School Committee unanimously approves FY25 School District budget

By Barbara Taormina

REVERE – The School Committee held a public hearing this week on the 2024/2025 school district’s $126,284,616 budget. This year’s operating school budget proposal represents a $4,572,970 increase over last year’s $121,711,646 budget. It was a quiet hearing. No one from the public came to the meeting and no one tuned in through Zoom. The only person to speak in favor of the budget was Superintendent Dianne Kelly.

“We did not see the enormous increase that we saw in previous years,” said Kelly, “but it was an increase.” But, as Kelly explained, the cost of level services due to inflation and the district’s pulling in staff previously funded by grants did not leave much room to play with. Still, Kelly highlighted that the budget increases middle school staff, supports the reorganization of the Special Education department, increases English language learners’ staff, strengthens the early childhood education program with a significant grant going toward investment in the McKinley Building and funds the purchase or lease of portable classrooms to ease overcrowding at Revere High.

“I’m very much in favor of this budget,” said Kelly. “It’s responsible and it still meets the priorities and needs of the school district.”

Kelly also praised School CFO Mathew Kruse and the Ways and Means Subcommittee led by John Kingston and staffed by Anthony Caggiano and Anthony Mattera for working hard to make everything work.

The committee took separate votes on different pieces of the budget. They approved $3,747,817 for the administration. Instructional services were approved with $83,410,604. The committee voted in favor of spending $13,825,674 on other student services, and $14,000,563 on programs in other schools. A total of $9,731,708 was approved for plant operation and maintenance.

Mayor Patrick Keefe, chair of the School Committee, said the purpose of the meeting was to approve a budget so that when it goes to the City Council for a vote, it will be an approved budget. “That’s good practice,” the mayor told committee members, who voted unanimously in favor of the proposed operating budget.