The North Middlesex Regional School District policy subcommittee voted to send a revised fiscal‑reserves policy (DIB) to the full school committee for a first reading, signaling a shift away from using end‑of‑year excess (E&D) as recurring budget revenue.

Chair (Speaker 1) presented a pared‑down draft that removes detailed prescriptions for how to spend excess E&D and instead frames the policy around preserving reserves for one‑time uses, pilot programs and capital stabilization. "This policy is looking at, stopping the practice of using E and D as revenue in future budgets," the chair said, describing the proposed change as a philosophical one for the district.

Committee members discussed how to present the policy and what language to use. Members agreed a redline history of edits should be available in the packet so the public can see how the proposal evolved before committee action. Speaker 5 urged language that sets a target reserve balance, and the group settled on guidance in the 3–4% range while preserving committee discretion for limited exceptions "upon recommendation of the superintendent."

Brad (Speaker 6) cautioned that the three towns that fund the district may view E&D as "free cash," and said removing E&D as a routine revenue source without parallel changes to the funding formula will require careful transition planning. "I'm just concerned with the current funding formula and what we're going to be looking at moving forward," he said, arguing for flexibility during a phased transition.

The subcommittee voted to bring the pared‑down DIB policy forward as a first reading at tonight's full committee meeting. The chair said she will present background and the questions committee members raised so the full committee and public can weigh in.

Next steps: the DIB policy will appear on the full school committee agenda for a first reading; the subcommittee encouraged including a redlined draft and Google Docs history in the meeting packet for transparency.