Westwood school committee demands clarity after town’s budget shows unshared revenue; superintendent to model two scenarios

Westwood — Members of the Westwood School Committee said a select-board presentation earlier this week contained revenue changes not shared during prior budget-steering talks, leaving the committee feeling the schools were unfairly burdened and prompting a commitment to revisit the district’s FY27 request.

"I feel like we were misled," the committee chair said, describing an original steering-group understanding of roughly $550,000 in combined town cuts and state aid that the district used to craft its proposed budget. "That is not how the budget process should work," the chair added, calling for greater transparency between town and school negotiators.

Why it matters: The district’s proposed budget included program protections and personnel reductions intended to balance operations under what committee members described as a difficult fiscal climate. After the select board’s Monday presentation showed additional municipal revenues and added personnel, committee members said they were not informed of those changes and are now seeking to determine whether some of the newly available funding can be applied to reduce school cuts.

What the committee said: Committee member Amanda said it was "completely outrageous" that municipal staffing increased at a time the district was preparing cuts that would affect classroom teachers and staff. Another member, Tony, shared slides from the select-board packet showing several years in which the municipal budget percentage rose faster than the school budget and noting a large increase in the town’s reported "free cash." Tony asked community members whether they supported redirecting any of those funds to schools.

Superintendent’s response: The superintendent acknowledged the committee’s frustration and the human impact of the proposed reductions, saying district staff have had "heartbreaking conversations with staff in our buildings" while preparing the budget. He agreed to produce two rapid budget scenarios for the committee and public: (1) an increase of $300,000 to the district request and (2) a 'level services' scenario that holds operations to current contractual obligations without program additions. The superintendent said he would present the scenarios at the committee’s next meeting and at the upcoming public hearings with FinCom.

Numbers and context: Committee members described the steering-group assumption as roughly $400,000 in municipal cuts plus approximately $150 in expected state aid (combined near $550,000). The governor’s initial budget release increased the state-aid estimate to about $227 for Westwood, the chair said. The $300,000 scenario the committee proposed would raise the district increase from about 4.31% to approximately 4.82% overall, a change the superintendent said he could model quickly. The superintendent also listed major cost drivers the district faces: roughly $1.98 million to maintain existing personnel and salary obligations, about $800,000 for special-education tuitions and roughly $216,000 for transportation — roughly $3 million in combined pressure.

Public questions and policy points: During the hour-plus Q&A, residents pressed for details on which town positions were cut, whether special revenue (for example, ambulance receipts or free-cash balances) can be used for teacher salaries, and how the district will protect students in oversized classrooms. The superintendent explained that free cash is distinct from operating revenue and generally cannot be used for ongoing operating costs; certain special-revenue and capital incomes also have limited uses and timing constraints. The committee reiterated that many detailed finance questions require answers from the select board or finance director.

Class-size guidance and staff deployment: Residents asked about several large elementary classes flagged in the district materials. The superintendent reiterated district guidelines (committee-established class-size targets: 22 for grades K–3 and 24 for grades 4–5) and said that building-level deployment of instructional aides (IAs) is the usual mechanism to address oversize classes; contract language requires an IA assignment when kindergarten reaches 22 students.

Next steps: The superintendent committed to present both the $300,000 and the level-services scenarios at the committee’s next public meeting and at the upcoming FinCom hearings. Committee members encouraged residents to review select-board budget materials, attend FinCom hearings, and communicate priorities to both boards. The session ended with a procedural motion to adjourn that passed unanimously.

What remains unresolved: Committee members said they are still seeking a fuller explanation from town leadership about why the town presentation differed from the earlier steering-group assumptions and whether any of the town’s newly-identified resources can be reallocated to reduce school cuts. The committee stopped short of any formal reallocation until the superintendent provides the requested scenarios and town officials clarify the municipal numbers.