Gloucester Schools Seek $2.3M Budget Increase, Accept $400K Courtyard Grant

School Committee · Meeting of March 11, 2026

Gloucester School Committee accepts $400,000 design grant for O'Malley courtyard and takes up a $3.7 million FY27 cost-increase framework. Superintendent Ben Thomas told the committee Wednesday that mandatory salary, special education, and health insurance obligations drive the increase, with a net operating budget request of approximately $2.3 million once offsets — including $380,000 in circuit breaker reimbursement and more than $200,000 in transportation savings — are applied; the district also expects only a $21,000 gain in Chapter 70 state aid and a 15 percent cut to its Title I federal allocation. Mayor Paul Lundberg announced that health insurance costs will be moved off the school operating budget onto a single citywide line, consistent with all other departments.

The committee also welcomed incoming Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Katherine Tucker, a 15-year North Reading Middle School principal, and heard a first public report from a joint educator-administration working group that has identified students with high growth but low achievement as its district-wide root-cause analysis focus, with a follow-up report scheduled for June 24.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of March 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.