Westwood schools present three FY27 budget scenarios to restore elementary teachers, postpone vote to Feb. 23

Superintendent Pavovar presented three budget scenarios for FY27 built on a proposed $61,296,182 base and said the committee will postpone the public budget hearing and vote until Feb. 23 to allow further town–school coordination. "We are postponing that to February 23," he said.

The discussion matters because the district has identified specific elementary grades that would exceed class-size guidelines under the originally proposed budget. The three scenarios vary primarily in the degree of restorations and offsets: Scenario 1 (+$300,000; ~4.82%) restores four elementary classroom teachers (restoring cuts at Downey, Martha Jones and Sheehan and adding a teacher at Pine Hill), reduces one instructional aide (IA) and increases user fees from a 4% to a 6% schedule to help hit the target. Scenario 2 keeps the elementary restorations and the Pine Hill classroom but preserves the IA and maintains the 4% fee increase. Scenario 3 (level services) adds the above plus restores a special-education teacher at Thurston and a high-school mathematics teacher.

District leaders said the priority was preserving direct student-facing positions and keeping class sizes within the committee guideline range of 18–22 students. On the potential high-school math reduction, the superintendent cautioned that one FTE equates to roughly 4–5 sections and gave an example that reducing an honors-geometry offering from six to five sections would produce average class sizes of about 20–21. He emphasized logistical constraints at Pine Hill — the building was not designed for five classrooms per wing, so accommodating an added classroom would require repurposing the STEM room and relocating digital literacy and staff workspaces.

Trade-offs were central to the debate: Scenario 1 uses fee increases and eliminates one IA, which district staff warned could create midyear pressure if additional IAs are needed later; Scenario 2 is the most straightforward politically and fiscally between restoration and sustainability, staff said. The superintendent also urged transparency on the town side: he told the committee the town’s presentation to FinCom would likely show the original 4.3% number with a clear caveat that it is "subject to change based upon continued conversation with the schools."

The committee did not take a vote and set next steps: a public budget hearing and vote on Feb. 23, a school presentation to FinCom on March 10, and town meeting on May 4. Staff committed to providing updated class-size charts and any logistical plans for classroom changes prior to the Feb. 23 meeting.