Burrillville committee approves draft FY2027 budget request with $1.6 million increase

Burrillville The Burrillville School Committee on Thursday approved a draft fiscal year 2027 budget request that Superintendent Dr. Salito said represents "about a $1,600,000 increase from the current year." The committee approved the draft by voice vote and will present it at a joint town council-school committee meeting tentatively scheduled for Jan. 26.

The superintendent told the committee the bulk of the increase is driven by contractual obligations, staffing and transportation. "If we kept all the services that we currently are offering and rolled them over the next year, that increase would be about $2,200,000.0," he said, adding that reductions have trimmed that to roughly $1.6 million. He recommended approving the draft so the district can meet upcoming review timelines.

Committee members pressed only briefly on details during the meeting; one member described the proposed budget as "pretty bare bones" and said it leaves limited room for new services or programs. Dr. Salito said the district made reductions across multiple areas to lower a larger projected increase.

Next steps include presentation to the budget board (typically held in February) and public hearings later in the spring. The committee's approval at Thursday's meeting authorizes staff to carry the draft forward to the joint meeting and subsequent budget-board process.