The FY26 school surplus, from the period-13 ledger

Why there was money left over

Where it came from. Three categories left the most: building & grounds upkeep, $195,934 (28.4% of its budget); counselors & psychologists, $191,162 (18.1% of its budget); teachers & substitutes, $167,992 (1.5% of its budget). Accounts that ended over budget used $1,201,434 of what the rest left, led by paraprofessionals, $208,082 over and special-ed contracted services, $100,262 over.

Was it thrift? $283,991 of it (59%) sat in discretionary lines — supplies, upkeep and equipment, the part a decision to spend less could explain. The other $198,127 sat in salaries, benefits, tuition and other lines that follow staffing, placements and prices. The split of lines into the two groups is ours; see Was it thrift? below.

Every one of the 415 accounts is put in exactly one category by its DESE function and object code (the table is under How the categories are built). The surplus is net: accounts that ended under budget left $1,683,552, and accounts that ended over used $1,201,434 of it.

What the ledger shows, and what explains it

For each category that moved by at least $25,000: first what the ledger shows (measured), then what a document says about why — quoted, never paraphrased — or, where no document here says, the causes that fit the same numbers, marked as a hypothesis, and the one record that would settle it.

Paraprofessionals. Paraprofessionals ran $208,082 over a budget of $1,417,449. Inside it, accounts under budget left $2,000 and accounts over budget used $210,082. It ended under budget in 3 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

On the record — evidence of what was said, not a test of it:

• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “$81,075.96 from the High School Special Education Resource Room Teacher account to Hospital Tutoring and the ACE, Primary School, Elementary School, Middle School and High School Special Education Paraprofessional accounts to cover overages in those areas”. Our copy · the Town’s.

What the record does not establish: how much of the figure above it accounts for. Other causes that fit: aides hired late or not at all, or aides paid from a grant instead. Would settle it: paraprofessional payroll by month and by funding source.

Building & grounds upkeep. Building & grounds upkeep left $195,934 of $690,983 (28.4% of its budget). $18,070 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 4 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): maintenance projects postponed or not started, a shortage of facilities staff to run them, or a deliberate hold on spending. Would settle it: the facilities work-order and project list with dates.

Counselors & psychologists. Counselors & psychologists left $191,162 of $1,056,014 (18.1% of its budget). Inside it, accounts under budget left $235,145 and accounts over budget used $43,983. It ended under budget in 4 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): a counselor or psychologist post vacant or on leave for part of the year, or the work bought from a contractor instead. Would settle it: the position-control roster by month for functions 2710 and 2800.

Teachers & substitutes. Teachers & substitutes left $167,992 of $11,009,404 (1.5% of its budget). Inside it, accounts under budget left $255,765 and accounts over budget used $87,772. It ended under budget in 4 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

On the record — evidence of what was said, not a test of it:

• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “$81,075.96 from the High School Special Education Resource Room Teacher account to Hospital Tutoring and the ACE, Primary School, Elementary School, Middle School and High School Special Education Paraprofessional accounts to cover overages in those areas”. Our copy · the Town’s.
• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “the funds were associated with a leave of absence”. Our copy · the Town’s.

What the record does not establish: how much of the figure above it accounts for. Other causes that fit: a post left vacant or filled late, a leave of absence covered for less than the salary, or teachers hired at a lower step than budgeted. Would settle it: the district’s position-control roster by month: each budgeted post, who held it, from when, and at what step.

Health insurance & benefits. Health insurance & benefits left $107,003 of $3,752,258 (2.9% of its budget). It ended under budget in 2 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026). Other funds also paid on the same lines: fund 2200 “SCHOOL LUNCH REVOLVING”, $124,298; fund 1312 “EXTENDED DAY REVOLVING F”, $55,689; fund 2622 “FY25 FAMILY & COMMUNITY”, $2,477.

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): fewer employees enrolled in the health plan than budgeted, staff opting out, or premiums below the estimate. Would settle it: health-plan enrolment by month and the premium rates.

Special-ed contracted services. Special-ed contracted services ran $100,262 over a budget of $126,658. Inside it, accounts under budget left $258 and accounts over budget used $100,520. $7,186 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 2 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): more children needing contracted therapy or evaluation than budgeted, or contractors covering for vacant staff posts. Would settle it: the contracted-service invoices by service type.

Supplies, services & everything else. Supplies, services & everything else left $96,363 of $748,601 (12.9% of its budget). Inside it, accounts under budget left $142,550 and accounts over budget used $46,187. $46,073 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 4 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026). Other funds also paid on the same lines: fund 1301 “CHAPTER 658 REVOLVING FU”, $116,398; fund 2640 “SPECIAL ED CIRCUIT BREAK”, $4,005; fund 2681 “COMP SCHOOL HEALTH SERV”, $3,585; fund 1308 “SCHOOL CHOICE REVOLVING”, $2,655.

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): a deliberate hold on purchasing, or purchases made from grants and revolving funds instead. Would settle it: the general-fund journal detail by month.

Out-of-district tuition. Out-of-district tuition left $88,522 of $1,291,293 (6.9% of its budget). Inside it, accounts under budget left $522,629 and accounts over budget used $434,108. $58,708 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 3 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026). Other funds also paid on the same lines: fund 2640 “SPECIAL ED CIRCUIT BREAK”, $333,495.

On the record — evidence of what was said, not a test of it:

• School Committee minutes, 4 February 2026 (page 2): “we have also had students move into the district that require out of district placements”. Our copy · the Town’s. It does not say which tuition line those placements were charged to.

What the record does not establish: how much of the figure above it accounts for. Other causes that fit: fewer children placed than budgeted, placements starting later, a placement paid from the circuit breaker fund instead, or a placement billed to a different tuition line. Would settle it: the placement list by setting, with start dates and the tuition invoice for each.

Transportation. Transportation ran $67,555 over a budget of $1,542,235. $13,265 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 1 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

On the record — evidence of what was said, not a test of it:

• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “regular transportation had been budgeted too low for FY26”. Our copy · the Town’s. It is about the regular-route line, which closed exactly on its budget after the transfer; the overrun in this category is all on the special-education line, which no transfer covered.
• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “$11,000 from Heating Charges, where funds remained available, to Regular Transportation to cover an overage”. Our copy · the Town’s.

What the record does not establish: how much of the figure above it accounts for. Other causes that fit: route or contract prices above budget, or special-education routes added mid-year. Would settle it: the transportation contract and the route list by month.

Nurses, coaches & other staff. Nurses, coaches & other staff left $25,700 of $664,889 (3.9% of its budget). Inside it, accounts under budget left $37,491 and accounts over budget used $11,791. It ended under budget in 2 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026). Other funds also paid on the same lines: fund 1301 “CHAPTER 658 REVOLVING FU”, $30,514; fund 2681 “COMP SCHOOL HEALTH SERV”, $8,331.

Possible causes, not established by any document here (a hypothesis): stipends not paid for seasons or programs that did not run, or a nurse post vacant for part of the year. Would settle it: the stipend and nursing payroll by month.

Heat, electricity & utilities. Heat, electricity & utilities ran $21,792 over a budget of $565,980. Inside it, accounts under budget left $88,546 and accounts over budget used $110,338. $88,029 more is still committed to open orders. It ended under budget in 1 of the 4 closed years held (FY2023–FY2026).

On the record — evidence of what was said, not a test of it:

• School Committee minutes, 29 July 2026 (page 3): “$11,000 from Heating Charges, where funds remained available, to Regular Transportation to cover an overage”. Our copy · the Town’s.

What the record does not establish: how much of the figure above it accounts for. Other causes that fit: weather, energy prices, or a bill for one year paid in another. Would settle it: the utility bills by month.

The largest single accounts

Was it thrift?

A statement that the district was careful is evidence that it was said, not of what happened (rule 7). The ledger can test it five ways; a sixth needs a record nobody has published.

1. Which lines. $283,991 of the $482,118 left over sat in discretionary lines (59%); $198,127 sat in circumstantial ones. Salary lines alone, net: $192,211. Thrift shows up in the first group; the second follows vacancies, placements and prices whatever anyone decides about purchases.

2. Does it repeat? Left over, net, by category, in every closed year the ledger holds. A line left over every year reads as budgeted high rather than run lean.

2 of the 3 discretionary categories ended under budget in all 4 years (building & grounds upkeep, supplies, services & everything else).

3. Budget moves during the year. What was voted, what moved, and what the budget became, by category — slack moved from one line to cover another is not saving.

4. Other funds paying. The school’s special funds (grants, revolving funds, the circuit breaker) spent on the same DESE function as these categories:

• Out-of-district tuition: fund 2640 “SPECIAL ED CIRCUIT BREAK” spent $333,495.
• Health insurance & benefits: fund 2200 “SCHOOL LUNCH REVOLVING” spent $124,298.
• Supplies, services & everything else: fund 1301 “CHAPTER 658 REVOLVING FU” spent $116,398.
• Health insurance & benefits: fund 1312 “EXTENDED DAY REVOLVING F” spent $55,689.
• Nurses, coaches & other staff: fund 1301 “CHAPTER 658 REVOLVING FU” spent $30,514.
• Nurses, coaches & other staff: fund 2681 “COMP SCHOOL HEALTH SERV” spent $8,331.
• Supplies, services & everything else: fund 2640 “SPECIAL ED CIRCUIT BREAK” spent $4,005.
• Supplies, services & everything else: fund 2681 “COMP SCHOOL HEALTH SERV” spent $3,585.
• Supplies, services & everything else: fund 1308 “SCHOOL CHOICE REVOLVING” spent $2,655.
• Health insurance & benefits: fund 2622 “FY25 FAMILY & COMMUNITY” spent $2,477.

A match means the same kind of spending, not that it replaced general-fund spending: neither report says which staff member or child a payment covered.

$1,114,569 more of special-fund spending is coded to a round function (2000, 0000 and the like) that names no line, so it cannot be matched to any category here. Where another fund paid, a general-fund line can look underspent without anyone having spent less (rule 11).

5. Committed is not saved. $236,767 is still committed to open purchase orders — $69,579 of it in discretionary lines. It is not in the $482,118 and is not savings until an order is released.

6. A decision on record. What the archive holds about a hold on spending:

• School Committee, 19 November 2025 — the recording at 0:13:45, our machine captions, not a record: “last year there was a freeze, so we haven't had that yet”. A speaker answering, in November, whether FY26 spending was on track. The archive’s catalogue of the Town’s postings lists no minutes for this meeting, so the recording is the only record.
• School Committee, 7 October 2026 — the recording at 1:44:03, our machine captions, not a record: “We were thrifty and we didn't spend every dime”. A speaker discussing what to do with the money left over. The archive’s catalogue of the Town’s postings lists no minutes for this meeting, so the recording is the only record.

No posted minutes in the archive record a vote or a directive to freeze FY2026 spending; searched for thrift, freeze, spending freeze, hold on spending, frugal and conservative in School Committee, Finance Committee and Select Board documents. Would settle it: the general-fund journal by month — thrift would show as discretionary spending slowing late in the year against prior years.

Against the period-12 range

fy26-closeout.md read the period-12 report and said the year would close between $482,101 (every open order paid) and $718,885 (every open order released). Department 300, the same 258 accounts, both runs:

1 of 258 accounts changed. 0100-3-300-2110-51-0-04-2-545001 GENERAL SUPPLIES — encumbered $16.95 at period 12, $0.00 at period 13; unspent $4,912.99, then $4,929.94.

No account’s spending moved, net, so no late invoice posted to the year between the two runs; and no other encumbrance was paid or released. The period-13 report is the year as the system held it on 6 October 2026, not necessarily the year as it will close.

What the School Committee was told

The minutes of 29 July 2026 (page 3) record the business manager reporting that "expense accounts were approximately 100.2% expended, while salary accounts were still being reconciled", and that he "expected final salary expenditures to be close to, but below, 100% of the budget". The Committee discussed "the approximately $600,000 that had been returned, which was estimated during the discussion to represent approximately 2.5% of the budget"; asked how FY26 would compare, "he was confident the remaining amount would be well below that figure" (page 4).

Set beside the period-13 ledger — a statement is evidence of what was said, not of what happened:

The floor is below the July expectation and the ceiling above it, so the open purchase orders decide whether it holds. Reading "expense accounts" as every non-salary line is ours; the minutes do not define it, and the statement was made more than two months before this run, so the two rows are not a test of each other.

The agendas of 2 September 2026 and 9 September 2026 carried "FY26 Year End Budget review". The archive’s catalogue of the Town’s postings lists no minutes for either meeting, so there is no written record here of what was said under that item.

What is still open

27 accounts carry $236,767 of purchase orders not yet paid or released. The three largest hold $144,594 of it.

Where it sat, by DESE function

Net unspent at period 13, by function family (the account string’s 4th segment, grouped to the thousands) and whether the line is salary (object code starting 51), with what is still encumbered beside it.

Operations & maintenance holds the most of both: $185,494 unspent and $106,098 still open. Other student services and assets ended over, net: other student services -$15,849, assets -$16,433.

The paraprofessional accounts (function 2330)

5 of 5 special-education paraprofessional lines ended over their revised budget, $111,018 over between them, after mid-year transfers into 4 of them. Two kindergarten accounts with $0 budgeted spent $99,064; fy26-closeout.md §3 reads them.

How the categories are built

One table in scripts/build_school_surplus.py (CATEGORIES), first match wins. Function is the account string’s 4th segment, the DESE function code; salary means the object code starts 51. The discretionary / circumstantial split is ours, a judgement about which lines a decision to spend less moves directly, and it is stated so it can be disagreed with.

What it does not show

• Whether the $236,767 still encumbered will be paid, released, or carried into FY2027 — the ledger shows the commitment, not its fate.

• What any dollar was spent on, or when — no journal.

• Where the $85,090 moved into the department came from — net per account, no counterparty.

• Department 301 — the separate $40,000 curriculum adoption appropriation in the period-12 report — is outside this report, and its period-13 figures are not held.

• What free cash the Town will certify. The school figure is one input to it, and certification is a separate step.

Closes with

The FY2026 period-13 report run again after the year-end close is complete, and the Town Accountant’s list of FY2026 encumbrances carried forward into FY2027, by account.

Sources