The district's business office presented a first-quarter fiscal and operations update Nov. 3 that highlighted three areas of note: a modest projected increase in out‑of‑district tuition, one‑time and recurring funding buckets that affect FY27 planning, and continuing pressure on substitute staffing costs.

Liam Hurley (Business) outlined FY26 budgeting as approximately $292.9 million in the operating budget plus roughly $3.57 million in three additional buckets for a total near $296 million. He said the district carried forward approximately $3,350,000 at the end of FY25 into FY26 and had a category of continued appropriations to support items such as out‑of‑district tuition and modular rental.

On special education tuition, the business office reported about 109 out‑of‑district students at the comparable point last year and 120 currently, and projected tuition spending of roughly $17.5 million for FY26 compared with about $16.5 million in FY25. Hurley noted the district expects higher circuit‑breaker reimbursement this year (about $9,000,134 projected for the year), resulting in a total circuit‑breaker pool around $12.5 million when combined with prior carryforward (around $3,000,350). After planned uses, the remaining circuit‑breaker carryforward projected into FY27 was approximately $215,416.

Hurley also described staffing‑related costs: paraprofessional salaries are running over budget and substitute contracting (with third‑party vendor Precision Staffing) is trending higher than last year. Maintenance and contracted services have also placed pressure on the operating lines; the business office said it has offset some building maintenance costs with city resources and that a DESE administrative review of food services will occur.

Why it matters: Out‑of‑district tuition, special education placement costs and substitute staffing represent significant and sometimes volatile portions of the district budget; lower carryforward funds and higher tuition projections influence FY27 budget choices and potential tradeoffs.

Next steps: Business staff will continue final reconciliation of salary turnover, monitor circuit‑breaker reimbursements and return with more detailed budget recommendations as the FY27 planning cycle proceeds.