FY27 Budget Presentation to City Council (6.4.26) — File 26-0974

FY 2027 Somerville Public Schools’ Budget City Council Presentation - June 4, 2026

FY 2027 MEETING AGENDA ❖ FY26 Successes ❖ FY27 Budget Priorities ❖ FY27 Cost-Drivers ❖ Key Department Budget Overviews ❖ Budget Summary: FY27 Personnel & Non-Personnel Budget

Out of School FY 2027 SCHOOL COMMITTEE FY 2027 SCHOOL COMMITTEE Dr. Emily Ackman, Chair, Ward I Leiran Biton, Vice Chair, Ward VII Elizabeth (Liz) Eldridge, Ward II Michele Lippens, Ward III Andre L. Green, Ward IV Laura Pitone, Ward V Emma Stellman, Ward VI Honorable Jake Wilson, Mayor Lance Davis, President, Somerville City Council Dr. Rubén Carmona, Superintendent, Secretary to the School Committee

FY 2027 Superintendent’s Budget Our ‘Why’: Celebrating our Successes in FY26

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 VISION STATEMENT We envision a student-centered learning community where every student – honoring their unique strengths and background – is empowered to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally through tailored supports and equitable access to opportunity.

FY 2027 FY 2027 SUCCESSES Successes By the Numbers Preliminary ACCESS 2026 SPS exceeded Target Annual Growth Progress ELL Average baseline for our readers has increased by 5 percentage points over the span of 3 years Dibels: +3% points more students on /above grade level iReady: +5% points at/above grade level in Math +3% points students at or above grade level in Literacy Training and structures to scaffold learning in CTE: 2022: 83 2025: 154

FY 2027 FY 2027 SUCCESSES Successes Across the District Transparent and equitable budget process HVAC, Facilities Maintenance, Electrical and Automotive (Early Ed + CNA) 341 Industry Recognized Credentials (+23%) (2025=277) (OSHA, OSHA -30, CPR) From Student Insights to Open Architects: Relevant information at SPS fingertips 16% reduction in suspensions 13% decrease in disruptive behavior referrals Attendance at 93.7% (above state average) Robotics team “6201” among the world Top 20%; competed at the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championships SCALE Test Center earned first place across the state in test administration in 2025.

FY 2027 FY 2027 SUCCESSES Class of 2026 59% of seniors have completed FAFSA or MASFA Scholarship Recipients Doris York Full Scholarship (B.U.) (1 student) Posse Scholarship (Union) (1) Fidelity Scholarships (2) Somerville Scholarships (110) Somerville Municipal Scholarship (12)

FY 2027 Superintendent’s Budget Strategic Budget Priorities

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLAN Somerville Public Schools commits to the following goals, knowing that these can only be achieved through ensuring meaningful partnerships with Somerville students, families, staff, city government, and community partners. 1) Academic Excellence 2) Equity & Access 3) Wellness & Joy 4) Family & Community Engagement

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 CURRENT FISCAL CONTEXT ❖ Underfunding in PK-12 education ❖ Layoffs and staff reductions due to budget shortfalls in neighboring communities ❖ Uncertainty around federal funding ❖ Rising costs and inflation ❖ Level-Service Budget ❖ City is projecting a $4.5M gap We remain committed to: Valuing our educators, students, and families Advocating for additional funding on the state level Maintaining current staff levels Focusing on coherence. Going deeper

FY 2027 Superintendent’s Budget FY27 Budget Cost-Drivers

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 DEMOGRAPHICS SPS Enrollment Has Remained Steady

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 DEMOGRAPHICS We expect steady enrollment in FY 2027 This forecast is derived from current enrollment figures as of April 24, 2026. Schools SY 2026 SY 2027 Argenziano 537 577 Brown 230 249 Capuano 250 216 ESCS 738 732 Healey 470 457 Kennedy 471 494 Winter Hill 364 366 West Somerville 381 389 Next Wave/Full Circle 89 75 SHS 1334 1322 Outplaced/Walk-In Services 118 118 Total Students 4982 4995

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 COST-DRIVERS Cost-Driver #1: Negotiated Salary Increases ● Our staff are our most critical investment. ● Even before adjusting for new staffing levels, new contracts with SEU Units A, C, and E – about ¾ of our district staff – were increasing salaries by an average of 8.19%. ● NOTE: “Sundry item” increase reflects added substitute costs & summer programming. ● NOTE: AFSCME Clerical & SMEU Unit C contracts have not settled.

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 COST-DRIVERS Cost-Driver #2: Increased investments in special education ● Teachers ○ In FY26, we budgeted for 71 special education teachers. ○ In FY27, we budgeted for 76 special education teachers. ○ Mostly driven by: ■ Weighted caseload model in new CBA ■ Commitment to inclusion & strengthening special education ● Out of District (OOD) Tuition ○ In FY26, we budgeted $6,907,758 for tuition (63 students) ○ In FY27, we budgeted $7,906,944 for tuition* (64 students) ● Transportation (Internal, extracurriculars, & OOD) ○ In FY26, we budgeted $2,753,080 for transportation ○ In FY27, we budgeted $3,350,000 for transportation ● Net increase of +$1,596,106 *Approximately $3,500,000 will be charged to our Circuit Breaker fund.

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 COST-DRIVERS Cost-Driver #3: Increased substitute investments ● In FY26, we budgeted $715,000 for substitutes. ● We’re on track to invest $1,350,000 in substitutes. ○ Approximately $270 per pupil ○ Comparable districts range: $173 - $256 ● Mostly driven by parental leave: ○ FY26: 8 weeks of paid leave plus additional paid leave via sick time ○ FY27: 10 weeks of paid leave plus additional paid leave via sick time ○ FY28: 12 weeks of paid leave

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 COST-DRIVERS Cost-Driver #4: Increased transportation investments ● Our transportation investments ensure nearly 2000 students get to school & back home on-time every day. ○ Multilingual learners, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care ○ Provides MBTA passes for all students Grades 7 - 12 ($760,000) ● In FY26, we budgeted $1,449,194 for in-district transportation ● In FY27, we budgeted $1,933,286 for in-district transportation ● Net increase of +$484,092 ○ Driven by negotiated contracts & increased foster & homeless transportation costs

FY 2027 Superintendent’s Budget Budget Summary

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 COST-DRIVERS Complete line-item budget included in packet ● Trust & stewardship are critical: This year’s budget materials provide a higher-level of transparency and detail than prior years ● Non-personnel budgets show a detailed accounting of the $18 million non-personnel budget across all 35 departments ○ Presented in more accessible language and formatting than prior years ● Personnel budget breakdowns: ○ DESE Function Code ○ School & department ○ Position ○ Job title

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Our budget is mostly driven by investments in the people who support our students, families, and staff. Investments in People

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Personnel Budget Overview FY26 Actual FY27 Proposed Variance Salary $94,861,126 $104,237,012 +$9,375,886* FTEs 1019.5 1021.5 +2.0 ● *YOY variance results from: ○ Increased costs of negotiated salaries ○ One-time shift of $2.5 million in salaries from Circuit Breaker to Personnel ■ (net neutral overall impact to budget)

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Personnel Budget Overview, as voted by School Committee Finance and Facilities Subcommittee FY26 Actual FY27 Proposed Variance Salary $94,861,126 $104,882,012 +$10,020,886 FTEs 1019.5 1027.5 +8.0 ● The School Committee voted to add $645,000 to our “personnel” budget line. ● The intention was to provide two more special ed inclusion classes and four additional interventionists (3 reading, 1 math).

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Personnel Changes Summary Staff Additions ● Special Education Teachers (5) ● ESL Specialists (2.5) ● Adjustment Counselor (1) ● Instructional Coaches (3.5) ● Digital Literacy & Computer Science Teacher (1) ● Chief of Staff (.2) ● Health Teacher (1) ● Speech & Language Pathologist (1) ● HR Specialist (1) ● Math Intervention Teachers (2) ● Physical Therapist (1) & PT Assistant (1) ● School Psychologist (.5) ● Academic Evaluator (.5) ● Spanish Teacher (1) ● Spanish Reading Specialist (.5) ● Teacher (.6) ● Family Liaison (.4) ● In-School Suspension Teacher (1) Staff Reductions ● Goal Program Specialist (1) ● MLE Paraprofessionals (2) ● MLE Curriculum & Instruction Specialist (1) ● Occupational Therapist (1) ● SEI-1 Teacher (5) ● Principal Clerk (1) ● Recording Secretary (.4) ● Registered Behavior Tech (1) ● RISP Coordinator (1) ● Academic Evaluator (.5) ● Building Substitutes (2) ● MTSS Coordinator (1) ● Equity Coach (1) ● Math (SHS) Teacher (1) ● Teacher (1) ● Library Aides (4) ● Utility Aide (1) ● Bilingual Adjustment Counselor (1)

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Non-Personnel Budget Overview ● This is not a cut to our NP budget. ○ We shifted costs to other funds ■ $3.5 million out of district tuition moved from the Spec Ed NP to Circuit Breaker ■ $192,000 from Spec Ed NP to Personnel to fund Physical Therapist & PT Assistant FY26 Actual FY27 Proposed Variance Budget $18,878,461 $18,219,372 ($659,088)

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Non-Personnel Budget Overview ● Avg 7% increase for all budget orgs ○ Special Education: 13% (net) increase ■ $3,500,000 of out of district tuition shifted to Circuit Breaker ○ Level-funded budgets adjusted for inflation ■ Ex: Music budget has been $50,625 since 2023; will be $65,000 in FY27 ○ 7/35 budgets reduced per historical investment analysis ○ 3 new budget orgs added → increased transparency (CTE, Finance, HR) FY26 Actual FY27 Proposed Variance Budget $18,878,461 $18,219,372 ($659,088)

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Improved equity in schools’ non-personnel budgets ● Equity-driven funding formula incorporates student demographics to distribute resources according to need ● All school budgets increased to provide principals and staff more resources to improve school climate and academic outcomes

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 BUDGET Federal & State Grant Funding: $5,315,101 Grant FY26 Allocation Anticipated FY27 Anticipated FY 27 FTE Supported Title I $1,102,138 $1,083,783 8.8 FTE Title II $151,093 $140,516 1 FTE Title III $170,622 Expected Level SPELL Summer Title IV $81,456 Expected Level 0 FTE IDEA 240/262 $1,814,777 Expected Level 15 FTE Perkins $79,366 Expected Level 0 FTE ACLS SCALE $915,649 Expected Level 9.2 FTE CPPI Early Childhood $1,000,000 Unknown 5.5 FTE Circuit Breaker $3,537,170 N/A N/A: OOD Tuition

Out of School FY 2027 FY 2027 CURRENT FISCAL CONTEXT FY27 Budget Summary ● Our FY27 budget represents a 7.58% increase over FY26, which is slightly above our typical annual growth. ● On May 20, 2026 the Finance and Facilities Subcommittee of the Whole voted to recommend an additional $645,000 representing six additional positions to the District’s proposed budget. ○ The language “FY27 SC approved” represents this vote below. FY24 Actual FY25 Actual FY26 Actual FY27 SC Approved FY27 Mayor Proposed Non-Personnel $17,918,747 $18,618,646 $18,962,711 $18,219,372 $18,219,372 Personnel $82,090,462 $88,128,369 $94,861,126 $104,882,012 $104,237,012 Total $100,009,209 $106,747,806 $113,823,837 $123,101,384 $122,456,384 YOY $ Increase $7,315,507 $6,737,806 $7,076,823 $9,277,547 $8,632,547 YOY % Increase 7.89% 6.74% 6.63% 8.15% 7.58%

HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?

The children are well.

Partners in Education Mayor’s Office Somerville Communications & Community Engagement Dept. Somerville Grants Dept. Somerville Dept. of Racial & Social Justice Somerville LGBTQ Commission Somerville Dept. of Public Works Somerville Health & Human Services, including Office of Food Access & Healthy Communities, Prevention Services, and SomerPromise Somerville Parks & Recreation Somerville Public Libraries Somerville Office of Housing Stability Somerville Police Department Somerville Fire Department SOmerville Office of Immigrant Affairs Somerville Office of Sustainability Somerville Arts Council Somerville Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development Somerville Capital Projects Somerville Technology Dept. Somerville Traffic and Parking Somerville Council on Aging Somerville Commission on Human Rights MA Dept. of Elementary and Secondary ` Education (DESE) MA Dept. of Early Education & Care (EEC) ABT Global Bay State Community College Benjamin Franklin Institute of Tech. Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston University Bunker Hill CC Cambridge College Cradles to Crayons The Bullpen Project Fisher College Harvard University Lesley University Longy School of Music Mass. Institute of Technology (MIT) Mass Bay Community College Middlesex Community College North Shore Community College Roxbury Community College Tufts University UMass Boston Universal Technical Institute University of Michigan Wyoming Technical Institute Boston Carpenters Apprenticeship Training Center Construction Craft Laborers Apprenticeship Program Eastern MA Carpenters Apprenticeship I.B. Electrical Workers Local 63 - Laborers Union Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 Somerville PTAs Padres Latinos SEPAC MLPAC Connexion Groundwork Somerville Middlesex Partnerships for Youth Mystic Learning Center Rotary Club Somerville Community Corp. Somerville Media Center Somerville YMCA Somernova Teen Empowerment The Growing Center The Welcome Project The Children’s Room Home for Little Wanderers Neighborhood Counseling & Community Services Riverside Mental Health Youth Harbors Bigelow Cooperative Daycare CAAS Head Start Dandelion Montessori Elizabeth Peabody House Open Center for Children Treehouse Academy Child Care Pooh and Friends Learning Center Somerville Childcare Center Boston Children’s Hospital Cambridge Health Alliance Barr Foundation Biogen Biogen Foundation Boston Chamber Music Society Boston Area Kodaly Educators Boston Debate League The Boston Foundation Brian Higgins Foundation C.A.S.IT The Cummings Foundation Grooversity HONK Festival Foundation Lab Central Ignite Mass Advocates for Children Mass Cultural Council Nellie Mae Education Foundation The Rennie Center Root Cause Ryan Harrington Foundation Somerville Education Foundation Somerville Mathematics Fund Becoming a Man (BAM) Knovva Academy The Calculus Project Enroot Working on Womanhood (WOW)

Thank you!