Winthrop board approves $15,497,070 FY27 operating budget; adult ed and food-service budgets also passed

The Winthrop School Board voted unanimously to approve the FY27 school operating budget in the amount of $15,497,070 (excluding nutrition and adult-education allocations) and authorized the superintendent to present that budget to the town council. The chair made the motion on the board floor and members unanimously supported it.

Board discussion before the vote focused on class-size concerns and enrollment increases. The superintendent noted cohort comparisons and that without adding a requested teacher the proposed budget represented a 5.4% increase in expenditures; adding the teacher would raise expenditures by roughly 6.07%. Principal Violet reported an unusual mid-year influx of first-grade students (12 new students since the school year began), causing temporary strain at that grade level. Public commenters and an online participant urged the board to address enrollment-driven staffing needs and to explain how town funding decisions intersect with school staffing.