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Board hears FY27 budget presentations emphasizing tech upgrades, cameras and capital repairs
Summary
Administrators outlined FY27 budget priorities including replacing nonfunctional grade‑school cameras ($50,000 request), server hardware nearing end of service (est. $120k–$250k depending on scope), Clear Touch panels, and a proposed increase in maintenance funding to $150,000 for chairlift, roofing and parking‑lot work.
Administrators presented the Winthrop School District’s FY27 budget proposals, emphasizing technology upgrades, safety equipment and capital maintenance needs.
Megan White, director of teaching and learning, said the grade‑school camera system is currently not recording reliably and asked the board for about $50,000 to replace roughly 14 interior and exterior cameras and to install a viewing station. "So we're asking for $50,000 to support the purchasing and installation of those cameras," White said.
White also flagged server hardware that will reach end‑of‑service in 2027 and described options ranging from a targeted disaster‑recovery replacement to a full production‑server replacement. She reported vendor quotes ranging from roughly $120,000 to more than $250,000 depending on scope and noted federal E‑rate eligibility could cover some work.
At the high school, Principal Dufour described instructional supply needs tied to newly approved electives (theater, technical education), replacement of aging instruments and graphing calculators, and proposals to fund additional supports for multilingual learners through a shared 1.5 FTE ELL position.
Middle‑school principal Laurie Smell requested funds to replace lab tables (about $10,000 per science lab) and proposed reassigning a retiring library EdTech position into a half‑time math interventionist to address academic needs.
Dr. Foley summarized district‑level maintenance and capital items and asked the board to increase a maintenance baseline from $100,000 to $150,000 to cover projects such as installing a new chairlift at the grade school, roofing work and sealing the high‑school parking lot. "That will pretty much eat up the $150,000," he said.
Board members asked for additional cost detail and comparisons with neighboring districts (per‑pupil costs) ahead of final budget deliberations. No budget votes were taken; the superintendent offered to revise numbers if the board directed higher expenditures in particular lines.
