Beverly budget hearing spotlights special‑education staffing shortages and public pressure to restore classroom positions

Superintendent Dr. Cushing on Wednesday presented a recommended FY26–27 Beverly Public Schools budget that he said represents a 5.27% increase over last year’s appropriated budget and includes proposed fee increases for athletics, transportation and preschool programs.

The school committee opened the public hearing with Dr. Cushing outlining budget drivers — collective‑bargaining obligations, enrollment shifts, rising special‑education needs and inflation — and a mix of proposed reductions and targeted additions. He said the recommended budget relies in part on one‑time offsets, including limited use of school‑choice funds to hire three elementary teachers this summer, and listed district‑level cuts (technology, advertising, some clerical and library positions) alongside proposed additions to special‑education staffing and paraprofessionals.

Why it matters: teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses and parents filled the auditorium to press the committee to prioritize “student‑facing” staff in next week’s budget deliberations, arguing cuts to classroom positions are already affecting legally required special‑education services, safety and teacher retention.

At the podium, kindergarten teacher Cindy Tamilio urged the committee to assign a…