Sturbridge School Committee reviews FY27 budget, defers vote to February

School Committee · Meeting of January 5, 2026

Sturbridge School Committee previews a 3.14 percent FY27 budget increase, with no vote until February. Administrators Kathy and Kristin told the committee the level-services plan for Burgess Elementary adds no positions and makes no cuts, but includes a returning $140,000 school bus purchase that alone accounts for roughly a percentage point of the increase. Without the bus, the district said the increase would run "just over two percent." Officials also flagged a Title I cut to $30,000 from about $80,000, a $50,000 rise in specialized transportation funding toward $950,000, and an expected $400,000 in circuit breaker savings on special education tuitions covering 37 out-of-district students.

Transportation Coordinator Kristin said the district hired another driver Monday, bringing it to 13 routes plus a full-time spare. The turf field discussion was tabled to February.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of January 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.