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Londonderry administrators present FY27 budget as health‑care costs and lost federal grants drive rise
Summary
District administrators presented a FY27 budget that is roughly 4.33% higher than last year, driven primarily by health‑insurance cost increases and the loss of three federal grants; officials previewed a December budget review schedule and a voter warrant for full‑day kindergarten that could reshape elementary school configuration.
Administrators presented the Londonderry School District’s proposed FY27 budget on Tuesday, telling the school board the operating budget is about 4.33% higher than last year and that several one‑time and recurring pressures are driving the increase.
At a meeting in the Londonderry High School cafeteria, district presenters said a large driver is a health‑insurance cost increase — described in the presentation as an 11.7% rate rise — and a separate one‑time assessment from the School Care pool that came in this fall for roughly $2.0 million. Presenters also said the district lost three federal grants over the summer (Title II, Title IV and Perkins) totaling about $230,000 and that the FY27 request builds in partial local funding to sustain programs if federal support remains uncertain.
District officials gave the board a process timeline: a lengthy budget workshop on Dec. 9 starting at 6 p.m. covering personnel, student services and school programs, followed by a Dec. 18 meeting to finalize items and review warrant articles; the board is expected to finalize the budget by Jan. 8, with a public hearing later and the town vote on March 10.
The presentation highlighted recent academic gains across schools. High‑school staff cited a large increase in Advanced Placement participation and higher pass rates, middle‑school teams reported sizable literacy and PSAT improvements, and multiple elementary schools posted notable math gains.
To respond to enrollment declines and cost pressures, the proposed budget includes a net reduction of roughly $400,000 in staff and relies on a mix of reserve and targeted warrant articles for capital needs. Presenters said the proposed operating budget sits slightly below the state default calculation by about $120,000 in their figures, while noting the projected local tax rate example in the materials is about $9.87 — roughly $0.52 higher than last year.
Administrators previewed a separate warrant (Warren) article that would ask voters in March about funding full‑day kindergarten. The presentation said that, if the article passes, the district would move from four K–5 buildings to three to realize an estimated recurring staffing efficiency of about $540,000 and would receive approximately $470,000 in additional state aid; the net annual taxpayer benefit cited in the presentation was about $1,000,000, with the board to review the full detail on Dec. 18.
Officials also described a proposed new Lancer Academy and a shift to a three‑house high‑school model to preserve adult‑education programming locally and provide alternative pathways; the initial local investment cited was $20,000 in the curriculum budget to seed the program if federal funding is unavailable.
The district urged the public to review the full budget book online and said staff will provide paper copies on request. Administrators recommended the board and budget committee use the December workshops to probe personnel items and program impacts, and they said they will watch registration and revenue trends closely before final decisions.
What’s next: the board will hold an extensive budget workshop on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., continue departmental reviews on Dec. 18 and is scheduled to finalize a proposed budget by Jan. 8 leading into public hearing and the town vote in March.
