Teachers, school staff, and residents cited staff shortages, transportation costs, and equipment needs as key focal points for the Belmont school district budget.
The School Committee held a public forum on Dec. 11 to gather input on the district’s budget draft. That information becomes part of the conversation as the School Committee and the district hash out spending priorities for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, 2025.
According to a presentation by Town Administrator Patrice Garvin, the multi-year model prepared while budgeting for fiscal year 2025 after the passage of the April 2024 override established an assumption that the school budget would grow by 5.6% for fiscal year 2026, totaling $70,629,379.
The School Committee is reducing the school budget to be in line with that town allocation number. At the time of the public forum, the district’s budget draft totaled $72,801,938.
Committee members did not respond to the community input at the time of the meeting, as the purpose of the meeting was to receive public comment for further deliberation.
Staffing
During the public comment session, several Belmont staff advocated for added positions in fiscal year 2026.
Lisa Harteveldt, a nurse at Butler Elementary School, said the district should consider adding a full-time guidance counselor.
“Mental health of all elementary students and all students in [Belmont Schools] needs to be the priority,” she said.
According to Harteveldt, the current guidance counselor splits time between the Butler and Burbank schools. The position was re-organized as part of the reconfiguration, resulting in the fourth grade moving to the Chenery Upper Elementary School, said Superintendent Jill Geiser.
“As a nurse who is completely involved in many daily conversations and sees an increase in nursing visits related to mental health, I can personally attest to this strong need,” said Harteveldt. “Caseloads are full, and students’ needs are not being met.”
Meghan Gallagher, a second-grade teacher at Winn Brook Elementary, requested the district reconsider the elimination of a second-grade teacher position — a possible reduction the School Committee was considering at the time of the meeting due to enrollment changes.
“Winn Brook lost a first-grade position this year, and we are really, really seeing the impact of that loss,” Gallagher said. “The needs of our students at these ages are great, whether they are special education students, our English language learners, [or] our students with behavioral challenges.”
Marie Penner-Hahn, the director of World Languages for Belmont Schools, asked the district to consider including a full-time World Language teacher.
In 2023, the equivalent of 2.8 full-time positions were cut from the World Languages program.
“Over the past two years, we have added nearly 100 students to our World Language classes in grades seven through 12,” said Penner-Hahn, adding the average class size in eighth-grade World Language classes is 31 students, making it difficult for teachers to provide individualized attention.
Transportation
Transportation costs were also a main topic of discussion, as bus contracts for the district were budgeted to increase by $300,952 for fiscal year 2026 at the time of the meeting.
Several community members advocated for staggered start times, with middle and high school students beginning school later to reduce the number of buses needed.
“We can potentially stagger the buses and require fewer buses, and that would potentially save us some money,” said Mark Kagan, a Precinct 8 Town Meeting member.
Kagan added that a later start time could also benefit students’ mental health.
“There’s been research done that making teenagers wake up early is not good for their mental health,” he said. “My hope is that we can explore this.”
At a subsequent School Committee meeting on Dec. 17, the district proposed a reduced bus contract increase of $215,032. The change reflects the cost reduction if the district eliminates a bus and increases fees for families by $30 (from $450 to $480).
The district found that “eliminating a bus would not exceed the rider capacity of remaining buses,” according to Superintendent Geiser’s memo for the School Committee meeting.
Classroom Materials
Several teachers also requested copiers and paper be prioritized.
“We have at least three teams of sixth-grade teachers that have over 100 kids on their teams, so copies are very much needed,” said Meagan Etesse, a sixth-grade humanities teacher at Chenery Upper Elementary School.
“When copiers are getting jammed, it throws a wrench in our plans,” she added.
Etesse said paper copies also help reduce screen time for elementary students.
“Parents are concerned about screen time and how much screen time we’re using in school,” she said.
“We need copiers … and paper,” said Belmont High School math teacher Daniel Moresco. “If we lose those things, our schools won’t function.”
At the Dec. 17 School Committee meeting, the updated budget included a reduced increase in spending for non-technology equipment, from $75,000 to $40,000.
According to Geiser’s memo, “There currently are enough funds to purchase or replace two or three more copiers for next year, and any additional copiers needed would not have a budget for replacement.”
Next Steps
The School Committee will continue to chip away at the district’s budget, taking the community input into consideration.
“While we have made progress towards our revenue allocation, additional decisions need to be made to have a budget that is more closely aligned to the Town’s revenue allocation,” wrote Geiser in her memo for the Dec. 17 School Committee meeting,
Following further deliberations, the committee will formally present its revised budget at the town’s next budget summit on Jan. 23.
More information about the upcoming budget summit can be found at belmont-ma.gov/1729/Town-Budget.
