Northborough School Committee Unanimously Approves $32 Million FY27 Budget

NORTHBOROUGH — February 4, 2026 — Northborough School Committee approves $32 million FY27 budget and signals preference for calendar avoiding religious holidays. The five-member committee voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a $32,076,841 operating budget for fiscal year 2027, a 6.96 percent increase over the current year representing $2,086,899 in new spending, after Superintendent Greg Martineau and Finance Director Becky walked the board through the fourth iteration of a budget that began last October at a projected 13.73 percent increase. Three cost drivers — special education collaborative tuitions, out-of-district placements, and transportation — account for roughly 58 percent of the total increase and are largely outside the district's control; Martineau warned that meeting the town's three-percent budget guidance would require cutting "another 13 people." The committee also voted 5-0 to establish a special education stabilization fund headed to town meeting, accepted a $1,500 product donation from Free Period Ministry of Hingham, and held extended day program fees flat for 2026-27. Without taking a binding vote, the committee unanimously expressed preference for Calendar Option 5 — a revision that avoids scheduling professional development days on Yom Kippur and Eid — over Option 3 already approved by Southborough and Algonquin Regional, with Martineau set to carry that position to the other two district chairs ahead of their February meetings.