District staff presented the proposed FY27 "level service plus" budget and a higher-cost "gold" scenario at the Nov. 20 meeting.

The proposal would raise the district’s operating budget by about $2.1 million (roughly 5.97%) before applying offsets such as Circuit Breaker and federal grants. After approximately $3.5 million in expected offsets, presenters said the FY27 net ask would be about $38.24 million.

"Salaries account for the largest portion of the increase — roughly $1.6 million —" a district presenter told the committee, and the transcript identifies about $260,000 sought for replacement of aging teacher laptops and a separate line for Chromebook options. Out-of-district tuition obligations and the transportation that accompanies them were highlighted as a major pressure; the presenter said tuition for students placed at private schools and collaboratives totaled in the multi‑million-dollar range (the transcript cited about $4.2 million for roughly 35 out-of-district placements).

The "level service gold" package, offered as an illustrative list of priority additions if more funds become available, would add about $709,000 and include positions such as additional interventionists, a halftime ELL teacher, an elementary social worker, extra paraprofessionals in kindergarten and an additional administrative assistant at the middle school.

Committee members discussed options for phasing technology replacements, the long-term cost of adding staff with benefits, and the timing of town revenue decisions. The district said the budget will be presented at a public hearing and must be voted by the committee on the schedule the town set (the transcript records the next formal vote and hearing timeline).