Winchester Board approves $26.05 million FY27 budget request after $500,000 cut

The Winchester Board of Education on March 3, 2026 approved a FY27 budget request to the town of $26,050,562 after voting 5-2-1 to cut $500,000 from the proposed spending plan.

Board member Nora Mocarski made the final motion, seconded by Board member Elinor Bishop, to reduce the proposed budget by $500,000; the motion passed with votes for the motion from Elinor Bishop, Nora Mocarski, Joseph Santoro, Kurt Werner and Christine Rylander. Board members Jonathan Morhardt and Frank Oliveri voted no, and Shane Centrella recorded an abstention. The board had considered multiple alternate reductions earlier in the meeting, but those motions failed to carry.

The special meeting began with a roll call led by Board Chair Kurt Werner and an initial public comment period during which twelve speakers addressed the budget, according to the minutes. The superintendent reported that advocacy efforts are underway at the state and federal levels to support the district; board members identified items they did not want to cut during the FY27 planning discussion.

Throughout the meeting the board considered a series of amendment motions seeking different reduction amounts and corresponding town request totals. Motions that failed included proposals to cut $328,299 (motion by Nora Mocarski, seconded by Christine Rylander), $560,080 (Joseph Santoro, seconded by Kurt Werner), $257,511 (Nora Mocarski, seconded by Elinor Bishop), and $550,562 (Joseph Santoro, seconded by Kurt Werner). One Santoro motion to cut $550,562 lacked a second and was not voted on. A separate motion to end discussion and reconvene on Thursday failed.

The board recessed for 10 minutes by unanimous vote; minutes note that Board member Carol Kijek, who had been present by phone, did not return after the recess. After the recess the successful motion to trim $500,000 passed and the board moved to a closing public comment period that included one speaker. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. on a unanimous motion.

The minutes do not specify line-item changes or describe which programs or positions would be affected by the $500,000 reduction; the board did state priorities it did not want to cut but did not enumerate them in the recorded minutes. Next procedural steps for the district budget request are to submit the approved request to the town (amount approved: $26,050,562).