School Subcommittee Backs $145.4M School Budget; Full Vote Pending April 28

By Neil Zolot

The School Committee Budget Subcommittee of the Whole approved $145,395,399 for Fiscal Year 2027 proposed by Superintendent William Hart at their meeting on Thursday, April 16. Despite approval by a quorum of the full membership, the approval was not in a legal meeting of the School Committee, but in a Subcommittee meeting. Therefore, the question of formal approval will be on the agenda of the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 28. It is expected to be approved without much discussion.

The $145,395,399 is comprised of an operating budget of $139,290,473 and a Special Education and Transportation Budget of $6,104,526, which is contributed by the City and falls outside the net spending requirement of the City required by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), as explained by Assistant Superintendent for Finance Christopher Barrett.

The new budget is 2.28% higher than the Fiscal Year 2026 budget of $142,154,420. Hart described it as “a modest number that must hold up against rising fixed costs.”

Part of the pressure comes from an increase in Chapter 70 state education aid of $570,000, which is lower than the increase in Fiscal Year 2026, as a result of lower federal aid to the state, increases in costs at the state level and a decrease, albeit minor, in the student enrollment in Everett. 6,902 students was the number submitted to DESE October 1, but the anticipated number for Fiscal Year 2027 is 6,697. 6,902 is 339 lower than the student population in Fiscal Year 2025.

Chapter 70 aid was $126,865,223 in Fiscal Year 2026 and $127,440,573 for Fiscal Year 2027, an increase of .45%, with the Required Local Contribution $45,646,412 in Fiscal Year 2026 and $7,849,900 for Fiscal Year 2027, an increase of 1.49%. Bennett said the Chapter 70 increase from Fiscal Year 2025 to Fiscal Year 2026 was 7.5%. “While we did lose students, we lost an inordinate amount of state support,” Hart feels. “The numbers are not consistent with the increases in expenses our budget must account for.”

“While our obligations continue to rise, state aid continues to decrease,” Barrett added.

Nevertheless, Hart said, “The budget doesn’t blur our vision, alter our course or slow our momentum. It keeps us sound operationally. It doesn’t close programs or change the way we deliver key services. It provides students the supports they need and deserve, maintains the academic instruction crucial to student success and allows us to move forward with critical new programs.”

Among them are full day prekindergarten classes and immersion programs in Portuguese and Spanish.

Some of the funding will be available as the result of a cap on chargebacks from City Hall of $36 million at the behest of Mayor Robert Van Campen. The City pays for some things not included in Net School Spending or the school budget, but then imposes a charge or chargeback on the School Department to cover those items. The cap means the City will pay for everything over $36 million. In Fiscal Year 2026 it was $35,771,530, with estimates for Fiscal Year 2027 at close to $41 million, according to Barrett. The cap means the City will cover any expenses over $36 million without a chargeback. “It provided us with an additional $5 million, reinvested to save positions and 48 staff members,” Barrett elaborated.

“Cutting in student expenses is nonnegotiable, to make sure students of the Everett Public Schools never want for what they need and to make the Everett Public Schools a model for urban success,” Van Campen said.

“It’s very important we thank the Mayor for making accommodations with chargebacks,” Ward 3 School Committee member Jeanne Cristiano feels. “This is what happens when the School Committee has a functioning and positive relationship with City Hall.”

In addition, some costs were cut by not refilling some positions vacated through retirements or terminations. “New requests were offset by reductions we found, including a net reduction of 55 staff members, including a reduction of 4 in school administrative personnel,” Barrett said.

Looking ahead, Hart said the City and school system “must continue to push forward with space solutions through the near-term issues in elementary schools to the long-term dream of building a new High School. (The elementary schools are actually K-8 neighborhood schools because Everett lacks a Middle School. Some of the overcrowding will be relieved when 7th and 8th grade classes are moved to the old High School.)

“Even though we lost students, the overcrowding will continue,” Barrett added. “Last year we graduated the largest High School class in our history, but even in overcrowded classrooms teachers find ways to be creative. This budget ensures every student starts with a strong foundation for success.”

Hart also said, “We’re rethinking how our High School students get the best education whether it’s inside or outside the building, acknowledging the practices of the last 10-15 years may not be the best for tomorrow. We must continue to explore expanding career and technical education.”

He added that classes in multimedia programming and broadcasting and public safety are examples.

Hart also pointed out some recent successes in the school system, including increasing daily attendance from 88.4% to over 92% and meeting other DESE targets. “We are transforming the Everett Public Schools into an urban model of excellence and success,” he concluded.