Finance subcommittee recommends 2.9% FY27 budget, urges continued review of reserves and requests for tech staffing

The North Middlesex Regional School District finance subcommittee voted March 5 to recommend that the full school committee adopt a 2.9% increase for the FY27 budget (draft R2).

Superintendent Robin Ivy told the subcommittee the administration had conducted a line-by-line review and identified $105,000 in reductions, then proposed using an additional $500,000 from the district's excess and deficiency (E&D) reserves to bring all three member towns below a 3% assessment increase. "The decision was made to make a recommendation to all of you to use an additional $500,000 in E and D," Ivy said, adding that the change moved the district's proposed increase from 3.6% to 2.9%.

Finance staff cautioned the committee that two recent one-time positives ' a reported 0% active-employee health insurance increase and stronger out-of-district tuition receipts ' had improved the FY26 outlook but might not recur. "We saw a real positive swing in our out of district numbers," the administration said, and added that those combined items put the district in a better position now than might be sustained next year.

Committee members pressed for clarity on how the budget would be presented and tracked. Nancy Haines said she was preparing an updated closeout report and that the packet included the version the committee had reviewed previously. "I'm working ' I'm still working on an updated report, but I did include the one that we had just reviewed last month," Haines said.

Several members backed using some reserves while still treating the FY27 number as a ceiling that could be lowered if additional state or other revenues materialize before town meetings. "If additional funds come in, that the ask to the municipalities can still go down," Chair Kim Credeman said, asking the administration to keep the committee informed between now and the March 10 full committee meeting and the town meetings that follow.

Members also discussed a recurring request for an additional IT technician to limit growing repair times and complete capital projects. A committee member cited an $80,000 order-of-magnitude estimate for that new position; administration said they would try to identify whether prepaying deferred technology purchases in FY26 could free funding for the position without increasing the FY27 ask.

Motion and vote: Committee member Lisa Martin moved to recommend the FY27 draft R2 budget (2.9% increase) to the full school committee; the motion was seconded and the finance subcommittee recorded affirmative votes from the members present. The recommendation will be considered by the full school committee at its March 10 meeting.

The administration will continue to update the committee on FY26 closeout figures, the state budget revision schedule, and any revenues (including expected Valley Collaborative funds) that could reduce the municipal assessment request before town meetings.