Stoneham School Committee Previews $46 Million FY27 Budget, No Vote Taken

STONEHAM -- January 15, 2026, Stoneham School Committee receives first look at a $46 million FY27 budget anchored by override revenue. Superintendent Dr. DeFrancisco presented the preliminary $46,018,906 proposal at the January 15 meeting, calling it a "level service" budget that corrects years of underfunding, particularly in educator salaries, rather than a vehicle for new programs. The committee took no vote; a public hearing is scheduled the following week. Finance Director Diane flagged that $750,000 in utility expenses had been quietly shifted out of the general fund across fiscal years 2024 and 2025 into revolving accounts, obscuring spending trends; the FY27 plan returns all utility costs to the general fund. The district also introduced a new budget book pairing school-by-school narratives with the six-category financial summary, the first such public-facing document produced in several years. The committee voted 5-0 to enter executive session for collective bargaining strategy with the SEA bargaining unit, citing ongoing contract negotiations as the reason detailed line-item figures are not yet available.