Gloucester School Committee Approves $54.2 Million School Budget for Public Hearing

GLOUCESTER — April 30, 2025 — Gloucester School Committee advances $54.2 million FY2026 budget amid special education overhaul debate. The committee voted 5-0 Wednesday to send the proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget of $54,213,397 to public hearing, a $2.725 million increase representing a 5.9 percent boost — the largest of any city department, as Mayor Greg Verga noted city departments were asked to submit level-funded requests. Superintendent Fred Lemus said $1.5 million of the increase covers staff salary increases, with more than $370,000 transitioning off federal pandemic grants and onto the operating budget for materials and transportation. Before the vote, five educators and parents urged the committee to slow a planned shift to a co-teaching special education model, with surveys showing 12 of 13 Palm Cove paraprofessionals and 14 preschool paraprofessionals said they would resign rather than accept reallocation to other schools. Special Education Director Michael Jarvis defended the timeline: "No one is expecting it to be perfect next year — what we are doing is creating schedules, adding staff in strategic spots where we are piloting, early adopting, co-teaching." The City Council is set to vote May 6 on a new special education reserve fund Lemus called an unprecedented safety net for unbudgeted costs.