Norwood committee reviews preliminary FY26 budget, asks administration to draft two March warrant articles

The Norwood School Committee on Dec. 18 considered a preliminary FY26 budget that administration said would increase spending by 8.1% over the current year, driven by collective‑bargaining reserves, transportation contract increases and staff added for the new Coakley Middle School.

Superintendent Tim Leff and district finance staff presented the budget and asked the committee to endorse continuing the work rather than adopt final figures. "My action that I'm requesting for you tonight is actually to take no action whatsoever on the calendar," Leff said in the calendar discussion that preceded the budget presentation, and he framed the budget as a preliminary measure that administration would refine with the budget subcommittee and town finance staff.

The presentation said the preliminary operating budget would staff about 582.5 FTEs — an increase of roughly 9.6 FTEs related mainly to the middle school opening — and put the net dollar increase just under $5 million. Administration identified several items not yet included in the operating budget, including two behavioral‑interventionist positions, a middle‑school speech‑language pathologist and a counselor position for the Freshman Academy.

Transportation was singled out as a major cost pressure: officials said they must add two buses to accommodate the reconfiguration of 5th‑grade assignments feeding the new middle school, and that bids and driver‑pay increases were driving a projected rise in transportation costs.

Committee members asked for follow‑up detail on substitute usage, transportation routing, and the potential for using MassHealth reimbursements to support medically related providers in schools. Mr. Leff told committee members he had discussed creating a MassHealth revolving account and increasing the district's special‑education stabilization fund as possible warrant‑article topics for town meeting.

Following discussion, the committee voted 4–1 to ask administration to draft March warrant‑article language to (1) seed up to $500,000 in free cash into a MassHealth revolving account or similar structure to bridge medically related provider funding for FY26, and (2) request an infusion of free cash to maximize the special‑education stabilization fund under current law so funds would be available for any recommendations that result from a student‑services review in spring 2025. The motion directs Tim Leff and district finance staff to prepare draft language for the Jan. 10 town deadline and return to the committee for formal approval on Jan. 15.

The budget discussion and the warrant‑article motion are preliminary steps in a multi‑month process. Administration said it will continue refining department cost centers, consider shifting medically reimbursable providers into a revolving account to free operating dollars, and identify possible reductions before a final FY26 request is adopted in March.