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Northborough superintendent presents 7.75% budget request; board weighs one-time fixes and possible override
Summary
Superintendent Greg Martineau presented a proposed FY27 budget increase of 7.75% ($2,323,314), driven largely by special-education and transportation cost increases totaling about $1.3 million and a lower-than-expected circuit-breaker reimbursement. Board members discussed using one-time funds and adjustments to avoid cuts to programs and staffing.
Superintendent Greg Martineau presented the superintendent-recommended budget for the Northborough schools, calling for a 7.75% increase in FY27 (an added $2,323,314) and noting that the request would represent a reduction in staff capacity of about 8.4 full-time-equivalent positions if offsetting funds are not found. He told the board that three major special-education drivers account for roughly $1.3 million of the increase: an out-of-district tuition increase of approximately $724,000, a collaborative-tuition increase of $337,000, and special-education transportation increases of about $246,000.
Martineau said the district received about $475,000 in circuit-breaker funding this year, roughly $800,000 less than expected based on prior-year trends, which contributed to the spike in net local cost. He and staff said circuit-breaker reimbursements are calculated on a lagged basis (reimbursements for FY27 will be based on FY26 students) and that the administration expects some catch-up in future years but cannot rely on it to close the current gap.
On capital, the superintendent presented an updated roof estimate of about $5.7 million with an expected MSBA reimbursement near 48%, leaving a net local cost estimated between $3.2 million and $3.4 million.
Board members and school-committee members said they want to protect programs and staff; several suggested using one-time town reserves or targeted stabilization funds to avoid layoffs and program losses this year. Board finance staff and members discussed potential offsets including reallocating $200,000 from general stabilization, increasing user-fee revenue where feasible (solid-waste bag fee was raised in public comment), and continued work with the JPA on health-insurance plan design to reduce premium pressure.
What happens next: The administration will finalize the superintendent's recommended budget for the school committee in February and present to appropriations and other budget review bodies. The board and finance staff continued to review options for one-time funding to reduce or avoid the projected FY27 staffing reductions; if sufficient offsets are not identified the town may confront a structural shortfall that could require a Proposition 2— override vote.
