Lowell School Committee approves $272.85 million FY26 bottom line, places select positions in suspense

The Lowell School Committee voted Wednesday to submit a FY26 bottom-line budget of $272,853,989 to the city manager after a nightlong budget hearing that left several positions and line items in suspense.

The committee’s action followed pages of line-item review and repeated questions about which roles were funded by grants and which by local dollars. "If additional funds come in, we'll try to process them with you," the superintendent said when defending the process of finishing the budget book tonight.

Members placed specific positions into suspense or abeyance for follow-up, including a proposed library/literacy specialist position where the motion was to “put a literacy specialist in the suspense account and to receive evidence in a summary form from the school site council.” That motion passed on a 6–1 roll call, with Mayor Rourke opposed.

Committee members and staff repeatedly urged transparency on which positions came from ESSER or other grants. Doctor Pinto, assistant superintendent for finance, said staff would publish appendices in the final budget book and provide a line-by-line accounting of reallocated positions.

The committee also approved a budget modification of $3,232,438.11 and accepted a package of FY25 awards and grant extensions, while setting other items for further review.

The final vote on the district bottom line passed unanimously: "$272,853,989 to be submitted to the city manager," a motion read on the floor and carried on a 7–0 roll call.

Next steps: staff will provide committee members with the requested appendices and documentation for suspense/abeyance items at a special meeting scheduled for June 11 to allow the committee to reconsider held items if new city or state funding is forthcoming.