Many of us are alarmed by the looming gap in next year’s school budget. As the School Committee and School Administration grapple with this challenge, here are some of my perspectives as a candidate for the Select Board.

My wife and I moved to Brookline because of the strength of its schools. Educating all of our children is one of the most important services that we, as a community, expect from our Town.

The Town has a responsibility to treat its employees well, including food service and custodial staff in our schools as well as employees throughout the Town: not simply because treating people well creates a more productive enterprise, but it is ethically the right thing to do. As the founder of a successful business that provided work for almost 400 people, I recognize and respect that responsibility.

We must be excellent caretakers of our communal resources: our taxes that fund the schools and other services, the talent we employ, and the physical environment in which we live.

As civic leaders, our duty is to balance these three values: to provide our children an excellent education, to treat our employees fairly, and to maintain and preserve our resources. We are required to devise and implement creative solutions that uphold all of these values. Solutions that support one of these values by ignoring or sacrificing another fall short of what this moment demands. We can do better.

President Biden attributed this wisdom to his father: “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget—and I’ll tell you what you value.” Our work is not done until our budgets align with our values. I am committed to making sure that they do.

As of March 7, 2025 –

On March 6, 2025, the School Committee met to discuss the cuts previously proposed by School Administration as well as additional cuts. Click here to view the outcome of the meeting as reported by Brookline.News.

Where are we now?

The School Committee has accepted proposals that reduce the budget gap for next year to $5 million. The remaining proposals to close the gap total $4.8 million. Even if the School Committee accepts all of the proposals, there are more reductions needed or revenue to be found to close the gap.

What happens next?

The School Committee has asked the School Administration many questions regarding the remaining proposals. The School Administration is working to provide answers before the next School Committee meetings on March 20 and March 27. Figuring out which proposals can be accepted, what other proposals might be put on the table, or what other revenue could be found, is the work of the School Committee and the School Administration over the next 3 weeks.

Three crucial questions were answered at this meeting:

1. How much money is necessary to sustain the existing level of school programs and services?

At the School Committee Finance Meeting held on March 5th, the School Administration presented a spreadsheet showing which budget changes fund level services and which budget changes fund enhancements, based on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. This spreadsheet showed that 83% ($10.9 million) of the increase from FY25 to FY26 is needed to maintain level services.

However, this presentation was based on the FY25 budget, not the actual spending in FY25. Given the budget deficit of $2.7 million being managed for FY25, the budget increase required for level services in FY26 is probably closer to $8.2 million.

2. Which of the Administration’s proposals will the School Committee accept, and what other budget changes will the School Committee decide upon?

After a presentation by the School Administration showing more options for reductions, particularly the removal of positions within the Central Administration, the School Committee accepted a set of proposals that reduced the budget gap by $3 million. Equally important, the School Committee rejected the following proposals:

• Raise the Materials Fee for children of non-resident school employees
• Pause Intra/Extramural Athletics at the Middle School Level
• Pause Non-mandatory Summer Programming
• Restructure the Performing Arts Program (thereby eliminating much of the grade 4-8 music instruction)
• Halve the Number of Instructional Aides

These rejected proposals each save student-facing and well-regarded programming. Rejecting these proposals removes $2.4 million of options for closing the budget gap.

With all of the changes made by the School Committee, the budget gap for next year is now $5 million. However, the proposals for reducing that gap on the table are only $4.8 million.

3. What will be the cost of providing health insurance to Brookline employees?

School Administration reported that revenue available to the schools was adjusted upward by $177,000. This adjustment reduces the budget gap by the same amount.

As of March 4, 2025 –

On February 6, 2025, the School Administration presented to the School Committee a budget for the next fiscal year with a gap of approximately $8.2 million. On February 13, school administrators proposed cuts to bring school expenditures in line with school revenues.

The School Committee will meet on Thursday, March 6th. The Committee’s priorities may differ significantly from those of the School Administration, leading to different ways to close the budget gap.

I look forward to the School Committee reviewing the recommendations of the School Administration as well as identifying alternatives within the school system to close the budget gap.

Questions need to be answered to address the budget gap.

1. How much money is necessary to sustain the existing level of school programs and services?

Understanding the budget required to sustain existing levels of programs is vital. It is unfair to students and families who depend on existing services to be faced with cuts without a clear presentation of the proposed tradeoffs as the budget is being worked out.

• School Administration should specify which budget lines have increased due to inflation, which contain investments to yield long-term savings, and which will fund enhancements in school programming, services, or service levels.
• Once there is a common understanding of the impact of inflation and meeting state mandates, Investments, enhancements and reductions can then be considered independently.

2. Which of the Administration’s proposals will the School Committee accept, and what other budget changes will the School Committee decide upon?

Given the School Committee’s statutory role in overseeing the Brookline school system, the Committee is now working through the budget and adjusting it. It is the budget that aligns School Administration and School Committee priorities that the public at large, as well as the Select Board and the Advisory Committee, should consider.

3. What will be the cost of providing health insurance to Brookline employees?

The Group Insurance Commission (GIC) is responsible for setting health insurance rates for state employees as well as the employees of several municipalities in Massachusetts, including Brookline. The current budget for both the Town and the Schools assumes an increase of 12% in Health Insurance premiums. Given that health insurance is 11% of the Town’s budget, any change to this line item may significantly affect the overall budget for both the Town and the Schools.

The GIC will release its final rates in March. Until then, the gap in the Schools budget will remain uncertain.

Improving Transparency

I agree with others that we need greater transparency, so that the School Committee can effectively oversee the schools. The audit requested by the School Committee and developed through the Town School Partnership committee is a good first step, but further changes to increase transparency may be needed.