Clinton School Committee Approves Leave, Calendar Fix, and Mileage Rate at March Meeting

School Committee · Meeting of March 9, 2026

Clinton School Committee approves leave, calendar correction, and mileage rate while FY27 budget cuts loom. The committee unanimously approved a one-year maternity leave for Clinton Elementary School counselor Katie Whiteley, corrected a one-day math error in the FY27 school calendar, and set the staff mileage reimbursement rate at the IRS standard of 72.5 cents per mile for FY26 and FY27. Superintendent Scott Martel presented Budget Version B, which identifies 11 positions for elimination — including two family outreach liaisons, a technology specialist, and an interim assistant principal — reducing classroom teacher costs by roughly $400,000 and special education out-of-district tuition by $303,000.

The district also projects a $54,000 drop in Title I federal funding, from $361,000 to $307,000, tied to Massachusetts' declining poverty rate. Martel said the district is seeking $862,043 in additional town contribution and plans to open negotiations with the Finance Committee, warning that failure to secure those funds could force deeper programmatic cuts.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of March 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.