Sanford Public Schools proposes $74.4 million FY27 budget, cites lowest per-pupil spending and asks for new staff

Matt Nelson, superintendent of Sanford Public Schools, presented the district's proposed FY27 budget to the City of Sanford's budget work session on March 3, 2026, saying the plan would increase expense appropriations to $74,415,832 and reflect a 7.9% rise in expenses.

Nelson framed the request around three themes: student-centered mission and partnerships, constrained local resources, and staffing shortfalls. "Our pupil per pupil spending, $15,066, comes in dead last for our comparable schools," Nelson said, adding that Sanford serves some of the region's highest-need students and has a student-teacher ratio of about 17.38 to 1.

He laid out specific staffing requests tied to those gaps: two classroom teachers and an allied-arts teacher at Sanford Middle School; two academic interventionists for the middle school; an attendance-learning coordinator at Sanford High School (by repurposing an existing role); a resource-room special-education teacher and two self-contained educational technicians at the high school; and an additional EdTech for the Sanford Regional Technical Center's welding program. Nelson said the CTE positions are largely state-supported but not fully covered by formula money.

Health insurance and benefits, he said, are major budget drivers. After a renewal that briefly projected a >25% increase, the district built a 20% health-insurance assumption into the budget and noted that "for every 1% change, it's gonna be $86,942" in cost difference. Paid family and medical leave also reappears in the FY27 budget as a locally shared cost and was estimated to add more than $100,000.

Nelson described revenue changes the district expects: a net $2.7 million increase in state formula and other revenue sections broken down across EPS and CTE adjustments, and a separate adult-education formula change that produced an unexpected boost of roughly $166,000 for services to 18- to 22-year-olds. He stressed that some formula revenue must be directed to the categories specified by the state formula.

On special education, Nelson explained the state's move to transition FAPE (free and appropriate public education) responsibilities for 3- and 4-year-olds into the school system. Sanford will join cohort 3 and, Nelson said, the Department of Education has designated that transition as 100% state-funded and budgeted it separately from the EPS-based operating budget.

Asked by council members whether carryover or reserves could lower the tax request, Nelson said the district plans to use a portion of reserves in FY27 (approximately $684,627) and to deploy targeted reserve categories (health, special education, fuel and capital) where appropriate. He characterized the FY27 request as neither a "wish list" nor tone-deaf, but as a set of positions and reserves aligned to maintain services and address documented gaps.

The presentation closed with Nelson urging continued advocacy at the state level for EPS reform: he said proposed legislative changes to increase poverty weights and to prioritize student need over property valuation would benefit Sanford. Nelson and council members agreed to follow up with more detailed enrollment and revenue-offset data at upcoming meetings; Nelson said he would provide expanded breakdowns on request.

The school budget discussion was advisory to the council; no formal vote was taken during the work session.