Budget options
Closing the gap
lunenburgbudgetproject.org — written by the Lunenburg Budget Project, an independent tool for residents. Not affiliated with the Town of Lunenburg, the School Committee or the school district. The data this page is computed from: /data/topics/budget-options.json
Against a projected FY2028 gap of $932,531 (ours), each option has a size and a payer: an override, fees, cuts to programmes or positions, reserves, or the next teachers’ settlement.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Projected gap (ours) | $932,531 |
| Every extra still funded | $376,207 |
| Bus and activity fees at their limits | $187,990 |
| Each half point on the next settlement | $66,741 |
All ours, for FY2028: our projection, our grouping of extras, our fee arithmetic.
The gap
Override
Fees
Cuts
Pay
What it is worth (ours)
$932,531
the projected school gap, FY2028 (ours)
our estimate
$4,676,182
the same gap by FY2033 (ours)
our estimate
$3,414,929
override covering five years (ours)
our estimate
$187,990
bus and activity fees at their limits (ours)
our estimate
$376,207
every extra still funded (ours)
our estimate
10.5 positions
the FY2028 gap, in positions (ours)
our estimate
$66,741
per half point on the next teachers’ settlement (ours)
our estimate
What the record shows
2
override questions lost, 16 May 2026
$761,001
FY2027 budget below Level Service
—
class sizes by school and grade
not published
30 June 2027
the teachers’ agreement runs to
contract
The gap
What it is worth (ours)
$932,531
the projected school gap, FY2028 (ours)
our estimate
$4,676,182
the same gap by FY2033 (ours)
our estimate
Override
What it is worth (ours)
$3,414,929
override covering five years (ours)
our estimate
What the record shows
2
override questions lost, 16 May 2026
Fees
What it is worth (ours)
$187,990
bus and activity fees at their limits (ours)
our estimate
Cuts
What it is worth (ours)
$376,207
every extra still funded (ours)
our estimate
10.5 positions
the FY2028 gap, in positions (ours)
our estimate
What the record shows
$761,001
FY2027 budget below Level Service
—
class sizes by school and grade
not published
Pay
What it is worth (ours)
$66,741
per half point on the next teachers’ settlement (ours)
our estimate
What the record shows
30 June 2027
the teachers’ agreement runs to
contract
What it adds up to
- 1
Our model projects a FY2028 school gap of $932,531, growing to $4,676,182 by FY2033.
- 2
An override covering five years is $3,414,929, paid by every taxpayer (ours).
- 3
Bus and activity fees add at most $187,990, paid by the families who use them.
- 4
Cutting every extra saves $376,207; the gap is 10.5 positions (ours).
- 5
Each half point on the next teachers’ agreement moves the gap $66,741 (ours).
- 6
FY2027 was already $761,001 below Level Service.
Overrides
Override history
The state records 10 Lunenburg override questions since 1989; 4 passed, the last $948,136 in May 2024.
The FY2027 override
Both FY2027 override questions failed on 16 May 2026: $2,400,000 by 899 to 1,748, $3,300,000 by 766 to 1,883.
Override duration
A school-only override that held five years would be $3,414,929 by our arithmetic; ten years, $7,447,375.
Townwide or school-only
Of the $2,400,000 Tier 1 question, $1,600,000 was for the schools; the May 2024 one named only the schools.
Fees
School user fees
At their limits, bus and activity fees would add $187,990 by our estimate: 20.2% of the FY2028 gap.
Athletic fee
The high school fee for a first child, a season, went from $250 in FY2025 to $325 in FY2026.
Also under Athletics
Bus fee
The new bus fee did not lower what the school budget paid for buses in FY2026.
Also under Transportation
Cuts
Extracurricular cuts
Cutting every extra still funded saves $376,207 by our grouping, 40.3% of the FY2028 gap.
Classroom positions
At $89,096 a position (ours), the FY2028 gap is 10.5 positions; FY2027 already cut 4 classroom teachers.
FY2027 cut size
The workbook puts the adopted FY2027 school budget $761,001 below Level Service; the addendum states $868,918.
Announced cuts
The district named 158 reductions in 9 budget documents across 5 cycles; none records what became of a post.
Also under School programs
Override cut lists
The May 2024 override took 13 posts off the cut list; the 9 left match posts listed as cut for loss of ESSER.
Also under School programs
Pay
Reserves
Free cash for schools
Kept above the 5% floor, $794,872 could be redirected, $137,659 short of the FY2028 gap (our arithmetic).
Also under Town reserves
Reserves against the gap
Spent on the school gap, the general fund covers FY2028 and FY2029 and runs out in FY2030, by our arithmetic.
Also under Town reserves