Hanover School Committee Approves FY27 Budget Amid Warnings of “Unsustainable” Future Funding
HANOVER - December 10, 2025 - The Hanover School Committee voted unanimously to approve a fiscal year 2027 operating budget that maintains current service levels but sparked serious concerns among members regarding the district’s long-term financial stability. While the $45.1 million spending plan avoids immediate cuts, committee members warned that the town’s current funding guidance is insufficient to support the schools beyond the next two years, predicting a looming deficit by fiscal year 2029.
The Full Story
Director of Finance and Operations Michael Oates presented the FY27 budget proposal, which projects $45,178,092 in operational expenses. To balance this budget, the district is relying on a 2.75% increase in the town’s appropriation—totaling roughly $41.4 million—combined with a significant 28.68% increase in supplemental funding, which includes Circuit Breaker funds and fees.
Mr. Oates emphasized that the primary objective was to maintain all existing staff and services. “We’re creating flexibility to explore strategic academic initiatives, particularly around computer science, artificial intelligence, and expanded health and wellness,” Oates said.
However, the reliance on supplemental funding to bridge the gap between rising costs and the town’s appropriation limit drew sharp criticism regarding sustainability. Committee member Libby Corbo expressed deep concern that the “guardrails” set by the town—limiting budget increases to between 2.5% and 3%—are structurally creating a future crisis.
“My vote is not to support a guardrail amount or to support future funding to that 2.75 [percent]. I don’t think that is sustainable for the schools, and it will put us in a deficit... I want to be very transparent that these guardrails that are set up for future funding by the town... result in failure for our schools.” — Libby Corbo
Chair Pete Miraglia acknowledged these concerns, noting that the district has presented a “crossover” point at the end of FY28 where expenses will outpace revenue, compromising the budget. “There’s two years of runway, and everybody understands that we need to find more solutions to this,” Miraglia stated. Ultimately the Committee adopted the budget unanimously.
Center School MCAS & AI Integration In other business, Center School Principal Jane DeGrenier and Assistant Principal Christa Monahan presented the school’s MCAS results and instructional action plans. While Center School students generally outperformed the state averages in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, the administration identified writing as a key area for improvement across all grades.
The school is implementing “cold writes”—writing prompts given without pre-teaching—to better assess independent student ability. Notably, the school is piloting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist teachers in analyzing student writing samples and grouping students based on specific needs. “It was a really powerful process for the staff,” Monahan noted regarding the data analysis and action planning.
Technology Infrastructure Overhaul Technology Director Mike Wildrick provided a comprehensive update on the district’s infrastructure. He reported that significant upgrades have been completed, including a move to a 20-gigabit network backbone and the implementation of Wi-Fi 7 to support high-density usage. Wildrick also highlighted enhanced security measures, such as the deployment of Cisco Umbrella to protect student devices even when they are used outside the school network.
Why It Matters
For Hanover taxpayers and parents, the budget vote ensures that school services will remain stable for the upcoming academic year. However, the committee’s stark warnings indicate that the current tax revenue model is not keeping pace with educational costs. Without a change in revenue sources or town appropriation limits, residents may face difficult conversations regarding service cuts or overrides as the district approaches the projected fiscal cliff in 2029.
Official Minutes & Data
Key Motions & Votes
Approve Music Department Field Trip (Trip to NJ/PA/NY)
Outcome: Passed Unanimously
Vote: 4-0 (Miraglia, Tracy, Corbo, Jorgensen) [18:15]
Accept Federal Entitlement Grants (Totaling $825,603)
Outcome: Passed Unanimously
Vote: 4-0 [21:22]
Reauthorize Hanover High School Ski Club Activity Account
Outcome: Passed Unanimously
Vote: 4-0 [23:22]
Adopt FY27 Town Appropriation and Budget ($41,411,198 Town Appropriation)
Outcome: Passed Unanimously
Vote: 4-0 [46:19]
Public Comment
No members of the public spoke during the open hearing on the budget or the general public comment session.
What’s Next
Budget Updates: The committee plans to revisit the budget periodically before Town Meeting to adjust for any changes in personnel or costs [[33:28]].
State Audits: The district is preparing for two major reviews: a Tiered Focus Monitoring Review for the English Language Learner (ELL) program in January and an Integrated Monitoring Review for Special Education in March [[1:41:49]].
Hey, great read as always, I truly wonder about the potencial of those strategic initiatives, especially around computer science and AI, it's inspiring to think about!