School committee closes FY27 budget hearing, votes to hold school on Good Friday this year; last day set pending no further closures

The Tewksbury School Committee closed the FY27 public hearing on March 18 after a third budget review by business manager Dave Libby and moved into regular business. Libby walked the committee through salary/operating/capital drivers, noting a roughly 3.72% increase in salary/operating/capital areas and an overall requested increase of about 3.44% when shared fixed costs with the town are included. "We feel comfortable that the bottom line figure of 82,000,050 dollars will be sufficient for us to operate in FY '27," Libby said during his presentation.

Key fiscal points: Libby flagged an expected major increase in health‑insurance costs, explained the district’s process for balancing recurring and one‑time revenues, and said the town manager increased the district’s share of new revenues to 63% for next year to accommodate some unavoidable needs. He also said the district had been ruled ineligible for approximately $213,000 in competitive state grants this year owing to MBTA Communities Act interpretations, though the district continues to apply when possible.

Warrant articles and capital: Committee members asked about capital warrant items flagged for the May town meeting. Libby said a combined warrant request for auditorium projectors and iPads would run about $197,000 (roughly $48,000 for projectors and about $148,000–$149,000 for iPads for PK–1 classrooms) and that the town manager signaled willingness to add the items to the warrant.

Calendar decision and vote: Administration presented survey results about shifting calendar days to recover extra snow days. For the immediate question of whether to hold school on Good Friday (April 3), administration reported quick survey returns showing about 84% of responding parents and about 80% of responding staff supported using Good Friday as an instructional day to move the final day earlier. The administration cautioned there is a fiscal impact: negotiated contracts for some 12‑month employees, custodians and secretaries pay time‑and‑a‑half if required to work a negotiated holiday, producing an estimated extra cost of about $15,000 for FY26 to cover those obligations. After discussion, the committee voted to hold school on April 3 this year and set the last day of school — pending no additional disruptions between now and April 1 — to Thursday, June 18 (motion carried by roll call; unanimous vote reported).

What it means: Holding school on Good Friday this year shortens the calendar by one instructional day without reopening collective bargaining, the administration said, but may create recurring budget impacts if the choice is repeated next year. The committee also heard a broader calendar proposal for FY27 (starting staff earlier, adding pre‑season days) that produced mixed survey results (roughly 55% favored keeping the draft calendar as printed vs. 45% in favor of starting staff earlier). The committee voted to retain the FY27 calendar as printed while continuing the conversation in a future workshop with bargaining units and other stakeholders.

Routine business and next steps: The committee approved minutes, certified payrolls for three pay periods (amounts in the packet totaled $1,754,476.01; $1,802,673.32; and $1,755,671.68), and directed administration to post updated budget documents and updated materials online. Administration said additional budget detail will be published on the district website before the next meeting.

Ending: The committee closed public business and moved into executive session for collective bargaining and executive‑session minute approval.