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Rockport leaders present FY27 operating budget and ask taxpayers for 3% increase
Summary
Superintendent Mark Branca framed a FY27 operating budget built with a 0-based approach, noting refinements since the last draft and a formal request to taxpayers for a 3% increase over FY26; the committee heard details on revenues, reserves and program priorities.
Superintendent Mark Branca presented the Rockport School District's FY27 operating budget on Jan. 21, outlining a timeline that includes a public presentation on Feb. 4 and the town meeting vote on April 11. Branca said the district is in its fourth year of using a zero-based budgeting process and that tonight’s draft includes several refinements since the prior presentation.
"We are in our 4th year of using a 0 based budgeting format," Branca said, describing how the district builds the budget up from current staffing and programmatic needs rather than automatically rolling numbers forward. He told the committee the ask to taxpayers is a 3% increase from FY26 to FY27 and emphasized the leadership team removed lines associated with town-managed costs to make the comparison apples to apples: "what we are asking the taxpayers for is a 3% increase from f y '26 to f y 27."
The presentation covered revenue history (noting a modest uptick in school-choice revenue), federal entitlement grants and competitive grants, and the district’s reserves. Branca reported the district's reserves are healthy (roughly $2,000,000), and said the leadership team expects reserves to replenish over time even when a portion is used to balance the coming year's budget. He also outlined programmatic priorities that the FY27 budget is intended to support, including curriculum adoption, SEL screening, computer science expansion and additional acceleration supports for elementary students.
Committee members asked for clarification about school-choice carryover, reserve composition and whether shifting fuel and vehicle costs to the town would change taxpayers’ bills. Branca and staff said the town takeover of fuel, power and vehicle expenses should be neutral to individual taxpayers in the near term and would create administrative efficiencies, though savings are expected to accrue over time. The committee did not take a final vote on the budget tonight; members indicated they will review the full budget book at the Feb. meeting and then hold the public hearing and vote on the requested appropriation.
