By Laura Hayes and Dakota Antelman – [email protected]
The Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee unanimously approved a $95,000 cut to the fiscal year 2026 budget to cover a Finance Committee guideline gap of more than $63,000.
Speaking on February 26, schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter said an enrollment shift is to blame, with the proportion of students from Concord growing slightly and the share of Carlisle students shrinking. Because Concord and Carlisle fund the high school proportionally to their enrollment, the shift added roughly $75,000 to Concord’s bill. According to Hunter, the district typically asks FinCom to exclude changes in funding obligations due to enrollment from the guideline.
“That needs to stay the case going forward, especially with a number of new apartment complexes coming online,” said Hunter.
School officials have their eye on proposed or future housing developments, including Novo Riverside Commons on Baker Avenue and The Residences at Thoreau on Forest Ridge Road. Other sites such as the shuttered MCI-Concord prison could also bring new units and an influx of school-age children.
School leaders proposed dividing the $95,000 reduction between a $50,000 cut to other post-employment benefits (OPEB) contributions and a $45,000 trim to the technology budget.
OPEB programs are separate from pensions and cover retirement costs such as health insurance. The technology reduction slashed half the money set aside for new interactive smartboards, which teachers use in their classrooms. Hunter said the district can begin the replacement process with the remaining $45,000.
FinCom vice chair Lois Wasoff praised CCHS leaders on February 27 and said the schools are “doing very well” with OPEB contributions. Speaking at a FinCom meeting, she said the cuts to reach the guideline “are two very appropriate places to strike a balance.”
