Salem School Board targets major budget areas as 2026-27 proposal tops discussion

At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Salem School Board spent the bulk of the session on a line-by-line review of the proposed 2026-27 operating budget, raising questions about rising maintenance and contract costs, transportation and athletics expenses, and several capital requests.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Debbie Payne told the board the district’s Sept. 30 operating report shows federal grant reimbursements lagging expenses and “roughly $2.6 million” remaining in the budget at this early point in the fiscal year. Payne described several lines that are over budget to date — including costs related to in-district behavior technicians and rooftop-unit repairs at Salem High — and noted that some expenses that were previously bought as capital purchases have rolled to operating as multi-year service agreements expire.

Why it matters: Board members emphasized that several recurring maintenance and contract renewals — particularly for core information-technology systems and security — are moving sizeable costs from capital to operating. That shift, coupled with higher projected transportation and athletics costs, has tightened the margin for discretionary items.

Major items discussed

Substitute pay: Administration recommended raising day-to-day teacher substitute pay from $100 to $110 and building-based substitutes from $105 to $115, with…