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Bridgewater-Raynham faces town budget shortfall; committee approves 3-year cybersecurity contract
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Summary
Committee members heard town-level budget presentations showing a $2.7 million shortfall relative to the district request and approved a 3-year Sophos contract for cybersecurity monitoring; general ledger warrants were also approved with one abstention.
The Bridgewater-Raynham School Committee received a pair of budget updates and approved a three-year contract for cybersecurity monitoring at its April 15 meeting.
Chair Rachel King summarized Bridgewater Town Manager Casanova Davis's presentation of the town's proposed fiscal 2027 budget, saying the town's proposal represents a roughly $2.7 million shortfall from what the school district requested. "This represents a $2,700,000 deficit from what we requested," the chair said, summarizing the town manager's remarks. The presentation highlighted limited new revenue and staffing and service reductions being proposed by the town council.
Superintendent Powers also noted a potentially positive early signal from the state budget process: the House Ways and Means committee proposed increasing the minimum per-pupil rate to $160 (compared with $75 in the governor's budget), and increased regional transportation reimbursement percentages. Powers cautioned those figures are preliminary and must still pass legislature stages.
On administrative spending, the budget subcommittee presented three estimates for a three-year antivirus/security contract. After reviewing bids from Sophos ($66,000 total over three years after negotiation), Arctic Wolf ($68,429), and a one-year CrowdStrike quote, the committee authorized the superintendent to enter a three-year agreement with Sophos for 24/7 proactive monitoring and incident response.
The committee also approved general ledger warrants dated March 19 and April 2; the chair recorded one abstention in that vote. The district's treasurer reported recent quarter receipts (Chapter 70 aid of $8,552,493 and Chapter 71 transportation payment of $1,312,898) and noted higher-than-expected interest income, while cautioning that elevated athletic fee receipts do not equate to a district-wide surplus because program costs remain substantial.
What happens next: Town budget hearings are ongoing; committee members said they will attend town finance meetings to follow Bridgewater and Raynham budgets and assess impacts on FY27 school funding.
