Minuteman committee reviews FY27 recommended budget; paraprofessional pay increase proposed

The Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School Committee met in a special session to review the superintendent's FY27 recommended budget and to brief member towns ahead of the public presentation and vote scheduled for Feb. 5.

Driscoll, responding to a FINCOM question about mid-year changes, said transfers between line items are routine for emergencies and that the committee votes on the overall bottom line: "If there were a crisis like our roof needed replacing suddenly and we needed to pay XYZ, we would then request a transfer from other accounts to shift it to the thing that we need," Driscoll said, noting quarterly reports track such moves.

Administrators emphasized that once assessments to member towns are voted they are fixed for the year. Committee members were told that raising assessments mid-year would require notifying member towns, allowing up to 45 days for town meetings or select-board review, and obtaining two-thirds of member towns' support to amend the budget.

On staffing, the administration said cleaning is outsourced but the school still needs in-house maintenance technicians. The committee heard that current maintenance staff perform both custodial and skilled trade duties and that an additional daytime maintenance position is proposed to meet routine operational needs.

Heidi, identified in the meeting as the superintendent, described a proposed market adjustment for paraprofessionals. "Right now our paraprofessionals for the year make $35,000 a year," she said. "We are changing the salary by $10,000 to be $45,000, which is still not quite a living wage. It is our first step in the market adjustment for all of the paraprofessionals." The administration said seven paraprofessionals are on the current staff.

Members raised several program and facilities matters. Committee members asked about rental revenue after a partner (referred to as Leslie) reduced priority field access; administrators said rental income has not changed because the organization still rents, and staff reported a backlog of renters. The administration said it will issue an RFP for the Tremont Street building to establish veterinary and health-science space that would include a live veterinary clinic and student instructional space, followed by phased RFPs for additional work.

The committee received an update on the north building renovation, which administrators said is due to open around Valentine's Day; staff described students helping to pull fiber from the main Minuteman building to the north building as part of the move-in work.

A lengthy portion of the meeting explained why assessments to towns vary. The administration said operating assessments use a four-year rolling average and that capital assessments use a formula that incorporates foundation enrollment, combined effort (a measure of a community's ability to pay that pulls property values and household income), and a per-community component. Lexington's assessment rose about 20% this year, officials said, largely tied to increased enrollment and capital calculations. Nikki, the administration's finance contact in the meeting, said they will meet with Lexington staff and finance committees to explain the increase and answer questions.

Committee members encouraged consistent messaging to member towns: emphasize that higher enrollment is generally positive for students and that the four-year rolling average is designed to smooth year-to-year volatility.

No formal vote was taken on the budget at this meeting. The committee adopted remote participation at the start of the session and later approved a motion to adjourn. The administration and FINCOM will continue to monitor the governor's budget and notify members if substantive state changes require another meeting before the Feb. 5 public vote.