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Norwood committee weighs FY27 budget shortfall, fee raises and a controversial bus-stop proposal
Summary
Faced with modest state aid growth and uncertain health-insurance rates, the Norwood School Committee discussed possible fee increases (a 2% annual baseline and a '20% of program cost' scenario) and a proposal to remove middle-school bus stops under one mile to relieve overcrowding — a suggestion that drew strong pushback on safety and equity grounds.
The Norwood School Committee spent a large portion of Wednesday’s meeting on FY27 budget pressures, fee proposals and possible service reductions as the town and district prepare materials for the Budget Balancing Committee.
Budget subcommittee members reported that Chapter 70 (state education aid) is producing only a modest increase this year — staff cited an increase in the low hundreds of thousands — while the town awaits a definitive Group Insurance Commission (GIC) health-insurance rate that could further affect shared costs. Committee members said preliminary scenarios discussed at the Budget Balancing Committee included a harsh 6.21% across-the-board reduction (equivalent to roughly $4.1 million) and a 5% gross-weighted reduction (roughly $3.3…
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