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Board of Education presents $232M net FY27 ask; special education and transportation drive the gap
Summary
At a late-night workshop the Board of Education presented a proposed FY27 operating request with a gross ask of $252.6M and a net city ask of roughly $232.1M after anticipated offsets; district leaders said special education placements, transportation costs and staff recruitment are the principal budget drivers.
Board of Education leaders presented the district's FY27 operating budget request to the Finance Committee on April 29, describing gains in student performance and urgent fiscal pressures that the superintendent and CFO say require increased municipal support.
District presenters highlighted measurable improvements: higher on-track rates, proficiency gains on state assessments and a reported rise in graduation rates. At the same time, the superintendent and finance staff warned that mandated special-education costs, rising transportation expenses and a staffing shortfall were the principal drivers of a budget gap. The presentation cited a special-education operating total (general fund plus related special funds) approaching $72 million and noted an increase in out-of-district tuition and contract services. District staff said they currently identify an across-district staffing shortfall of roughly 177 FTE positions (a mix of instructional, special-services and operational roles) and estimated the cost to address structural gaps at roughly $26.8 million.
Transportation costs were repeatedly flagged by alder members as an immediate pressure. The district reported that aggregate transportation expenditures had climbed from earlier years and now approach $7 million for a range of services (standard and small bus runs, special-education transports, athletics and field trips). Presenters said federal and state grants and enrollment-related revenues have become less reliable year to year, which forces the general fund to absorb growing program costs when special grants decline.
The district's gross FY27 operating request was presented as $252.6 million; staff said they expected to layer in anticipated offsets (including state aid and the mayor's proposed add of $5 million) that reduce the district's net municipal ask to roughly $232.1 million, leaving an opening gap of about $18.9 million compared with the mayor's baseline. Committee members asked detailed questions about magnet versus neighborhood enrollment, the residency verification process, routing efficiencies to reduce transportation costs, and whether schools have capacity to enroll neighborhood students to reduce out-of-district busing.
Board leaders asked the Finance Committee to prioritize protection of existing staff and to consider the district's allocation model that directs additional discretionary resources to schools with higher concentrations of multilingual learners and students with disabilities. No votes were taken; the committee set dates for budget deliberations and encouraged alder follow-up.
