Swampscott and Nahant officials have reached a new long-term agreement for Nahant students to attend Swampscott schools, locking in cost increases and clarifying how services will be paid for over the next several years.
The five-year contract would take effect in fiscal year 2028 and run through 2032. It maintains the structure of the current agreement but introduces higher annual cost increases — up from 2.5% per year. Under the new contract, annual cost increases will be at 3.25% for fiscal years 2028 and 2029, increasing to 3.5% in 2030 and 2031, and rising to 3.75% in the final contract year.
Glenn Paster, the acting chair of the Swampscott School Committee, said those percentage increases will bring between $60,00-$75,000 more to the Swampscott schools each year of the contract.
Paster said the goal was to provide more financial predictability for both communities as budget pressures continue to mount.
“We do it this way as to give cost certainty to both communities,” he said, noting that fluctuations in enrollment from year to year can create instability in school budgets.
Swampscott has long educated Nahant students in grades seven through 12, an arrangement common among smaller Massachusetts communities that do not operate their own secondary schools. Those agreements are typically negotiated through multi-year tuition contracts, which must balance rising education costs with the need for stability in municipal budgets.
Under the updated agreement, Nahant will continue to pay tuition for its students attending Swampscott schools, as well as cover transportation costs — a distinction officials said is especially important as both communities navigate a tight fiscal environment.
The contract also provides clauses for additional costs that come up, which has been part of the broader school budget conversation surrounding special education costs, which school administrators have noted is usually unpredictable, with student needs changing often.
“If there was an added district cost… Nahant pays that tuition, and they pay for their transportation as well,” Swampscott Superintendent Jason Calichman said.
The contract’s annual increases reflect broader cost pressures facing school districts, especially across special education expenses, transportation, and staffing. Across Massachusetts, those costs have risen faster than general inflation in recent years, putting added strain on local budgets that are largely funded through property taxes under Proposition 2 1/2 limits.
The new agreement also includes a provision allowing it to be revisited if Nahant seeks to send additional students — such as expanding to lower grade levels — something officials said has been discussed but would ultimately be up to Nahant’s school leadership, families, and local officials.
Beyond the financial terms, school leaders described the agreement as the result of weeks of good negotiations and coordination not just between the two school systems, but also with local officials overseeing town finances.
That collaboration comes as both Swampscott and Nahant continue to face broader budget challenges, with school spending representing one of the largest portions of each community’s overall budget. In Swampscott, officials have been working to balance rising education costs with limited revenue growth, while Nahant relies heavily on tuition agreements like this one to provide secondary education for its students.
