Carver Schools Open FY27 Budget Season With $500,000 Projected Shortfall

CARVER — January 12, 2026 — Carver School Committee opens FY27 budget season facing a projected $500,000 shortfall on a $29 million operating budget. Finance consultant Ron presented a preliminary budget showing a 4.6 percent cost increase over FY26, driven by aging infrastructure repairs, rising operations costs, and contractual salary increases, while a warrant figure of $26,189,550 — derived under the Select Board's 68-percent school-allocation policy — falls roughly $500,000 short of projected expenses. The one bright spot in the budget: out-of-district special education tuition costs are projected to decrease for the first time in several years, even with a 3 percent state-approved rate increase, as more students are being served within Carver. The committee also voted unanimously to accept 201 Chromebooks from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute's Connected and Online Program (estimated value $50,000) and to authorize development of a warrant article for the 2026 Annual Town Meeting allowing the district to enter into a federal MOU for partial foster care transportation reimbursement, with a warrant deadline of January 21. Health insurance cost projections, expected around February 1, and the governor's budget — which will set the per-pupil minimum Chapter 70 aid increment — remain the two largest unresolved variables ahead of a balanced budget presentation scheduled for February 2.