Committee approves accounting cleanup to include $94,000 of IT licensing in school budget; sets FY27 warrant figure

The North Andover School Committee on March 26 voted to incorporate approximately $94,000 in software licensing and IT costs that had previously been booked as town shared-services into the school operating budget for fiscal 2027.

Greg Landry, director of operations, told the committee the change reflects costs that are solely used by the school district (PowerSchool, nursing software, library software) and gives the schools custody and control of those line items. Committee members repeatedly described the action as an accounting alignment rather than an ask for new services or an increase in taxpayer burden; the town’s overall budget pie remains unchanged, they said.

To match the warrant printing schedule, the committee suspended rules and voted to have the $72,294,000 school operating appropriation reflected in the warrant article that will be printed for Town Meeting. Members discussed the implications for future years — moving the expense into the school budget means future budget asks will reflect those costs — and emphasized transparency about the change.

The committee will take final votes on warrant language and other town articles at the April 9 meeting so items can be printed for the April 10 warrant deadline. The Kittredge School building project (Article 8) was highlighted as the largest warrant article: a proposed bond authorization of about $79.8 million with an estimated 36.6% reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Next steps: final warrant votes on April 9; district staff said they will keep updating the committee and post related materials for public review.