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Lawrence schools set FY27 budget schedule as superintendent flags multimillion-dollar shortfall
Summary
The district receiver said the FY27 budget will be posted May 12 with a public hearing May 27 and submission to the city budget subcommittee on or before June 8. Superintendent Carrero said a 378-student decline in the October count translates to an estimated $8.2 million revenue shortfall; committee members pressed for full line-item detail and transparency.
The Lawrence School Committee on May 6 heard a schedule for the district’s FY27 budget and an initial estimate of a multimillion-dollar shortfall tied to a decline in student enrollment.
The receiver told the committee the FY27 budget was expected to be posted for public review on or about May 12, remain posted for at least two weeks, and be the subject of a public hearing and presentation on Wednesday, May 27. The receiver said the school department and committee would take public input and that finalized materials would be submitted to the city’s budget and finance subcommittee on or before June 8.
Superintendent Carrero described how an October census count that showed 378 fewer students would reduce the district’s state funding and used an illustrative per-pupil figure to calculate an associated shortfall. "If you multiply $24,000 times 378 students ... about 8.2 million," Carrero said in the meeting while explaining the rough calculation. The superintendent also said the district is planning conservatively and is focused on protecting direct services to students and special education supports.
Why it matters: committee members said early and detailed disclosure of line items and a budget narrative are essential to inform community input and avoid public anxiety. Committee member Jonathan Guzman urged the receiver to provide a full budget narrative, line-item details and financial projections to guide public comment and committee review.
Committee members pressed for transparency and asked whether the committee would be able to review and comment on the budget material before it was finalized. The receiver said the public hearing would be the forum for community feedback, that the committee would sit as invited listeners during the hearing, and that committee members could then ask questions during the subsequent budget presentation to the committee that same night. The receiver acknowledged the schedule is aggressive but said the timeline is driven by the city’s calendar for municipal budgets.
What happens next: the budget posting (anticipated May 12), the public hearing (May 27) and the city subcommittee review (on or before June 8) are the next milestones. Committee members requested a full budget narrative and line-item detail in advance of the public hearing so they can provide informed feedback.
