Norton School Committee approves roughly $37.2 million FY26 level-services budget after public hearing

The Norton School Committee voted March 12 to approve the superintendent's recommended FY2026 level-services budget, roughly $37.2 million, after a public hearing and more than an hour of questions from residents and educators.

Superintendent Dr. O'Neal opened the hearing and described the district's $35.6 million final FY25 spending and the recommended FY26 increase of 4.96 percent to maintain current staff and programs. She said salary increases from collective-bargaining obligations are the largest driver of the request, and identified special-education tuition and related services as a major budget pressure.

"The largest majority of our increase for this upcoming fiscal year is district salaries," Dr. O'Neal said, and she added the district expects some net savings on out-of-district placements as individual students return to in-district programs.

Dr. O'Neal reported October 1 enrollment figures used for state funding: about 2,424 students districtwide, including 2,118 Norton residents and roughly 233 school-choice students. She said the district currently has several dozen students in specialized and out-of-district placements; those placements drove roughly $3.8–$4.5 million in annual tuition costs in recent years.

Board members and the public pressed district leaders on several items, including why certain salary lines rose. High-school principal Dr. Ethan Dalman and LG Norris principal Tom Higgins explained that some positions or portions of salaries previously paid from revolving funds or other accounts were moved into the general fund, producing apparent year-to-year increases in particular lines rather than pure raises.

Residents and educators used the hearing to press the committee on long-unfunded positions and the impact of staffing reductions. Multiple speakers, including teachers and the district's NTA president, described the effects of losing 22 net staff positions since the previous year and warned of burnout and reduced services.

"We're seeing a crisis unfolding," said special-education teacher Shannon Taylor, describing larger caseloads and fewer supports in classrooms.

The superintendent acknowledged teacher burnout and described incremental steps to restore positions when funds permit, but said larger fixes would require additional town or state funding. Committee members repeatedly noted the limits of local authority without a successful override vote or increased state support.

Dr. O'Neal also reviewed the district's use of federal entitlement grants (including Title I and federal special-education funds) and the school-choice revolving fund, which provides about $5,000 per incoming school-choice student from the state formula but fluctuates when students require specialized services. She warned that the district has increasingly relied on school-choice revenue for recurring costs, a practice the administration seeks to reverse over time.

After closing the public hearing by motion, the committee moved and seconded to approve the FY26 budget as recommended by the superintendent. The motion was recorded as moved by Dan and seconded by Sher; the transcript records a voice vote in favor but does not include a roll-call tally.

The budget vote means the committee will forward the recommended appropriation figures to the town budget process for the select board, finance committee and final town-meeting actions. Committee members said they will continue discussions with the town manager and finance officials about whether supplemental funds (free cash) or fall town-meeting actions might restore additional positions before the school year begins.

The committee closed the hearing and proceeded with routine business later in the meeting.