Weymouth School Committee Proposes $92 Million Budget for FY26
5.27% Increase Aims to Maintain Services While Addressing Compliance Needs Amid Fiscal Challenges
WEYMOUTH - March 13 - The Weymouth School Committee received a proposed $92 million operating budget for the 2025-2026 school year during its March 13 meeting, representing a 5.27% increase from the current year's $87.4 million budget.
Superintendent Melanie Curtin and Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith presented the budget, which aims to maintain level services while addressing compliance needs in a challenging fiscal environment.
"We are super appreciative of the collaboration of the school committee, Mayor Hedlund, Chief of Staff Langill, the town council, Mike Murphy, President of the WEA, all of the work that we do together," Superintendent Curtin says. "I don't think there's anyone not in this room that cares more about our staff than the people that are here tonight."
The proposed budget includes approximately $90 million for level service costs, representing about a 3% increase, plus an additional $1.9 million for compliance positions and transportation costs previously funded through one-time sources.
"Level services, basically if you take all the staff and services that we have today, next year, what will they cost?" Smith explains. "It's a one-year projection based on contractual obligations of staff and contracts for services, electricity, such."
Smith notes that while the district is requesting a 5.27% increase, preliminary discussions with town officials suggest funding might be closer to 3%, creating a potential $1.9 million shortfall.
"We're realistic, we're watching, we're talking to the districts, we understand that the idea of getting a 5.27%, it's not realistic," Smith says. "So even if you get one-time funding to get that number, you just push the problem on a year."
The budget presentation outlines several factors affecting school finances, including the end of federal COVID relief funding (ESSER), growing student needs, inflation, and declining revenues at local, state, and federal levels.
Superintendent Curtin details preliminary plans to address the potential shortfall, including not filling the Executive Director of Elementary Education position upon retirement, not filling the Director of Fine and Performing Arts position following a resignation, and returning seven elementary instructional coaches to classrooms.
"We are trying to work very, very hard to make sure we're focused on a well-rounded education that still includes a strong core curriculum, the arts, the wellness, the enrichment opportunities that we're very, very proud of that we have across the district," Curtin says.
The district also anticipates cutting approximately 20 positions at the secondary level (grades 7-12) and increasing fees to account for inflation if the full budget request isn't funded.
During public comment, several residents urged the committee to request more funding than the proposed $92 million to better meet student needs.
"I don't think we're asking for what we need," says Ben Crosby, a Murphy Elementary School parent. "We're not asking for what we need to move out of mediocrity and back into the driver's seat and back into moving forward."
Mike Murphy, president of the Weymouth Educators’ Association, echoed this sentiment: "I think this year, among other things, we have to take the battle to them. And I'm not quite understanding why we don't suggest a larger budget to find a middle ground or a larger budget to produce what we need to have in school to make it all work."
Smith responded to these concerns by explaining the constraints of municipal finance: "When you think about the growth of budgets, we have Prop 2 1/2. So really, the town can only grow 2 1/2%. And then anything above that is new growth. It's local receipts. It's fees."
The School Committee is expected to vote on the budget at its March 27 meeting before submitting it to the mayor's office the following day. The budget will then proceed through the town process, with a final vote anticipated in June.
In other business, the committee:
* Welcomed Lindsey Fratolillo as the new assistant superintendent, who brings over 25 years of experience from her role as principal at Wessagusset Elementary
* Recognized Katie Monteiro for being awarded the MTA's Educational Support Professional of the Year
* Voted to withdraw from Massachusetts School Choice for the 2025-26 school year due to space constraints
* Heard updates on the Weymouth High School Theater Company advancing to semifinals with their show "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"
The School Committee's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 27.