Dorchester District 2 adopts $314.4 million fiscal 2027 budget with teacher pay increases

The Dorchester District 2 Board of Trustees on June 8 adopted a balanced fiscal year 2027 budget after receiving updated local and state revenue projections and trimming expenditures.

CFO Tina Manet told the board the district’s original FY27 request had shown a roughly $4.6 million shortfall, but subsequent adjustments to revenue estimates and targeted expenditure changes reduced that gap. Manet said updated local property assessments, new Somerville TIF arrangements and state aid adjustments increased projected revenues by approximately $4.1 million, producing a proposed budget of $314,373,653.

"We received additional revenue projections and adjusted some of our expenditures," Manet said in the presentation, describing shifts that included moving certain stipends into state-funded special revenue and reducing some planned FTE additions. The board then voted to approve the budget; Miss Bates moved, Miss Powell seconded, and the motion carried six in favor, one absent.

Nut graf: The adopted budget emphasizes personnel investments and student supports while preserving district reserves. Key priorities highlighted by district leaders include $8.5 million for teacher recruitment and retention, $1.8 million for student behavior supports, and increases in administrator and classified staff pay.

Manet detailed several revenue drivers behind the shift: updated county assessor figures that added roughly $2.2 million in projected property tax collections, an estimated $476,000 operational recognition from Somerville’s tax-increment financing arrangement, and an extra $450,000 in state aid adjustments tied to recent state budget decisions. She also noted a net of $738,000 in other state revenue changes including motor carrier and manufacturer depreciation allocations.

On compensation, the board approved a substantive increase to teacher pay: Manet said the district will raise each step on the teacher salary scale by $2,500 and that the starting teacher pay will increase from $51,500 this year to $54,000 in FY27. "It's a huge commitment…putting more money in our teachers, classified staff and administrators," the superintendent said during discussion.

The fiscal plan also includes an allocation of $1.2 million for administrator recruitment and retention and $3.5 million targeted to classified staff recruitment and retention. Manet said that some previously requested expenditures were reallocated to other funds (for example, certain special-education stipends moved to EIA/state-aid accounts) and that the district trimmed or repurposed positions to align with the budget.

District leadership also presented a five‑year projection during the meeting showing planning-level scenarios for FY28–FY31. The projection builds in a possible $3,000 teacher pay increase in FY28 for planning purposes and anticipates costs related to opening a planned elementary school in later years. Staff cautioned that such multi‑year projections depend heavily on state funding decisions and other revenue uncertainties.

Board members commended staff for finding additional revenues and adjusting expenditures to achieve a balanced FY27 plan without asking for a new millage. "For the businesses in our community not to have to experience a millage increase to support this, that's a good thing," one member said.

Ending: The board approved the FY27 budget in a 6–0 vote with one member absent. Officials said they will communicate pay-scale changes to staff immediately and continue to monitor revenues and expenditures throughout the year.