Another look at the proposed fiscal year 2026 school operating budget was taken by members of the School Committee, Select Board and Appropriation Committee on Thursday.

Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh and Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Susan Rothermich led the presentation, highlighting, among other things, requests for additional personnel.

The department is requesting a budget of $67.1 million, which is 6.1% over last year. The amount includes estimates for salary increases for the teacher, custodial and cafeteria workers, who are negotiating three-year pacts.

Personnel requests outlined

The school district is seeking 8.9 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. These are an intensive special education (SPED) teacher split between Marathon and Elmwood, an assistant principal at Elmwood, a reading tutor at Hopkins and a French teacher at the high school.

Other requests are for a 0.4 FTE orchestra teacher at the middle school, a 0.6 FTE computer teacher at the high school, a 0.5 FTE custodian (to make a person full-time) and a technology staff person.

Three paraprofessionals already in place will have their salaries rolled into this budget. Rothermich explained that these are the only current grant-funded positions that must be absorbed into the budget.

Carol Cavanaugh said the needs are based on enrollment, student interest and other factors like lowering class sizes and SPED requirements.

There are 600 students (14.2% of enrollment) who receive special education services.

Transportation costs include contract increases of $117,000 for the fleet of 35 buses and an additional bus at $93,000 to address over-capacity issues and the length of bus rides, according to Rothermich.

Select Board chair Brian Herr said the school department has been using less than 1% free cash for the budget consistently over the past few years, ranging from $400,000 to $600,000.

“I would say that is pretty darn good,” Herr said. “It is a very good sign the money was spent as planned and not wasted.”

One discussion surrounded the French teacher request. The superintendent said many students want Advanced Placement French, and the number of students fluctuates among the foreign languages offered.

She noted that some students are taught by VHS (Virtual High School) if the high school does not offer what they want or need, such as Latin.

Ideally, Carol Cavanaugh said, the district could hire an educator who teaches dual languages such as French and Spanish.

Regarding negotiating contracts, she said, “The salary schedule has complexity to it.”

She noted that in addition to step increases and cost of living adjustments, some educators “change lanes” when they attain higher than a master’s degree, for example.

Board members acknowledged they would likely see information about the governor’s budget in the next couple of weeks to get a better picture of the state’s finances.

Herr: Talk of cuts premature

School Committee vice chair Jamie Wronka emphasized that anything below the proposed budget of “level services” would negatively impact students.

School Committee chair Nancy Cavanaugh said the budget reflects the district’s “strong needs.” However, she said, “The concerning thing is on the revenue side. … If that falls short, we will have to roll up our sleeves and decide where the priorities are. Losing student-facing personnel is always the biggest concern.”

Nancy Cavanaugh added, “We are going to have to look at ways to realistically move forward.”

Herr said while he did not see “fat” in the proposed school budget, the town must take care of its other departments as well.

“I believe we can figure it out,” Herr said. “We’re not there yet.”

Herr said it is unnecessary to talk about cuts at this point. The budget gets finalized out into the spring, he added, and the town will know more when free cash and state aid amounts are determined.

Donations approved

In other business, the School Committee approved $6,060.35 for the Hopkins School Gift Account from the Meadow Farms fundraiser and accepted the donation of a 14-passenger Sprinter van for after-school travel of athletic teams. The van is valued at $77,529.

The board also accepted donations of school supplies valued at $250 for the SEPAC SHARK project.

The superintendent reported enrollment of 4,251 students in pre-K to Grade 12, an increase of three since December. She said the number will change as people move in and out of town and children turn age 3 and are eligible to enter pre-K.

Focus group forums to be held

Next week, the School Committee will meet again with the New England School Development Council (NESDEC), the consultant assisting with the new superintendent search. Carol Cavanaugh is retiring on June 30.

For that effort, the School Committee on Thursday agreed to have four focus groups with two sessions for staff starting after school at 2:45 p.m. (for middle and high school) and 3:45 p.m. (for elementary level) and two forums for community members, one virtual and one in person.

The community forums will start at 7 p.m., with dates to be determined for all sessions.