Dartmouth Schools Request $59.2 Million Budget, 6.85 Percent Increase for FY27

Finance Committee · Meeting of March 5, 2026

Dartmouth Finance Committee hears $59.2 million FY27 school budget request as town officials warn of a deepening structural revenue gap. Business Manager James Kylie presented the proposed Dartmouth Public Schools budget to the eight-member committee on March 5, describing a 6.85 percent increase over the current $55.4 million budget that would add 13.5 staff positions at a cost of $768,500, driven largely by a roughly 5 percent rise in salaries. Kylie told the committee that Dartmouth now spends $3,824 per pupil below the state average — up more than $1,000 from the prior year — and that 21.9 percent of students have disabilities, nearly double the rate of a decade ago.

Town Administrator Cody Haddad and Budget Director Gary Carreiro said the town can currently offer only a 3.94 percent overall budget increase, warning that school and general government spending has grown at a combined 3.3 percent annually since 2014 while property tax revenue is capped at 2.5 percent growth. Finance Committee member John Sousa called on the Finance Committee, Select Board, and School Committee to jointly develop a concrete plan for voters, warning that continued inaction would eventually force cuts to education, public safety, or infrastructure. The committee acknowledged no formal solution is available before the June annual Town Meeting, with budget talks continuing at a March 12 meeting and a joint public hearing set for March 23 at Dartmouth High School.

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