Superintendent Jill Geiser presented a draft of the fiscal year 2026 school budget at the School Committee’s Dec. 3 meeting.
Geiser’s first draft budget is $2,172,559 above revenue allocations. Over the next couple of months, school committee members will figure out how to reach the expected allocation of $70,629,379 in preparation for the town’s next budget summit on Jan. 23.
“We need to figure out what we’re going to be prioritizing,” said Geiser. “There are no hard decisions tonight. My goal is to get feedback from the committee that will inform the revisions for draft two for the next meeting.”
Curriculum Needs
The big work of the next several months will be setting budget priorities.
“The things that we can put our money towards that benefit as many students as possible and can potentially have an even more differentially beneficial impact on our students with the greatest needs are a good place to put our resources,” said School Committee member Matthew Kraft. “I think both one-time curriculum expenses as well as ongoing maintenance is a wise investment to equip our capable teachers with the tools they need to do their job well.”
Transportation
The committee also discussed the possibility of cutting down on general transportation costs. Bus contract services are currently budgeted ton increase by $300,000 next year.
Committee member Jung Yueh suggested the committee look at the possibility of raising bus transportation fees for families to adjust for inflation.
Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty agreed with Yueh that a new fee structure might be worth considering.
“It is super hard for me as a school committee member to see how much we spend on bussing,” said Moriarty. “We would, of course, provide scholarships for students who can’t afford [the fees].”
Geiser suggested the district consider developing a transportation policy to outline the distances from school locations where students would be eligible for transportation services.
“We don’t have a policy in place right now, so every year it kind of shifts, changes … which is why I think we need a policy around it,” she said.
Adjusting Course Requirements
The committee also discussed strategies that could be used to address increased enrollment at Belmont High School.
One of the strategies under consideration is reducing the course load requirement for juniors and seniors from 6.5 credits to 5.5 credits to keep class sizes manageable without hiring additional staff.
The committee is also considering giving physical education credit to juniors for participation on sports teams.
Committee Secretary Amy Zuccarello spoke in favor of lowering the course load requirement to 5.5 credits for seniors only and giving juniors physical education credit for participating in sports teams. Yueh also spoke in favor of lowering the course load requirement for students to allow them to find the right balance of school work to fit their individual needs.
Kraft said he does not support lowering the course requirement, predicting this would lead students to take fewer courses outside of the core curriculum, negatively impacting their social-emotional learning.
Arpa Funds Fading Away
The district is also considering maintaining positions that were initially funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The ARPA funds were intended to support cities and towns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belmont used ARPA funds to hire the equivalent of nine full-time positions. With the funds expiring this year, the school committee is left to wrestle with the next steps.
As part of the discussion, Geiser reviewed the multi-faceted roles social workers hired through ARPA play in supporting students, especially students on individualized education plans (IEPs).
According to Geiser, social workers coordinate services with families and outside providers, facilitate crisis intervention and risk assessments, attend IEP meetings, complete IEP progress reports, create communications materials, develop coping plans, and support programming.
“Our purpose is to educate kids, and if they’re dysregulated, and they’re not engaged in learning, we have to figure out a way to engage [them] in the learning,” said Geiser. “That’s what these roles are for.”
Zuccarello requested the school committee look into whether funding for social workers could be included in the special education budget and if there are any additional funds related to special education that could cover the cost of these positions.
Moving Forward
As part of its budgeting conversations, the school committee held a public forum on Dec. 11 for members of the Belmont community to weigh in and give feedback on the budget draft.
A revised budget draft will come before the school committee during their next meeting on Dec. 17.
More information about upcoming school committee meetings can be found at belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bps/page/schedule-and-calendar.
