Marlborough hearing on FY2027 budget spotlights staffing shifts and instructional-leadership concerns

The Marlborough Public Schools held a televised public hearing on April 14 about its proposed fiscal year 2027 operating budget, which district staff said would total $85,199,324, a 2.94% increase over FY26. “Our total increase for our FY '27 budget, uh FY '27 level service budget is $2,437,340,” said Mr. Muhammad during the district’s presentation.

Why it matters: The plan includes multiple staffing reconfigurations and new positions the district says are intended to bolster in-class supports and leadership, but union representatives pressed officials for specifics about how existing staff will be affected and whether educators have the licensure needed for new roles.

District presentation: Mr. Muhammad described the budget’s major cost drivers as salary increases, transportation, supplies and services, out-of-district tuition, and newly identified program needs such as middle- and high-school attendance academies, Open SciEd science materials and after-school music enrichment. He listed planned reconfigured or added positions including six intervention coordinators, six interventionists, five SEL interventionists, one music teacher, one world language teacher, two preschool teachers and one assistant principal. The district also plans to add four buses, increasing the fleet from 25 to 29.

Union questions on staffing and licensure: Alden Thomas, president of the MEA, said the union appreciated that the district was maintaining overall MEA headcount but raised concerns that “the roles themselves are shifting, and not all staff may have the licensure to align with the new roles,” and asked how the district would communicate transitions and show where new roles are created in the budget (for example, at Hildreth).

District response on process: A district staff member said the budget book identifies where FTE changes occur and that the majority of staffing adjustments would be handled through non-renewals in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws provisions around non-renewal. The speaker said affected individuals would be notified appropriately and, if the budget is certified, “we will be posting the positions as anticipated tomorrow,” which the district expects will open other internal vacancies and create movement across the system.

Instructional leadership concerns: Heather Risley, treasurer of the union and a sixth-grade math teacher, told the committee that Marlborough’s progress in student growth has come from “a strong culture of collaboration, consistent expectations, and knowledgeable instructional leadership,” and asked how the district will ensure consistent instructional leadership if department head roles and teacher-leader stipends are removed.

District reply on leadership structure: The staff member responded that the district plans to increase instructional leadership capacity, explaining that they currently have three individuals in that role (plus an assistant director in the ELL lane) and intend to move to eight instructional leaders by expanding intervention-coordinator positions. The official said those coordinators will act as instructional leaders—working with teachers, modeling practice, examining student work and supporting PLCs—so that leadership presence in classrooms and teams will increase.

Process notes and next steps: District officials framed many staffing changes as contingent on the City Council’s certification of the budget and on subsequent hiring processes. The public-hearing portion closed with no speakers in opposition; the chair declared the hearing closed and a motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The public hearing adjourned at 7:14 p.m.

The hearing record includes repeated requests from union representatives for clearer, line-item budget labeling of new roles and assurances about licensure and staff notification under Massachusetts non-renewal procedures. The committee did not take further votes on policy or budget adoption during the hearing.