Douglas Schools Warn of 15 to 20 Staff Cuts to Close $1.5 Million Budget Gap

DOUGLAS — March 10, 2026 — Douglas Finance Committee hears school district faces $1.5 million FY27 gap and potential elimination of 15 to 20 staff positions. Superintendent Paul Vieira and new Business Manager Diana Landry told the committee Tuesday that special education costs have surged from a budgeted $2.1 million in FY25 to a projected $3.4 million in FY27 — a $1.4 million increase driven by a doubling of out-of-district placements and rising per-student tuition costs ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. The reserve accounts that have quietly absorbed those overruns — school choice and circuit breaker — are nearly gone, with the school choice balance projected to open FY27 at roughly $710,000, down from more than $2 million in recent years. Town Administrator Matthew Wojcik, presenting a preliminary FY27 municipal budget, said available revenues are growing by $1.445 million but roughly $1.2 million of that is already committed to education and health insurance. Vieira said the district is pursuing line-item cuts and consulting with the town before finalizing a staff reduction list: "We're looking at probably over $1 million to $1.2 million in staff reductions — about 15 to 20 staff members." The full scope of cuts will be presented at the March 24 Finance Committee meeting.