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31 October 2026 · 3 reports
- Town general fund →newThe Town planned on $49,326,796 of general fund revenue for FY2026; 71.0% of it is the property tax levy.
- School receipts to the Town →newThe schools brought in $183,945 in FY2025 that the Town books as general fund revenue, 3.1 times its plan.
- Salaries from grants and fees →newGrants and fee funds paid $7,268,170 of school salaries in four years; no account names the job.
30 October 2026 · 2 reports
- Preschool →newPreschool tuition goes to the Town, not the schools; in FY2025 it brought in 4.2 times what the Town planned.
- Lunenburg Historical Report →newEvery annual town report this archive holds, read for what it says about the town across all of them: the tax rate and the revaluations beside its falls, the population, the longest names on the school rosters, and the road from the first study of a town manager to the charter. Each figure cites its edition and page.
29 October 2026 · 1 report
28 October 2026 · 3 reports
- Fee fund history →newIn FY2025 the town budget took $254,121 of the fee fund’s costs by journal entry, against $131,481 of fees.
- Athletic director →newNo record held pays the director from the fee fund. The FY2026 vote set his line $20,407 below level service.
- After-school activities fund →newThe after-school activities fund spent $205,917 in FY2026. Trips were its largest use, then pay.
27 October 2026 · 1 report
26 October 2026 · 4 reports
- Circuit breaker and surplus →newFY2026’s vote counted on $480,204 of circuit breaker for collaborative tuition; $333,495 came, on 29 June.
- Year-end tuition payment →newOn 30 June 2026 the school general fund paid $189,277 on FLLAC invoices numbered for FY2027.
- Senior tax work-off →newSeniors in the work-off fell from 16 in 2010 to 6 in 2025, while the cap rose from $750 to $1,500.
- Special education grants →newSpecial education grants and the circuit breaker paid $1,055,922 in FY2023 and $773,361 in FY2026.
25 October 2026 · 9 reports
- Tuition after repayment →newOf $230,514 a year for an average private placement, Lunenburg keeps $96,943 after the state repays $133,571.
- Surprise costs →newA surprise cost is spending above the budget as voted: $1,235,009 over 17 years.
- Special education reserve fund →newA special education line spent past its vote in 13 of 17 years, on top of the state repayment the vote counts on. A median bad year of the last five ran $116,811 over; the worst year on record, $223,774. Held once, a reserve costs less than a yearly cushion.
- Reserve or budget →newBudgeting the cushion every year raises $2,345,375 more than a reserve covering the same years.
- Reserve options →newSeven ways to size the reserve run from $90,554 to $412,397; the law caps it at $541,717.
- Positions and their funds →newOf 10 general fund leadership accounts, 2 had any pay moved to or from another fund.
- Pay moved between funds →newJournal entries moved $545,630 of general fund pay onto other funds in four years, and $617,530 back.
- Move-ins →newA child in a private placement who moves in is the former town’s cost that year; after 1 April, the next too.
23 October 2026 · 10 reports
- Carried-over orders →The general fund carried at most $190,128 of open orders into a new year, and the budget went with them.
- Special education definition →Our rules now count what DESE’s documents count; DESE’s FY2024 report still counts $743,667 more.
- Grants other districts get →Comparison districts won 19 competitive grants Lunenburg did not in FY2026–FY2027; it won 2.
- Grant allocations compared →Lunenburg gets less IDEA per pupil than most comparable districts; Title I tracks its low-income share.
- Unspent money by fund →Fees, lunch and the circuit breaker held $1,692,438 at the end of FY2023; by our count, $1,119,636 by FY2026.
- The whole school budget →The voted school budget is the general fund. Every fund together spent $29,929,041 in FY2026, $3,641,567 more, and these pages show where it came from and which lines it paid.
- School grants and aid →In FY2025 Chapter 70 aid was $8,988,960 and every grant spent $1,196,194: general aid beside restricted money.
- Paid outside the general fund →Funds outside the voted budget spent $16,680,612 in four years: 13.4% of school spending in FY2026.
21 October 2026 · 1 report
20 October 2026 · 13 reports
- Surplus suggestions →The surplus came from many small leftovers, year after year, not one line; these options follow from that.
- Inflation and school costs →Most of the rise in school spending since FY2009 is inflation: $8.9 million of $10.6 million a year.
- Upkeep leftover by account →Building upkeep left $195,934 in FY2026 on 14 accounts; each card shows what was paid, skipped and released.
- What upkeep buys →Most of building upkeep is steady work: $291,136 to $389,138 a year to payees paid year after year.
- Usual purchases skipped →10 payees the schools used every year were paid under half as usual in FY2026; 5 got nothing.
- Upkeep surplus, every dollar →Building upkeep left $195,934 in FY2026: $75,660 on one account, the rest on 13 others.
- Upkeep budget and spending →Building upkeep’s budget rose 96% from FY2023 to FY2026; what it spent rose 42%.
- Surplus by year →Printed, FY2026 left $144,999 less than FY2025; on one footing it is $72,827 less, on the other $91,768 more.
Show all 13
- Repeat underspending →6 budget areas came in under every year from FY2023 to FY2026; 11 of 20 did in both FY2025 and FY2026.
- Contracted building services →Third-party building services left $75,660 in FY2026, after two years of spending past the budget.
- Building upkeep →Building upkeep’s budget nearly doubled in four years, $332,016 to $652,033, while spending grew 42%. These pages show what it buys, and where the difference sits.
- Special education burndown →In FY2026 the circuit breaker paid $4,005 from July to May, then $333,495 in one June entry.
- Budget burndown →By the end of March FY2026 had 40.2% of its budget left, against 33.0% and 32.6% in FY2023 and FY2024.
19 October 2026 · 7 reports
- Special education, all funds →Special education spending passed its voted budget every year, and other funds paid the difference.
- Special education providers →Three payees took 66.5% of special education vendor payments; Keystone was paid 4.3 times as much by FY2026.
- Teachers on the scale →In calendar 2025, 56 of 90 teachers we matched were paid at least the master’s top step.
- Teacher pay compared →Of 5 FY2026 salary schedules compared, Lunenburg’s top step was lowest in the bachelor’s and master’s lanes.
- Pay or headcount →FY2025 had 15.2 fewer teachers than FY2009, but each cost $36,331 more; the teachers line rose $2,887,749.
- Spending by type over time →School spending, all funds, went from $19,446,453 in FY2009 to $30,031,242 in FY2025.
- Growth by spending type →Each against its own FY2009 cost: insurance and retirement grew 83%, paras 89%, teachers 39%, all 54%.
18 October 2026 · 14 reports
- Teachers and other staff →The state counted 105.1 teacher FTE and 78.5 paraprofessional and support FTE in FY2025.
- Spending per child enrolled →After inflation, spending per child went from $8,518 in FY1994 to $15,217 in FY2024; pupils fell 10.1%.
- Projected school gap →Run forward on our assumed rates, the schools are $932,664 short in FY2028 and $4,675,101 in FY2033.
- Long-run school spending →After inflation, net school spending went from $14,974,588 in FY1994 to $24,043,452 in FY2024, 1.61 times.
- Long-run balance rate →To balance for good, school costs could grow 2.82% a year; our rates give 5.18% a year.
- Level service cost →Keeping the same schools costs $1,396,847 more in FY2028, by our estimate: $28,361,400 in all.
- Growth side by side →FY2008 to FY2024: spending up 12.7% after inflation (61.3% as printed); pupils down 13.4%, teacher FTE 4.6%.
- Gap by cost line →Health insurance puts $261,240 into the FY2028 gap from 14.9% of the school budget (ours).
Show all 14
- FY2028 revenue increase →The schools’ share of new revenue in FY2028 is $856,448 by our estimate, against $1,396,847 of costs.
- FY2011 teacher reading →The state’s file reads 102.3 teacher FTE for FY2011: 18.1 below FY2010 and 12.1 below FY2012.
- Development needed →Growth alone would need $2,153,691 of new levy a year (ours); the best year on record added $630,220.
- Cost and revenue growth →Keeping today’s schools costs 5.18% more each year; revenue grows 3.22% a year in FY2028, then less.
- Chapter 70 needed →For state aid alone to hold the gap, Chapter 70 would grow 11.32% a year (ours); we assume 2.71% a year.
- All cuts combined →Every sport, club, lawful office line and most technology: $1,495,880 (ours), enough for FY2028 and FY2029.
16 October 2026 · 1 report
15 October 2026 · 12 reports
- Regional school share →Monty Tech’s FY2026 assessment was 3.80% of Lunenburg’s levy: about $283 of the average bill, our estimate.
- Home value and bill →A $500,000 home is taxed $7,195 a year in Lunenburg, 5th-highest of 15 nearby; in Leominster, $6,830.
- Harvard rate scenario →At Harvard’s FY2025 rate a pupil, Lunenburg would have spent $12,557,492 more, by our arithmetic.
- Harvard per-pupil breakdown →Harvard’s $25,565 a pupil in FY2025 by what it bought: teachers first, 24.0% paid by grants and revolving.
- Harvard per pupil →Harvard spent $25,565 a pupil in FY2025, $7,538 more than Lunenburg, on DESE’s all-funds measure.
- Harvard and Bromfield →Harvard, the district The Bromfield School belongs to, spent $25,565 a pupil in FY2025, $7,538 more than Lunenburg, on the same state measure. It serves a smaller low-income share, and nothing here shows the spending causes results.
- Monty Tech rate scenario →At Monty Tech’s FY2025 rate a pupil, Lunenburg would have spent $12,993,957 more, by our arithmetic.
- Monty Tech per-pupil breakdown →Monty Tech’s $25,827 a pupil in FY2025, by what it paid for: insurance and grants are in it, capital is not.
Show all 12
- Lunenburg per-pupil breakdown →Lunenburg’s $18,027 a pupil in FY2025, by what it paid for: insurance and grants are in it, capital is not.
- What per pupil counts →Three official measures of school spending count different things; neither state one counts capital.
- Monty Tech per pupil →Monty Tech spent $25,827 a pupil in FY2025: above the all-district median, below the vocational one.
- Monty Tech finances →Monty Tech is the regional vocational high school Lunenburg belongs to. Lunenburg’s bill was $1,334,521, most of it a minimum the state sets; the school spent $25,827 a pupil in FY2025, less than most vocational districts.
14 October 2026 · 11 reports
- High school spending →Monty Tech spent $26,407 a pupil in FY2025 and Lunenburg High $19,644, on one DESE measure.
- High school enrolment →Lunenburg’s grades 9–12 fell 30.0% from FY2008 to FY2026; Monty Tech, all grades 9–12, rose 6.0%.
- Free cash →The state certified $3,354,370 of free cash as of 1 July 2025, the most the Town’s records list; 66.1% of the free cash identified that year was money appropriated and not spent.
- Monty Tech funding →State Chapter 70 aid paid 54.2% of Monty Tech’s FY2026 operating budget; the member towns paid 38.0%.
- Unpriced school charges →Nine charges a Lunenburg family can meet have no published amount anywhere in this archive.
- School revolving funds →The 9 school revolving funds took in $1,031,126 and paid out $1,119,195 in nine months of FY2026.
- School grant balances →13 of the 46 school grant funds were overdrawn at 31 March 2026, by $378,942 together.
- School Committee funds →The schools held $1,592,572 in 61 funds outside the appropriation at 31 March 2026.
Show all 11
- Revolving fund history →The 9 school revolving funds closed FY2023 holding $1,074,431, against $306,471 at the close of FY2011.
- Reduced and waived fees →Three high schoolers at one sport each: $812.50 a year at the full fee, $150 reduced, $0 waived.
- Family fees →Two high schoolers, one sport each, the bus and a club: $978.75 in FY2026.
13 October 2026 · 137 reports
- Youth league payments →One league’s field payments are on record: $39,073.50 across 7 receipts, FY2024 to FY2026.
- Years in the home →1,799 ± 297 owner households moved in before 2010, about half; the median owner moved in in 2010.
- 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.
- Towns compared →On the state’s figure, which added Medicare and life in FY2024, spending grew 6.84% a year from FY2015.
- 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.
- Teacher contract →The teachers’ agreement ends 30 June 2027; each half point on the next moves the FY2028 gap $66,942 (ours).
- State-reported spending →The state’s figure for Lunenburg counted Medicare and life insurance in FY2024, and in no year before.
- Smaller parks funds →The Park Gift Fund took in $22,887 in FY2011 and stood at $752 from FY2016 to FY2025.
Show all 137
- Seats filled →The FY2025 listing prints 101 names against 116 seats its boards state, 87%; FY2020 read 107%.
- Seats changing hands →Across 37 bodies of three or more seats, the median sees 32% of its seats change hands a year.
- School user fees →At their limits, bus and activity fees would add $187,990 by our estimate: 20.2% of the FY2028 gap.
- School health insurance →Two school accounts hold $5,222,731 for FY2026; $1,521,536 of it sits outside the school budget.
- School field upkeep →The district says it pays to mow its grass fields from the fund the field rent goes into.
- School facilities fund →The schools’ rental fund rose $62,231 in FY2025, more than its receipts in any year FY2011–FY2023.
- Salary line and staffing →Held to 2.5% while pay rises 4.0%, the salary line loses 2.2 positions a year, by our arithmetic.
- Retiree health accounts →School retiree health went from $1,119,925 in FY2022 to $1,521,536 in FY2026, 8.0% a year.
- Residents by age →1,979 ± 309 residents are 65 or over, 16.8% of the town; 2,736 ± 429 are under 18. Both are sample estimates.
- Registration sales →The registration system recorded $47,784 in FY2025, and non-residents paid 50% of it.
- Population and households →About 11,804 residents in 4,529 households, on a sample; both grew by more than the survey’s margin.
- Plans and premiums →Premiums rose 5.38% from 1 July 2026; a Blue Care Elect family plan is $3,662.52 a month, the town paying 75%.
- Parks spending →By June, before the close, Parks had paid $113,350 of a $140,759 FY2026 budget; $23,141 was not yet used.
- Parks department →Town Meeting voted the Parks department $134,434 for FY2026. Beside it, a fee fund held $84,818 at 31 March 2026, and rent for school fields goes to a school fund. Neither fund is part of the vote.
- Parks budget →The Parks budget voted for FY2026 was $134,434, against $64,908 in FY2010.
- Park revolving fund →The parks’ fee fund held $84,818 at 31 March 2026; it ended FY2015 and FY2016 at zero.
- PEC agreement →The town pays 75% of active premiums under a PEC agreement that runs to 30 June 2029.
- Owners and renters →81.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 3,682 ± 321 households, on a sample estimate.
- Override history →The state records 10 Lunenburg override questions since 1989; 4 passed, the last $948,136 in May 2024.
- Override duration →A school-only override that held five years would be $3,414,456 by our arithmetic; ten years, $7,442,839.
- Options under the law →Chapter 32B leaves the town 7 routes and bars 4; the PEC agreement holds 3 of them until 30 June 2029.
- Open seats →The FY2025 annual report prints 18 seats empty under 12 headings: 15 appointed, 3 elected.
- New growth →New growth added $518,650 to the FY2026 levy limit, 1.64% of the prior limit, on top of Proposition 2½.
- Minutes posted →On the town’s Agenda Center, 1,307 of 1,935 board meetings from FY2023 to FY2026 have minutes listed, 68%.
- Minutes by year →All boards together list minutes for 63% to 71% of meetings a year; the School Committee, 0 of 40 in FY2023.
- Member tenure →Of 703 people printed in the town’s listings from FY2016 to FY2025, 19 appear in all 10.
- Meeting recordings →1,173 of 1,935 meetings, FY2023 to FY2026, have a town video matched; 10 of 30 ranked boards have none.
- Insurance department →The town’s insurance department grew 4.3% a year, FY2011 to FY2026, against a 2.5% levy cap.
- Income by age →A household headed by someone 65 or over has a median income of $72,935, 56.5% of a 45-to-64 household’s.
- Households with children →1,477 ± 198 of 4,529 households have a child under 18, about a third; how many use the schools is unpublished.
- Household income →Median household income is $109,753 ± $12,275 on a sample, ranking 167 of 350 Massachusetts municipalities.
- Homes, taxes, growth →About 11,804 residents live in 4,529 households, 81.3% owner-occupied, on a Census sample. The average single-family bill was $7,444 in FY2026, and the town has 773 more single-family homes than in FY1994 while enrolment fell.
- Homes and enrolment →773 more single-family homes since FY1994; enrolment is 321 below its FY2001 peak.
- Health insurance costs →The town budgeted $3,713,520 for its insurance department in FY2026, and the schools $3,701,195 on their own health line. The department grew 4.3% a year from FY2011, against a 2.5% levy cap.
- Growth over time →Filed spending rose 15.4% in FY2023, the median town 5.6%; FY2024’s figure counts more accounts.
- Grounds maintenance bid →A contractor bid $44,590 for one year of grounds work at six parks, from 1 July 2024.
- FY2027 cut size →The workbook puts the adopted FY2027 school budget $761,001 below Level Service; the addendum states $868,918.
- Extracurricular cuts →Cutting every extra still funded saves $376,207 by our grouping, 40.3% of the FY2028 gap.
- District health line →The district’s adopted health line rose from $2,633,912 in FY2018 to $3,701,195 in FY2026, 4.3% a year.
- Commercial share →Business property is 8.7% of the FY2026 tax base, against 10.6% in FY2002 and 7.3% in FY2023.
- Closing the gap →Against a projected FY2028 gap of $932,664 (ours), each option has a size and a payer: an override, fees, cuts to programmes or positions, reserves, or the next teachers’ settlement.
- Classroom positions →At $89,096 a position (ours), the FY2028 gap is 10.5 positions; FY2027 already cut 4 classroom teachers.
- Business building pace →Non-residential new growth averaged $19,421,113 a year in FY2024–FY2026, 3.3 times the pace before it.
- Boards and committees →Across every board, 68% of FY2023 to FY2026 meetings have minutes listed on the town’s site. In FY2025, 87% of the seats the boards state had a name printed, and the median body changes 32% of its seats a year.
- Board sizes →The FY2025 listing prints 182 holders under 60 headings; the Council on Aging is largest, with 11.
- Bill by deed year →A home last deeded before 1986 would pay a median $5,992 before exemptions; one deeded since 2021, $6,890.
- Bill against neighbours →At $7,444, the average bill is 6th of 11 nearby towns and 145 of 351 statewide.
- Average tax bill →The average single-family bill was $7,444 in FY2026, up 47.7% in ten years while the tax rate fell 26.6%.
- Artificial turf fund →The Artificial Turf fund took in $45,000 in FY2026 and held $69,390 at 31 March 2026.
- World languages →57.8% of Lunenburg High took a language in SY2025, against 70.1% in SY2017; the middle school fell further.
- Voted budget total →The voted total was $44,024,349 for FY2025 and $49,374,465 for FY2026, a 12.2% rise.
- Trash and recycling →Trash and recycling grew 22.6% a year, the fastest of the twelve, from $312,634 to $469,775.
- Town staff counts →8 town departments print a staff count, in 7 different forms that cannot be added up.
- Town departments →Town Meeting voted $44,024,349 across twelve groups for FY2025; the schools are 57.1%. Ranked by dollars past the 2.5% levy cap, employee benefits push the budget hardest, then the schools.
- Spending per pupil →Lunenburg spent $18,027 a pupil in FY2025, all funds, against a state median of $23,520.
- Spending compared →Lunenburg spent $18,027 a pupil in FY2025, all funds, against a state median of $23,520, and has sat in the state’s bottom quarter for 17 years. Its school general fund spent under its revised budget every year from FY2010 to FY2026.
- Spending by function →Lunenburg was in the state’s bottom quarter on 7 of 10 DESE spending categories in FY2025.
- Spending and pupils →From FY2012 to FY2025 Lunenburg’s spending rose 48.7% and its pupils fell 5.6%; North Middlesex lost 23.5%.
- Smaller departments →Veterans and elder services, health, and central purchasing are 1.2% of the budget together.
- Schools in the omnibus →The schools are 57.1% of the voted budget and grew 3.6% a year, FY2023 to FY2025.
- Regional districts →Nearby academic regional districts spent $18,142 to $22,664 a pupil in FY2025; Lunenburg spent $18,027.
- Reaching the state median →At the FY2025 state median a pupil, Lunenburg would have spent $39,181,968, by our arithmetic.
- Public works →Public works grew 2.9% a year, close to the cap; one line rose more than the whole group.
- Programs and cuts →Lunenburg High ran more classes in SY2025 than in SY2017, but a smaller share takes a language or history. Most announced cuts cannot be checked against any published count, and most budget lines cut to zero came back.
- Police, fire and inspectors →Police, fire and the inspectors were voted $4,643,717 for FY2025, 10.5% of the budget.
- 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.
- Outside money share →The general fund paid 81.5% of school spending in FY2009 and 89.9% in FY2025; grants and other funds the rest.
- Lines cut to zero →93 of 132 school lines cut to zero were funded again later; the 39 that never were carried $181,180.
- Library budget →The library was voted $583,890 for FY2025, 1.3% of the budget, growing 8.8% a year.
- History courses →60.4% of Lunenburg High took a history course in SY2023 to SY2025, against 75.8% in SY2017 to SY2019.
- High school sections →Lunenburg High ran 247 course sections in SY2025 against 225 in SY2017, with 438 students against 435.
- Growth above the cap →Ranked by dollars above the 2.5% levy cap, employee benefits push the budget hardest, then the schools.
- Grants and revolving funds →Of $30,031,242 DESE counts for FY2025, grants and revolving funds paid $3,044,898: 10.1%.
- Grant endings →42.2% of the grant money that ran out in FY2025 was replaced from the general fund; the rest was not.
- General government →The town’s own administration grew 10.2% a year, $168,340 past the cap in dollars, third of the twelve.
- Gap by function →In-district, Lunenburg spent $2,103 a pupil less than Ayer Shirley, the middle of the six this project chose.
- Facilities and grounds →Facilities and grounds were voted $1,022,711 for FY2025 and grew 7.5% a year.
- Employee benefits →Employee benefits grew 12.7% a year, the most dollars past the cap of any group; group health is 71% of it.
- Destination districts →145 of the 177 children schooled elsewhere in FY2026 went to districts that spend more a pupil.
- Debt service →Debt service fell from $4,497,723 to $2,941,322, FY2023 to FY2025, the only one of the twelve groups to fall.
- Cuts against state counts →Of 60 adopted school cuts, 48 name a job no series counts; of the other 12, the state’s count fell with 6.
- Computer science →In 11 school years holding grades 9–12, Lunenburg High recorded 1 computer science section.
- Comparison districts →Of six districts this project chose to compare, Lunenburg spent the least a pupil in FY2025.
- Budgets without headcounts →6 of the 12 budget groups have a published staff count behind them; one department with a budget has none.
- Budget by department →Schools are 57.1% of the $44,024,349 Town Meeting voted for FY2025; the next three groups together are 27.0%.
- Average teacher salary →Lunenburg’s average teacher salary was $97,233 in FY2025, 2nd of the six districts this project compares.
- Announced cuts →The district named 158 reductions in 9 budget documents across 5 cycles; none records what became of a post.
- AP subjects →117 of 154 AP exams in SY2025 were English or history; science and math were 31.
- AP scores →88.3% of AP tests scored 3 or better in SY2025, the highest of 19 years; the lowest was 62.1% in SY2009.
- AP participation →89 students sat at least one AP exam in SY2025, 154 sittings between them; the count peaked at 122 in SY2018.
- Total state aid →The state’s cherry sheet carries $11,244,422 for Lunenburg for FY2026; Chapter 70 is 82.1% of it.
- Teachers per pupil →Lunenburg had 6.70 teacher FTE per hundred pupils in FY2025, 12th of 13 on the state’s sheet.
- Teachers over time →The state counted 103.4 teacher FTE in FY2026, 10.6 fewer than in FY2024; 95 of 171 year pairs end lower.
- Teachers by subject →From FY2024 to FY2026 subjects lost 12.3 teacher FTE and gained 2.2; science alone fell 4.2.
- Teachers by school →Turkey Hill Elementary went from 27.0 to 18.4 teacher FTE, FY2017 to FY2026; the district fell 8.7.
- Support staff →The town printed 7 counsellors, 3 psychologists and 2 social workers on its FY2025 school rosters.
- Students and schools →1,568 children were in Lunenburg’s schools in FY2026, near where the count has sat since FY2015. Another 177 residents were schooled in other public districts, 97 of them at Monty Tech.
- State aid growth →Our projection grows all state aid 2.71% a year; the cherry sheet’s median yearly rise was 2.80%.
- Staff retention →The state reports 58.3% of paraprofessionals retained in FY2022 and 66.1% in FY2023, against 93.0% in FY2021.
- Staff by programme →Paraprofessional FTE coded to special education fell from 44.0 to 20.0 while the all-programmes count rose.
- Spending against the median →In FY2024 Lunenburg ranked 238 of 362 districts on spending against its minimum; in FY2018 it was 181 of 361.
- Share of the school budget →Chapter 70 was 35.1% of the FY2026 school appropriation; the School Committee said 35%.
- School staff →The state counted 103.4 teacher FTE in FY2026; whether that is a rise or a fall depends on the year it is measured from. Paraprofessional FTE was 67.0 in FY2025, the most per pupil on the state’s sheet. Nothing published says which posts were filled.
- School choice flows →58 residents left under school choice in FY2026 and 11 arrived; arrivals were 44 in FY2014.
- Required local contribution →What the state requires the town to put in rose 37.8% from FY2019 to FY2026; Chapter 70 rose 22.4%.
- Printed school rosters →The town printed 250 names on its school rosters in FY2025, against 194 in FY2011.
- People and posts →The state counted 123 teachers in FY2023, holding 112.8 full-time equivalent posts between them.
- Paraprofessionals over time →The state counted 67.0 paraprofessional FTE in FY2025, against 14.8 in FY2013 and 46.4 in FY2009.
- Paraprofessional counts compared →For FY2025 the state counts 67.0 paraprofessional FTE; the town printed 52 paraprofessional names.
- Net school spending →Lunenburg spent 116.0% of the state’s minimum in FY2024, and met the minimum in all 31 years.
- Nearby district enrolment →Lunenburg’s enrolment fell 14.0% from FY2008 to FY2026; 3 of 4 nearby districts fell further.
- Monty Tech enrolment →Monty Tech enrolled 1,403 pupils in FY2026 from 18 member towns; 97 were Lunenburg residents.
- Monty Tech assessment →Lunenburg’s FY2026 Monty Tech bill was $1,334,521; 95.2% of it is a minimum the state sets.
- Minimum aid →All of FY2026’s $240,450 increase was the Legislature’s minimum: $150 for each of 1,603 pupils.
- Leaving and arriving →DESE’s rates imply about 90 children leave each year; enrolment fell 171 in 17 years.
- High-needs students →English learners went from 3 to 70; low income was measured three ways and is not one series.
- Grade-to-grade loss →On average 20.5% of eighth graders do not return for grade 9; other grades lose 3.0% to 6.4%.
- Grade 8 loss trend →The latest grade 8 rate, 27.7%, is the second-highest of 17 years, inside a range the town has always been in.
- Foundation budget →The state priced Lunenburg’s schools at $22,073,946 for FY2026; Chapter 70 equals 41.8% of that.
- Enrolment by year →1,568 children in FY2026: 321 fewer than the FY2001 peak, and close to where the count has sat since FY2015.
- Enrolment by grade band →Grades 9–12 lost 30.0% of their children from FY2008 to FY2026; pre-K to grade 5 lost 5.8%.
- District staff directory →The district’s staff directory listed 257 people on 30 October 2026; it carries no FTE and no fund.
- Departure scenario →A scenario on assumed rates: 78 students choosing out would take $401,700 from the town in year one.
- Children schooled elsewhere →177 resident children were in other public districts in FY2026, against 186 in FY2014; the mix changed.
- Cherry sheet variance →Cherry sheet receipts came in $390,814 short of the estimate in 2024 and $327,281 over in 2023.
- Cherry sheet assessments →The cherry sheet charged Lunenburg $1,003,251 for FY2026; 80.3% was tuition for pupils schooled elsewhere.
- Chapter 70 by year →Chapter 70 was $9,229,410 in FY2026 and $3,921,700 in FY2007; it fell in 2 of 19 years.
- Chapter 70 aid →Chapter 70 was $9,229,410 of the $11,244,422 the state’s cherry sheet gave Lunenburg for FY2026. All of that year’s rise was the Legislature’s $150-a-pupil minimum; the formula itself added $0.
- Aid per pupil →Chapter 70 averaged $5,757.59 a pupil in FY2026, yet one pupil more or fewer moved it by $150.00.
12 October 2026 · 51 reports
- Year-end transfers →Transfers moved $394,929 into school accounts and $309,839 out; the department ended $85,090 up, net.
- Who may spend it →Only the general fund, $3,147,179 of $9,061,421, may go to any lawful use, by a two-thirds vote.
- Tuition budget →FY2027 budgets out-of-district tuition at $700,142, $591,151 below FY2026, a 46% cut.
- Tuition at year end →FY2027 budgets $700,142 for the two tuition lines on which FY2026 spent $1,202,771.
- Town unspent balance →In June, before the close, town departments stood $858,462 under a $27,647,670 budget.
- Surplus by category →Accounts under budget left $1,683,552 and accounts over used $1,201,434 of it; the net is $482,118.
- Students with an IEP →258 Lunenburg children had a special education plan in FY2026, 16.3% of those enrolled.
- Stabilization withdrawals →The record shows $317,392 taken from stabilization funds in 9 votes, none from the general fund.
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- Stabilization funds →The town holds $9,061,421 in nine stabilization accounts as of 1 July 2025. Only the general fund’s $3,147,179 may be spent on anything lawful.
- Stabilization fund balances →The town’s ledger files $9,061,421 under its nine stabilization accounts, at the start of FY2026.
- Stabilization deposits →Town Meeting put $350,000 into the two town funds in May 2024, and passed over both articles in May 2025.
- Special education overruns →A special education line ran over its vote in 13 of 17 years; the worst, FY2013, by $223,774.
- Special education costs →Out-of-district tuition was $1,205,949 in FY2025, and 39.3% of it was paid outside the general fund. The state repaid $579,142 in FY2026 through the circuit breaker, a year after the costs.
- Snow and Reserve Fund →Snow removal paid $1,038,092 against $355,571 voted; the $185,000 Reserve Fund paid nothing.
- School retiree insurance →An account named for school retiree health paid $1,262,376 from the town’s insurance department.
- Reserves against the gap →Spent on the school gap, the general fund covers FY2028 and FY2029 and runs out in FY2030, by our arithmetic.
- Psychologist line →One of four school psychologist accounts, $98,784 budgeted, paid nothing in FY2026.
- Paraprofessional overrun →Paraprofessional accounts ran $208,082 over in FY2026; $99,064 of it was paid against no budget.
- Out-of-district tuition →$1,205,949 went to out-of-district tuition in FY2025; 39.3% of it was paid outside the general fund.
- Out-of-district placements →The town counted 10 children placed out of district in FY2025, against 30 in FY2015.
- In-district special education →The paraprofessional budget line grew 12.78% a year over 10 budgets; the state’s FTE fell 63.3%.
- Hiring versus placing →Placements fell while in-district budgets rose; nothing published shows one caused the other.
- General stabilization fund →The general fund’s cash rose every year from FY2012 to FY2025, to $3,147,179.
- Free cash sources →Two thirds of the free cash identified in July 2025, $2,457,761, was money appropriated and not spent.
- Free cash guideline →Free cash is 6.65% of the budget, inside the 5% to 7% the Town cites; 7 of the last 10 years fell short.
- Free cash for schools →Kept above the 5% floor, $794,872 could be redirected, $137,792 short of the FY2028 gap (our arithmetic).
- Free cash balance →The state certified $3,354,370 of free cash as of 1 July 2025, the most in any year the Town’s records list.
- Free cash and capital →Free cash paid $655,424 of the $1,225,000 FY2026 capital programme; FY2027 plans $991,627 of $1,830,203.
- FY2026 year end →The school general fund ended FY2026 with $482,118 unspent, 1.8% of its budget, counting orders still owed. Counted the same way, FY2025 left $554,945. Town departments stood $858,462 under in June.
- Cost per placement →No published document says what one out-of-district placement costs.
- Class size limits →A separate special education group may hold 8 students to one educator, or 12 with an aide.
- Circuit breaker account →The account closed FY2026 at $281,806, down from $482,004 at the close of FY2020.
- Circuit breaker →The one state payment that moves when a child is placed: part of the cost, a year late, already in the vote.
- Town budget and fee fund →The fee fund paid 45.8% of athletics spending in FY2024 and 5.7% in FY2025, on the town’s books.
- Total athletics cost →No document states one total: three sheets give $185,356 to $349,145 for the same teams in FY2024.
- State reimbursement →The state repays 5.5% of what the town spends on buses, all of it for special education.
- Spending by category →Coaches and buses cost most on the district’s sheet; the town’s officials account held $0 in FY2026.
- Special education transportation →The fastest-growing bus line: 10.1% a year, and $67,555 past its FY2026 budget.
- School bus costs →Buses are getting more expensive, in special education and in the regular-route contract. The state repays only a slice of special education busing. The athletic line rose because the district moved that cost from player fees to the town budget, mostly taxes.
- Participation →The district counted 649 sport participations in FY2026, against 675 in FY2024.
- FY2027 bus budget →School-day buses rise 11.2% in FY2027; the total shows 2.4% because athletic buses were cut.
- FY2027 athletic bus cut →FY2027 cut athletic buses from the town budget, then put $60,000 back, most on the fee fund.
- FY2026 athletics underspend →Athletics closed FY2026 with $55,300 of its $518,334 town budget unspent, on the town’s ledger.
- Dee Bus contract →Regular routes cost exactly the contract price, which is fixed through FY2028.
- Cost per sport →Not one of 25 teams carries the same FY2024 cost in all three district sheets.
- Bus fee →The new bus fee did not lower what the school budget paid for buses in FY2026.
- Bus cost by sport →Track costs most on the district’s sheet: $13,864 in FY2024, ahead of the next sport’s $9,078.
- Away trips by sport →The posted schedules list 240 away games in FY2026, about 176 bus trips by our estimate.
- Athletics costs →Athletics is paid from two pots, the town budget and a fee fund. The town’s ledger shows $463,034 spent in FY2026 and the fee fund $146,911; the district’s own sheets disagree on what each team costs, by a multiple.
- Athletic fee →The high school fee for a first child, a season, went from $250 in FY2025 to $325 in FY2026.
- Athletic bus funding →From FY2025, athletic buses moved from player fees to the town budget, mostly taxes.
28 September 2026 · 1 report
26 September 2026 · 1 report
19 September 2026 · 1 report
17 September 2026 · 1 report
14 September 2026 · 2 reports
- The budget feed — every board, everything about money →What every board is doing to prepare for Town Meeting: the omnibus budget, the school budget above all, and the warrant. What is coming, where this cycle stands, what was said most recently, what was posted. Not every mention of money — the budget being built, and what will land on the warrant.
- The boards — each one, in one place →Every board and committee the town posts for, one page each: what is coming, what happened, every vote we have minutes for, where the board’s time goes, and when budget season has fallen on its agendas in past years.
11 September 2026 · 3 reports
- This week in town — meetings coming up, minutes and recordings just posted →Meetings coming up for the Select Board, Finance Committee and School Committee with what is on each agenda, minutes just posted, recordings just published, and what happened at the last recorded meetings. Refreshed daily.
- The blog — one finding at a time, in two minutes →Every finding this project has published as a post: the figures, what it means for a resident, a Finance Committee member and a School Committee member, and the links to the report underneath it. About two minutes each.
- Meeting minutes — written from the recordings →Our minutes of recorded meetings, written from the captions: votes, transfers, budget items, decisions and public comment, every item linked to the video at that second, and checked against the town’s minutes where they exist.
7 September 2026 · 2 reports
- What a family actually pays →Every school fee a Lunenburg household can be charged, priced for one to four children, and the three places the published record runs out.
- If students leave — what school choice would cost →What it would cost the town if more children left under school choice — a scenario with dials, priced against DESE’s own counts.
5 September 2026 · 2 reports
- What you can ask this archive →Every question this archive can answer, in plain English and without a line of SQL. The list a resident should start from: pick the question you actually have and follow it to the figure and the document behind it.
- A hundred questions this archive can answer →The same questions with the query that answers each one, run against the database on every build — so none of them is a claim about what this data can do. If one stops answering, the build fails.