Acushnet School Committee advances $18.1 million budget request for FY27

ACUSHNET -- February 11, 2026, Acushnet School Committee received a preliminary $18.1 million FY27 budget request, an 8.4 percent jump over the current year. Business Manager Patrick McIntyre presented the draft, which includes $400,000 in contracted salary increases, an 11.5 percent transportation cost hike, and a $250,000 apparent electricity increase caused by the expiration of accumulated solar credits. McIntyre also reported $40,000 in unbudgeted boiler repairs already spent this fiscal year, with full boiler replacement across both school buildings estimated at $350,000. The committee voted unanimously not to cap virtual school enrollment, accepting Superintendent Dr. Bailey's recommendation that the state's 1 percent advisory threshold is calculated unfairly for a district without its own high school. A committee member reported the Select Board unanimously backed a pending air quality improvement project that, if a $3 million grant application is approved in May, would leave the town's net cost at approximately $3.2 million on a $6.947 million project.