PEABODY — City Council voted 9-2 Tuesday night to approve the Peabody Public Schools FY27 budget at $101,967,320, signaling the conclusion of this summer’s budget meetings.
The approved budget comes with a 2.94% increase from FY26, which stems from an increase in state Chapter 70 funds and municipal contributions.
The proposed FY27 budget is driven primarily by the following costs: $1,228,185 for health insurance increases; $1,315,423 in salary increases; $326,704 for out-of-district, special education tuition; $292,526 for the transportation contract that provides busing for students; and $67,671 for other non-salary lines.
Ultimately, salaries account for $66,928,802, and non-salary line items account for $35,038,515 of the FY27 budget.
Despite the budget’s increase, there were still cuts to be made, and $313,741 was cut from the budget line items for supplies, utilities, and technology.
When asked to explain the cuts in technology, Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala shared that PPS will save approximately $75,000 by not providing take-home Chromebooks to students in kindergarten through second grade, which will also help combat the influx of screen time for kids. Those students will still have access to the Chromebooks at school, just not at home.
Further, Ward 2 Councilor Wendy Lattof suggested Vadala consider reaching out to the local business community for supply donations so that burden doesn’t fall on the faculty. Vadala said he has been in contact with the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce in hopes of donations.
Additionally, Vadala explained that there will be 11.7 less FTEs, full-time equivalents, this upcoming school year. He emphasized that the staffing reduction is not a result of any layoffs.
Six of those FTEs were retirements, and the remaining were “some reductions of nonprofessional status teachers,” meaning nonrenewals of contracts for individuals who provided support in various areas, such as to the English Language Learners program.
“The services will remain the same. The students will continue to get the same services that they get,” Vadala said of the ELL program. “There’s just less (students), so they require less staff.”
While the majority of the meeting featured productive conversations and respectful questioning, there was one moment where sparks flew.
Councilor-at-Large Jon Turco voiced his frustrations that information regarding grant funding was not provided Wednesday night, specifically airing concerns that certain positions are paid by grants yet he is unable to see who is staffed and at what salary. He specifically brought up Higgins Middle School Principal Todd Bucey, who will be stepping down as principal but remaining on board as a grant-funded, as-needed consultant, and whether food services were funded through revolving funds.
Before answering, Vadala clarified: “We’re here tonight to discuss the appropriated budget.”
“Historically, Peabody’s budget has never included the revolving funds or anything like that, so we’re not talking about all of the cafeteria workers and food service employees that are paid for out of that fund because the City Council doesn’t allocate that money,” he said.
He added, “A lack of understanding is not a lack of transparency.”
Vadala emphasized that the School Committee is fully aware of all grant information, and it’s all public record.
“The grant budget books look different than this because they’re done by DESE, but every dollar is accounted for; every dollar is audited; everything is on the up and up, so it’s disingenuous to claim that we’re hiding something,” Vadala said.
It was at this point that Finance Committee chair, Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach, needed to remind the room of the expected decorum, something that Turco ignored.
Throughout the discussion, he had continuously asked what Bucey’s wage would be as a consultant. He once again asked what Bucey’s wage would be, a question Vadala is not able to answer as negotiations are yet to take place.
“This is you trying to show how powerful you are, that you don’t have to answer to the City Council,” Turco snapped. “It’s (explative), Doc. Answer the question. How much are you going to pay the guy?”
Vadala once again reminded the room that Bucey’s wage as a consultant was not in the FY27 budget and that he would be paid “whatever is negotiated.” He added that he would happily discuss grant funding matters in July when that information is released by DESE. Vadala suggested a series of meetings that could be had in the future as information becomes available, something that was received positively by members of the council.
Answering various other councilors’ questions, Vadala shared: PPS received 14 grants last year, a rather competitive amount, and he hopes to receive a similar amount in July; if the district does not receive the grants it needs, services would remain intact but support, like before-school tutoring, could be eliminated; as there will be only three deans at the high school next year instead of four, one dean will be dedicated to the ninth grade, and the other two will split the students in 10th-12th grade, with approximately 400 each; and the current graduation rate is 86%, and Vadala hopes to soon meet and exceed the district’s record of 90%, which was reached in 2020.
The council voted 9-2 in favor of the $101,967,320 FY27 budget for Peabody Public Schools, with Councilors-at-Large Anne Manning Martin and Jaclyn Corriveau voting no.
