Chelsea School Committee adopts $156.25 million budget after weeks of public protests over cuts

Chelsea — The Chelsea School Committee voted to adopt a $156,248,491 fiscal‑year 2027 general fund budget after several hours of public comment and a lengthy presentation from district leaders.

Superintendent Dr. Ala acknowledged the difficulty of the budget cycle and framed the reductions as responses to a funding shortfall. “The proposed budget includes reductions that affect members of our school community, including educators who work with our students every day,” she said during opening remarks.

The budget debate drew sustained public testimony from students, educators and parents who urged the committee to reject the proposal or delay the vote. “Mental health support is not optional. It is essential,” said Eileen Eraso, a senior at Chelsea High School, describing the planned non‑return of a counselor she credited with saving a student’s life. Vanessa Mendoza Marcado, vice president of the Chelsea Teachers Union, told the committee that the $2 million the city added was helpful but insufficient and warned that “57.5 positions is about a whole school worth of student‑facing staff positions.”

Teachers and staff at several schools described the proposed cuts as concentrated among classroom and student‑support positions. Katie Lee, a speech therapist, warned the board the plan would “hurt our students for years to come.” Linda Wallace, a middle‑school teacher, estimated class sizes would rise and said cuts to paraprofessionals and special education liaisons would undermine teacher retention and support for new teachers.

Central office leaders presented the district’s rationale and constraints. Chief Financial and Operations Officer Billy Joe Turner said the district manages a $156 million budget within state, federal and city rules and described limits imposed by the municipal financial systems, which officials said do not provide line‑by‑line transparency without additional work. Cabinet members outlined which administrators and departments will absorb added responsibilities following the reductions, and principals described how they used school site council feedback and staff surveys to prioritize cuts at the building level.

Committee members repeatedly pressed for greater transparency about line items and contracted services and asked how additional funds would be allocated if they became available. Superintendent Dr. Ala said principals had submitted ranked lists of reductions and the district would consult those rankings first if new money were added over the summer.

After discussion, the committee held a roll call to accept the superintendent’s recommended budget. The final tally was recorded on the record as five in the affirmative, three members voting “present,” and one “no.” The committee then adopted the 2026–27 school calendar by a separate roll call vote.

What’s next: The district will implement the adopted budget for FY27 and principals said they will conduct September class‑size reviews and may seek to add FTEs if enrollment projections shift. Community members and union leaders said they plan continued advocacy at the city and state level, including outreach to state lawmakers about funding formulas and enrollment impacts.

Sources: Public testimony and district presentations at the Chelsea School Committee meeting.