Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
TECCA subcommittee lays out FY27 budget timeline, flags special-education staffing and class-size concerns
Summary
At its Nov. 17 subcommittee meeting, TECCA staff said draft FY27 budgets will be prepared in January for possible board approval in March; members emphasized ongoing special-education hiring and noted class-size differences between TECCA sections and other virtual models.
Dr. Patrick Lattuca, a TECCA member, said at the Nov. 17 Board Financial Subcommittee meeting that draft FY27 budgets are expected to be prepared in January and routed for possible Board approval in March. The planning, he said, will build from school- and department-level goals and be reviewed by the central office team.
The discussion focused on staffing needs in Special Education. Dr. Lattuca said TECCA is conducting a class-size analysis and pursuing continuous hiring in the Special Education department to staff to recommended sizes. Dr. Jean Kenney noted the personnel sheet shows many posted Special Education positions and asked whether TECCA expects additional hires.
Committee members compared TECCA class sizes with those at other virtual programs. Dr. Lattuca characterized K–5 class sizes at another virtual school (identified in the meeting as GCVS) at about 15 students, while saying some TECCA sections have run as many as about 40 students. He framed that difference as a driver of the current hiring effort. He also said the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is increasing the per-student rate by 2 percent for the coming year, which staff are factoring into budget modeling.
The subcommittee did not take formal budget votes at the meeting; members agreed draft budgets and the personnel sheet will be reviewed further and returned to the committee when a quorum is present. The committee confirmed its next meeting for Jan. 5, 2026.
