Longmeadow committee approves $46.07M FY2027 budget; opens school‑choice and METCO seats
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Summary
The Longmeadow School Committee on Feb. 24 voted to approve the district’s FY2027 recommended operating budget—$46,072,395.79—and authorized new school‑choice and METCO seats for 2026–27. The committee also approved a consent agenda of building‑use requests.
The Longmeadow School Committee on Feb. 24 approved the school district’s recommended FY2027 operating budget and several enrollment motions, sending the budget to the town manager for inclusion in the town manager’s recommended budget and for consideration at the town meeting on May 12, 2026.
Administration presented the FY2027 recommendation as a budget of $46,072,395.79 with a proposed increase in general‑fund contribution of $1,077,536 over FY2026 and said the operating budget would rise modestly year‑over‑year. “I think this is a reasonable, manageable budget,” a presenter said during the discussion. Committee members reviewed historical percentage increases and asked for context on how this year’s numbers compare with recent years.
The committee voted by roll call to approve the motion to submit the FY2027 recommendation to the town manager and town meeting. The motion was moved by a committee member and received affirmative roll‑call responses from the members present.
Votes at a glance
- FY2027 operating budget (recommendation to submit to town manager/town meeting): Approved (motion moved and adopted by roll call). The administration presented $46,072,395.79 as the recommended total budget. - School choice (2026–27): Approved. The committee authorized opening four (4) first‑grade school‑choice seats for 2026–27; administration said the state reimburses about $5,000 per school‑choice student. - METCO (2026–27): Approved. The committee authorized adding five METCO slots (2 kindergarten, 2 first‑grade, 1 second‑grade) for a net increase of one student to bring total METCO enrollment to 41. - Consent agenda (building‑use requests): Approved. The consent agenda included four requests from Parks & Recreation and the Glenbrook PAC for summer camps and a May 3 5K/walk‑run.
What happens next
The approved FY2027 recommendation will be forwarded to the town manager’s office for inclusion in the town budget documents and then considered at the annual town meeting, scheduled by the committee packet for May 12, 2026. Enrollment approvals will be implemented through the district’s school‑choice and METCO application processes and the Springfield METCO coordination process.
Attribution
Quotes and on‑record remarks in this article are attributed to meeting speakers as recorded in the Feb. 24, 2026 Longmeadow School Committee meeting transcript.