Newburyport School Committee Approves $47.35 Million FY27 Budget

NEWBURYPORT — April 29, 2026 — Newburyport School Committee approves $47.35 million FY27 budget on a 6-0-1 vote after months of cuts. The committee voted April 29 to send the fiscal year 2027 school budget to Mayor Sean Reardon, setting the city appropriation at $41 million — a 3.88 percent increase over the current year, down from a February level-service proposal that would have required a 7.9 percent increase. Superintendent Sean Dolan and CFO Ethan Manning cited 34 projected out-of-district special education placements, including seven residential programs costing between $300,000 and more than $600,000 each, as the primary budget driver, with residential placements alone projected to cost more than $2.5 million in FY27. The final budget cuts 8.7 full-time equivalent positions, draws the School Choice reserve to a projected $293,000 balance, and relies on $6.4 million in non-city revenue. One member voted present. Reardon told the committee he is considering a proposal to seed a new city-level school reserve account with the first $300,000 of certified free cash each fall; Vice Chair Pauline Walker cautioned that drawing down School Choice to near zero "removes flexibility" the school committee needs as an elected body with independent oversight responsibility.