Woburn School Committee votes to send $99.8 million FY27 budget to public hearing amid staffing and special-education concerns

The Woburn School Committee voted April 14 to send a proposed $99,789,923 fiscal year 2027 operating budget — a 3.99% increase from FY26 — to a public hearing after a multi-hour presentation and line-by-line discussion with administration.

Administration presented the budget as the result of months of work and called out three primary cost drivers: salaries (about 76% of the budget), out-of-district special-education tuition and transportation and utilities. The superintendent and finance staff said the FY27 proposal reflects about $3.8 million in year-over-year increases and incorporates roughly $538,000 in reductions and strategic reallocations to lower the net ask. "This represents a 3.8 million dollar increase year over year," the budget presenter said.

Why it matters: committee members emphasized the budget’s link to student supports. Administrators noted Woburn’s student complexity is at historic highs — nearly one in four students now requires specialized disability support — and said those demographics are a major factor in rising out-of-district tuition and special-education costs.

What’s in the proposal: administration said the current FY27 request trims earlier staffing requests from 12 to six full-time-equivalent positions. The six remaining asks…