Lincoln committee reviews FY26 budget as pre‑K and special‑education needs grow

The Lincoln School Committee heard detailed budget proposals and enrollment updates at a workshop in advance of its Jan. 27 approval meeting, focusing on rising pre‑K enrollment, an increase in students with special education needs and the district’s plan to absorb ongoing curriculum costs previously paid with federal relief funds.

District presenter John McNamara described enrollment shifts in preschool and elementary grades and told the committee that Northern Elementary currently reports a cohort of 24 three‑year‑olds who will need services when they reach age three. He said pre‑K enrollment rose to about 141 in one year before settling back and that the district is accounting for incoming cohorts when projecting staffing and program needs.

Committee members were told the preliminary FY26 general fund appropriation is roughly $67 million and that the recommended budget represents a low‑single‑digit percentage increase over the current year. Staff said the largest cost drivers are salary and benefits and purchased services (including transportation and out‑of‑district placements), which together account for the bulk of the general fund.

Administrators explained a key shift in curriculum funding: federal ESSA/ARP relief supported initial implementation of high‑quality ELA and math materials during the pandemic, but those one‑time funds have ended. The district now expects to fund the continuing costs — consumables, licenses and curricular materials — from the regular operating budget, consistent with a state requirement to implement high‑quality instructional materials across ELA, math and, eventually, science by the statutory deadline cited by staff.

To address enrollment and student needs, the proposed operating budget includes personnel additions described by staff: two elementary classroom teachers, three and a half additional student‑services positions, two teacher assistants at Salesville, and a net increase equivalent to one full preschool teacher when two 0.5 positions are combined (one half‑time preschool position has already been added at Northern). Staff said the extra preschool staffing will be added when the incoming three‑year‑old cohort’s needs are confirmed.

Administrators highlighted growing demand for specialized preschool classrooms. One speaker described an increase from a single highly specialized classroom to a need for multiple such classrooms to serve students with significant medical, physical and developmental needs; the district said having in‑district capacity allows children to remain with age‑level peers and lets staff build institutional experience supporting medical needs.

The budget workshop also reviewed a transfer of several curriculum software and device items from operating lines into capital accounts so that one‑time costs for technology and curriculum platforms are treated as capital investments rather than ongoing operating expenses. Staff identified a curriculum-to‑capital transfer figure in the presentation and said the move is intended to stabilize recurring operating costs. The district also proposed capital funding for athletic field maintenance, tennis‑court repairs and network upgrades, and discussed facility and fleet storage arrangements that committee members said they want resolved to avoid ongoing rental costs.

Committee members asked about recruitment and hiring timelines for specialized teachers. Staff said recruitment typically accelerates after budget approval and that the most acute hiring deadline would be before the school year if vacancies remain; administrators discussed alternate certification and emergency hiring pathways used when certified applicants are not available.

The committee scheduled a special meeting Jan. 27 to consider final adoption of the budget; members were invited to submit suggestions to the superintendent in advance of that meeting.