Budget crisis

Level service cost

Keeping the same schools costs $1,396,714 more in FY2028, by our estimate: $28,361,267 in all.

Cost increase by lineour estimate
Value
Salaries$533,929
Health insurance$361,716
Special education, in district$354,430
Transportation$63,202
Everything else$53,162
Utilities$30,276
Out-of-district special education$0

Each line’s FY2027 cost grown one year at the rate model.json assumes for it. Out-of-district tuition is held flat.

1 · The facts

  • $26,572,288

    the school budget, FY2027, as adopted

  • $392,264

    salaries restored at the September Special Town Meeting

  • 1,581

    pupils, held the same next year

  • $28,361,267

    level service, FY2028 (ours)

    our estimate

  • $1,396,714

    more than at FY2027 prices (ours)

    our estimate

  • $533,929

    of it salaries, at 4.0% (ours)

    our estimate

  • $361,716

    health insurance, at 9.0% (ours)

    our estimate

  • 64.1%

    of the cost rise is salaries plus insurance (ours)

    our estimate

2 · What it shows

  1. 1

    Level service is the same staff, buses and buildings; $1,396,714 of it buys nothing new.

  2. 2

    Salaries add $533,929 and health insurance $361,716: 64.1% of the cost rise.

  3. 3

    The $392,264 restored in September carries into FY2028 as salary.

The increase, line by line (ours)
FY2027 costAssumed growthIncrease
Salaries$13,348,2164.00%$533,929
Health insurance$4,019,0719.00%$361,716
Special education, in district$5,466,2016.48%$354,430
Transportation$1,053,3606.00%$63,202
Everything else$1,772,0533.00%$53,162
Utilities$605,5115.00%$30,276
Out-of-district special education$700,1420.00%$0

FY2027 cost is the adopted budget’s lines plus the salaries restored in September.

Sources

What changed

Version 15 — updated September 20, 2026