Washington told the committee that 83%–84% of the district’s general fund normally goes to salaries and benefits and that roughly $9 million–$10 million of the requested $12 million would cover personnel costs, with the remaining portion covering operational increases.

Washington outlined the FY26 schedule: the superintendent will present the full proposed budget on March 12; the School Committee is scheduled to vote in April; and the City Council will vote in May. She also said a new transportation contract bid has arrived and that transportation expense in the March presentation will be higher than the preliminary numbers shown at the roundtable, though she did not give a final dollar figure at the meeting.

Murphy framed the FY26 request in the context of recent, large-scale investments — notably extended school day and universal preschool initiatives — and told the joint bodies those prior commitments create both opportunity and responsibility. “We have a heightened responsibility; we have essentially no excuses,” Murphy said, adding that Cambridge’s relatively large operating budget comes with an expectation of strong outcomes.

Known changes Washington and Murphy highlighted for FY26 include the closing of the Kennedy-Longfellow (KLO) school and the opening of the Tobin Montessori/Darby-Vassal upper school near Fresh Pond. Out‑of‑district tuition increases are set by the state and were identified as a predictable line item (Washington said the state-set increase for FY26 is 3.67%).

Both presenters emphasized that most budget dollars pay for people. Washington said that the district’s “people are our greatest resource,” and Murphy added that while Cambridge spends more per pupil than most districts, that investment increases the obligation to show measurable returns.

Councilors and school committee members asked for further detail on several topics — including the size and composition of the $12 million increase, the upcoming transportation bid, and clearer accounting on special education and school-improvement allocations — and officials said they will provide more detailed line items and clarifying pages at the March 12 presentation.

The roundtable is a public, informational step in the budget process; Washington noted that (per city rules) public oral comment was not taken at the roundtable but that written comments would be accepted and made part of the record. The meeting adjourned after the presentations and ensuing Q&A.

(Adjournment: the vice mayor moved to adjourn and the body recorded a roll-call vote; the meeting was adjourned by affirmation of both bodies.)