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The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee discussed official communications to the community during their March 16 meeting. The committee voiced a desire to address community concerns and misinformation that has been circulating regarding a number of school district matters.
One of the topics that has been subject of widespread misinformation is an alleged “$9M override.” A $9M override has not been proposed. In fact, no override has been proposed.
The Town of Sudbury is currently in the budget development process for Fiscal Year 2027. Fiscal Year 2027 starts in the summer of 2026 and ends in the summer of 2027.
The preliminary budget got a vote of support from the Finance Committee on Monday. That means they will be recommending approval of the budget (Article 3) to Town Meeting in May. That budget is a “balanced” budget which means the Town is not calling for an override. As explained in the opening pages of the budget “This means that all appropriations must be supported by revenues reasonably expected to be earned during the fiscal year, along with any other legally available funds from prior years.”
You can review the entire budget here.
Long-term forecasts from the Town administration have indicated projected deficits in FY28 and FY29. But that does not necessarily mean an override is inevitable. There was a real chance of an override in FY27, but new growth (new tax revenue from construction, renovation and property improvements) came in higher than expected, ultimately helping to make it possible for the Town to work within its current means. While an override is not inevitable for FY28, it does appear to be significantly more likely than it was heading into the FY27 budget building process last year.
So where exactly is that “$9M” override figure coming from?
A memo from Sudbury’s Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director, Victor Garofalo, was included in the SPS meeting packet on Monday. His memo spells out, in comprehensive detail, how the $9M override figure is inaccurate. He also provides a helpful explanation of how to accurately understand municipal finance forecasts.
Bottom Line: Garofalo’s memo concludes “The assertion that the Town is projecting a $9 million override impact is not supported by the data presented at the public meetings.”
The full memo is available below.