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The Sudbury Public Schools School Committee held its annual budget hearing on Monday, December 15. Superintendent Brad Crozier presented and provided some recommended cuts to close the gap between the district’s Fiscal Year 2027 forecast and available funds from their budget guidance.
The original forecast projected a $1.6 million deficit in the next fiscal year, even after the Town provided a robust 3.75% budget increase year-over-year. With the cuts and other adjustments recommended by Superintendent Crozier, the district would be able to cut the deficit to roughly $800K, though further work is expected in the coming weeks.
The most noteworthy cut, at least in terms of discussion with the committee, was the complete elimination of the district’s Summer Math Intervention and Literacy Engagement (SMILE) and Explore programs. After eliminating those programs, the district would review the Extended School Year (ESY) program to make sure it’s meeting the needs of students in the absence of SMILE. While the committee indicated that they felt it was a necessary cut given the circumstances, Vice Chair Jessica McCready lamented it, saying it was “horrible” to be in the position to have to cut the program.
Assistant Superintendent Annette Doyle reiterated that the program had achieved its goals following the Covid-19 pandemic, and while it was valued by families, was not as critical as keeping staff in schools for the 180 days of the regular school year. Cutting SMILE would save the district $126,259.
Other measures to reduce the deficit included cutting $80,000 in software subscriptions, adjusting the utilities estimate down by $50,000, and tapping Circuit Breaker Special Education reimbursements to fund the operating budget as a means to bridge the district to FY28. None of the proposed measures to inch closer to a balanced budget are final decisions. That will happen when the committee votes on a budget in the coming weeks.
For the full breakdown of recommendations, you can access the presentation here:
The committee asked a variety of questions about the cuts, and Vice Chair McCready continued to press the administration to explain how such a large forecasted deficit emerged with little notice. With the first round of proposed cuts on the table and causing some pain, it was apparent that the ensuing discussions will feature even more difficult decisions.
For next steps, the committee meets again on Thursday, December 18 for further budget discussions, though Chair Karyn Jones informed the committee that a vote on the final budget may be delayed until January as the SPS administration continues conversations with the Town of Sudbury administration. While further cuts and creative uses of alternative funding sources like the Transportation Revolving Fund are expected, there was some amount of hope that the Town would (once again) be able to find more funds for the district in the tail end of the budget building process.