Hopkinton officials present FY27 budget proposal and five‑year capital needs; hearings continue Jan. 22

Hopkinton Public Schools leaders presented the recommended fiscal 2027 operating and capital budgets at a joint School Committee and Appropriations Committee meeting on Jan. 8, outlining staffing requests tied to special education and enrollment growth and flagging districtwide HVAC work and roof replacements as major upcoming capital projects.

Superintendent (speaker 3) described the FY27 recommendation as “a slightly pared down version” of earlier presentations and said the plan reflects enrollment projections, listening‑tour input and town financial realities. Presenter staff reported a net operating budget proposal of $71,836,488 for FY27, with a total reported salary increase of $3,600,000 (about a 5.4% salary increase) and an expense increase of $297,000. The superintendent said new investments would focus on four priorities: special education; instructional costs tied to enrollment growth; instructional program enhancement; and core operations. She said the presentation included targeted personnel requests—an intensive teacher at Hopkins, paraprofessionals at Marathon and the middle school, a middle‑school reading interventionist, and a part‑time ESOL position—and that the new targeted…