Stoneham School Committee Approves $39.4 Million FY26 Budget Before Town Meeting Vote

STONEHAM -- May 1, 2025, Stoneham School Committee unanimously approves $39.4 million FY26 budget and sends it to town meeting. The 5-0 vote Thursday formalized a spending plan that incorporates $2.3 million in reductions and efficiencies alongside a $3.6 million town-side allocation, including an additional $2.4 million recommended by the Finance and Advisory Board; voters must ratify the figure at Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 5. Co-Special Education Directors Dr. Mark Kerbel and Linda Chase reported that 41 students are placed out of district at a combined projected cost of nearly $4.9 million in tuition and $1.9 million in transportation for the coming year, with individual placements ranging from $51,000 to $436,679 per student annually. "When we're looking at one out of four students in Stoneham being disabled, how can that be?" Kerbel said, arguing that a more robust multi-tiered intervention system could cut the district's 23.59 percent IEP rate significantly. The committee also received three conceptual schemes from GRLA Architects for relocating district administrative offices from 105 Central Street into Stoneham High School, with a decision deferred pending stakeholder input, and accepted a $2,500 LRIG New England Marsha Paul Educational Grant for a middle school robotics project.