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Lewiston superintendent lays out FY27 budget with $3.5M fund-balance draw and $1.8M net staff reductions
Summary
Superintendent Jake Lang told the Lewiston School Committee on March 18 that the FY27 superintendent's budget responds to steep cost drivers — special education, transportation and energy — by proposing $1.8 million in net position reductions and using $3.5 million of fund balance while seeking to protect core services.
Lewiston Superintendent Jake Lang presented the district's proposed FY27 budget at a March 18 workshop, citing a mix of one-time pressures and recurring cost increases that pushed administrators to "make some tough decisions." The presentation focused on four principal cost drivers: special-education spending (described by Lang as "in the five million range" when explaining program growth), an estimated $2.5 million increase in transportation costs, rising electricity rates and a spike in workers'compensation expenses.
Lang said the superintendent's proposal reduces the local tax ask compared with an earlier $6.5 million local increase the administration had considered, instead including $3.5 million in planned use of the district's fund balance and $1.8 million in net position reductions achieved through reorganizations and targeted cuts. "I made some tough decisions," Lang said, adding that some reductions come from filled and vacant positions and that the administration tried to minimize local tax impact where possible.
The superintendent stressed that several proposed reductions come from grant-funded roles that are sunsetting or tied to uncertain federal funding. He noted the district is monitoring litigation that has frozen disbursements for an ESSRP-related grant, which threatens to eliminate some grant-funded positions if the funds are not restored. Lang also described collaboration with the city on an electricity procurement that helped limit rate exposure.
The budget workshop did not include a formal vote. Lang told the committee that the administration plans to finish Article 1 that night and continue review of other articles in subsequent workshops; a formal vote on the budget is expected during the upcoming meeting cycle. Committee members requested additional data on school-level academic metrics, program-specific impacts and the timing of grant sunsets before adopting final budget decisions.
