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Concord approves regional and local school budgets, including capital request for new middle school site work
Summary
Town Meeting approved the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District and Concord Public Schools operating and capital budgets. The CCRSD increase was presented at 3.62%; Concord Public Schools operating increase was 2.4% and the capital package totaled $941,570. All three articles passed by comfortable margins.
Town Meeting considered multiple education articles in a single cluster. Dr. Hunter gave an overview of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District (CCRSD) FY26 request, citing a 3.62% operating budget increase driven primarily by special-education transportation and other out-of-district costs. He described recent enrollment declines at the high school and a modest 1.0 FTE reduction to adjust staffing to enrollment; he thanked the Finance Committee for accommodating prior-year budget shortfalls. The CCRSD article (Article 12) passed 300–26 after audience questions about long-term infrastructure planning.
Dr. Hunter then presented the Concord Public Schools operating budget (Article 10), noting the FY26 operating increase of 2.4% and the impact of consolidating to the new Ellen Garrison middle school. He explained a $69,000 free-cash transfer to offset homeless-transportation reimbursements and described steps taken to control costs (reductions in FTEs tied to consolidation, software and security upgrades following a cyberattack). Article 10 passed 318–2.
For Article 11 (Concord Public Schools capital budget), Dr. Hunter outlined capital requests totaling $941,570, including vehicle replacement (a pickup), instructional-technology refreshes, a pneumatic bus lift at the Knox Trail garage, and a proposed irrigation system for the new middle school estimated at about $400,000. Select Board and Finance Committee recommended affirmative action; Article 11 passed 302–36.
Public commenters asked about long-term infrastructure planning for heat-pump conversions, solar installations, bus electrification and roof replacements; Dr. Hunter and other officials said the operating budgets do not fund many of those capital investments and that the district pursues grants and other funding sources. Materials and detailed line items are in the Town Meeting briefing book.
