Superintendent proposes $46.5 million FY27 budget, seeks restorations for classrooms and student supports

Superintendent Danielle Klingerman on Wednesday presented the Duxbury Public Schools' superintendent's recommended fiscal 2027 operating budget: a net request of $46,474,501, which staff said represents a 4.83 percent increase over the current appropriated level after revenue offsets.

The recommended package seeks to stabilize classroom staffing and student supports after staffing reductions last year. Key restorations and additions in the proposal include two elementary classroom teachers to reduce elementary class sizes, a math specialist at Duxbury Middle School, restoration of an instructional-technology director, and the district's proposal to absorb universal full-day kindergarten at no cost to families. Staff also proposed moving six part-time Title I-funded elementary math tutors into three full-time equivalent operating positions to create a more stable intervention staffing model.

Why it matters: Staff and committee members warned that the district is operating with fewer positions than in prior years, leading to larger class sizes, reduced elective options at the secondary level and pressure on remaining staff. School leaders said inconsistent year-to-year funding causes slow erosion of program quality and response time to student needs.

Budget drivers and offsets: The presentation showed a gross budget total near $49.6 million before offsets. Staff described unavoidable drivers such as contractual salaries and steps, special-education costs, transportation, and utilities. Those gross costs are reduced by projected revenue offsets (circuit breaker, state and federal grants, and revolving funds), bringing the superintendent's recommended net figure to the announced $46,474,501.

Special education: Special-education staff outlined three principal cost drivers: salaried staff, contracted services (including psychological and therapeutic evaluations and services), and out-of-district tuition and transportation. Staff said the district has fewer students in out-of-district placements than in prior years, but some placements now include residential services with substantially higher per-student costs; transportation for those placements has also become more expensive.

Labor and negotiations: Tony Keating, director of human resources, described ongoing collective bargaining with the teachers' unit (Unit A). Committee members noted that the outcome of the contract talks will significantly shape the budget for the next three years because teacher compensation is by far the largest single budget component.

Next steps and public engagement: The committee discussed the timing of public budget hearings and forums. Staff and committee members scheduled public forums ahead of the formal town-level budget review and encouraged community input. The committee will finalize its recommendation in December and present it to the town for inclusion in municipal-level budget deliberations.