Woburn officials grapple with a historic 14.34% school budget increase as council presses for cuts and clarity

WOBURN — City councilors and school officials spent the bulk of the committee session on an extended review of the Woburn Public Schools draft budget, which school leaders said includes a 14.34% increase over last year.

School Committee Chair Andrew Lipsett and Superintendent Dr. Matt Crowley told the Finance Committee the increase is driven by demographic changes and legally mandated services: rising numbers of English‑learner students (now about 15% of enrollment) and a high‑needs special‑education population they said has grown from about 45% in 2020 to roughly 56% of students. Crowley said the district has added positions to meet mandates, pay increases the workforce won at contract, and higher substitute and energy costs. He also said the schools have enrolled hundreds of newly arrived students since September and received about $430,000 so far in one disbursement of state support that pays roughly $104 per day per enrolled student; another payment is expected but not guaranteed for FY25.

"This is a historic request," Councilor Toro said, urging a collaborative approach that balances students’, teachers’ and residents’ needs. Toro and other council members pressed for line‑by‑line clarity and proposed trimming non‑student‑facing items where possible so that cuts, if required, minimize impacts on direct classroom instruction.

Councilors repeatedly raised the risk of relying on one‑time grants and free cash to support recurring operating costs. City Auditor Charlie (surname in transcript) told the committee the city’s certified free cash balance was about $42 million as of last June 30; several councilors said dipping into reserves can provide short‑term relief but create recurring budgeting pressure in future years if used to fund ongoing staff and programs.

School leaders defended several new or expanded line items. They said substitute costs have risen and that ESSER and other federal entitlement grants have supported positions that now appear in the operating budget. Dr. Crowley described curriculum alignment work, the addition of seven curriculum coordinator roles and investments in programs intended to reduce costly out‑of‑district placements. Maureen Ryan, speaking on special education, said the district has returned roughly 10 students from out‑of‑district placements through programs developed in recent years—but that some placements still cost $100,000–$400,000 per student.

Redistricting also featured prominently. Administration reviewed a consultant’s five options for redrawing elementary and middle‑school boundaries, noting the primary driver was educational equity and space utilization, with estimated possible savings ranging from low hundreds of thousands to larger, more optimistic projections. Officials said parents will have an opportunity to comment at upcoming public meetings, with the school committee planning a public hearing on the options.

On migrant student funding, administrators said the district has used the $104‑per‑day payments to hire staff and to add transportation as needed. The panel warned that the state’s per‑pupil payments for newly arrived students are not guaranteed in future fiscal years and that the budget must be able to stand if that funding ends.

Several councilors signaled they would press for reductions when the official number comes to the council — including motions to lower placeholder amounts for redistricting or to reduce some projected line items — and stressed the importance of a joint, iterative process between the city and schools before final votes. The administration offered to return with more granular line‑item detail and to meet regularly with the council during the budget season.

Next steps: the city side budget will be compiled and submitted to the council early next week; a special public hearing on the full city budget will follow. School leaders cautioned about union notice and staffing timelines, noting some personnel deadlines fall in mid‑May.