NORWELL - February 12, 2026 - The Norwell School Committee met Monday night to confront the stark reality of a tightening budget, approving a high school Program of Studies that reflects significant cuts to wellness and technology electives due to staffing reductions. While the district celebrated top-tier state report card results, officials issued a “dire” warning regarding the Circuit Breaker revolving fund—a critical special education reimbursement account—which is projected to dwindle to just $4,710 by the end of the next fiscal year.
The Full Story
The February 9th meeting served as a study in contrasts: high academic achievement meeting severe fiscal constraints. Superintendent Matt Keegan and the committee reviewed the 2025 DESE District Report Card, which placed Norwell among the top 44 districts in the state. Director of Teaching and Learning Meredith Erickson noted that the district is “meeting and exceeding” accountability targets, with per-pupil spending remaining lower than the state average despite high achievement in math and graduation rates.
However, the human cost of maintaining those numbers became apparent during the presentation of the Norwell High School Program of Studies. High School Principal Marc Bender referenced “aligning with current staffing” as the reason for eliminating several wellness and technology courses, including specific electives like basketball, strength training, and robotics. Committee member Christina Kane was blunter in her assessment, calling the language “graceful” but the reality “significant cuts” to student programming.
The most alarming financial news came from Director of Finance and Operations Warren MacCallum during the second-quarter budget forecast. While the general budget remains largely on track, the “Circuit Breaker” fund—used to offset high-cost special education tuitions—is facing a $1.5 million deficit relative to state recommendations.
“We are looking to end with only $4,710... That puts us almost $1.5 million behind in this line. At this point, if we continue in the cycle we’re on, that’s going to put us in a negative position.” — Warren MacCallum, Director of Finance and Operations
The committee also heard from a resident during public comment who urged the reinstatement of elementary literacy specialists and librarians, arguing that recent cuts to early intervention are “not defensible” while high school class sizes remain low. Despite these tensions, the Committee voted to adopt the preliminary FY27 budget for presentation to the Advisory Board on March 5th, with a total “ask” of approximately $1.33 million.
Why It Matters
For Norwell taxpayers, the “bottom of the barrel” has been reached regarding special education reserves. As federal and state obligations for these services are non-negotiable, any further shortfall in the Circuit Breaker fund will likely require direct tax support or further cuts to general education programming. Students are already seeing a narrower range of electives at the high school level as the district “does more with less”.
Official Minutes & Data
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To approve the 2026-2027 school calendar for second and final reading.
Vote: Unanimous (Aye) [01:36]
Motion: To adopt a preliminary FY27 Norwell school committee budget for presentation to the advisory board on March 5th.
Vote: Unanimous (Aye) [42:31]
Public Comment
A resident expressed deep concern over staffing decisions, specifically the elimination of two elementary literacy specialists and two librarians. The speaker characterized the 4.12% budget increase as being driven by “headcount growth and salary increases” rather than just inflation, and called for a prioritization of early literacy support over small high school class sizes.
What’s Next
The School Committee will present its budget to the Advisory Board on March 5th, 2026. A follow-up School Committee meeting is scheduled for March 9th, with a final budget vote expected at the end of March.