Winthrop superintendent presents FY27 budget with $150,000 capital increase; board approves routine items

Winthrop Superintendent Dr. Folby presented the school district's proposed FY27 budget on Jan. 21, saying it balances investments in safety, student achievement and capital repairs while limiting the overall spending increase to roughly 5.2 percent.

"This budget is thoughtful and responsible, not extravagant, but intentional," Dr. Folby said, outlining three district priorities adopted in 2023: high-quality instruction, stronger communication and relationships, and more efficient operations. He proposed installing security cameras at the grade school, with an estimated cost of $50,000, to match systems already in place at the middle and high schools.

The budget proposal includes several staffing adjustments aimed at improving outcomes without adding net cost. Administrators requested converting a librarian role into a middle-level math interventionist (no additional cost) and increasing multilingual learner staffing from 1.2 to 1.5 full-time equivalent positions to meet growing needs.

District assessment data cited by the superintendent showed improvement in reading and math overall: reading target-band performance rose from 69 percent to 73 percent and math from 64 percent to 69 percent. He also cautioned about mid-level math performance, noting 7th-grade math fell to 53 percent above the 40th percentile and that the current eighth-grade cohort has the lowest three-year math results, arguing for targeted intervention.

On capital needs, administrators reported more than $2,000,000 in building repairs identified districtwide. To address ongoing maintenance, the FY27 request increases the capital repairs line from $100,000 to $150,000 and adds $5,000 to the turf reserve, which currently holds $21,000, to reduce future replacement impact.

To hold the budget increase near 5.2 percent, the administration proposed several reductions and restructurings: eliminating 1.5 administrative assistant positions in special education, reducing 1.5 special education teacher positions, reducing 1.5 gifted-and-talented positions, and trimming transportation director hours. The superintendent said insurance costs remain uncertain (the draft currently budgets insurance at 10 percent) and could require later adjustments.

The district also expects increased state revenue: "We will receive an additional $589,382," Dr. Folby said, attributing the gain to a rise in student enrollment. Enrollment grew by 36 students this year, an increase the superintendent said is roughly 4.5 percent.

Board members asked the administration to produce an itemized list of requests that were not funded; Dr. Folby agreed to prepare that estimate before the next meeting. Administrators will present detailed budget lines at the next board meeting and will host a public forum on March 19 at 6 p.m. at the high school to review cost centers and answer community questions.

Votes at a glance: the board unanimously approved the minutes from the prior meeting, unanimously approved second readings of multiple district policies (ECB; JLCB; JICIA; JFC; EEEAEA; EEEAAA and related administrative procedure EEEAAAAR), and unanimously approved the nomination of Jennifer McConnell as district physician. Movers and seconders were recorded as "so moved" and "seconded" in the minutes; individual votecollects were not recorded by name in the transcript.

The meeting concluded with no public commenters and adjournment at 6:25 p.m.