Framingham Officials Begin Discussion on Annual School Budget

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham City Council’s Finance Subcommittee held a joint meeting with the School Committee’s Finance and Operations Subcommittee on Tuesday, March 11, to begin reviewing the school budget for Framingham Public Schools (FPS) in the upcoming fiscal year.

The initial budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, according to FPS officials, is about $190.4 million. The first projections in the upcoming fiscal year through the state’s Chapter 70 program, which represents a primary funding source for the local school system, account for around $92.5 million. These budget figures can change over the next few months based on revenues at the local and state levels.

That $190.4 million overall figure in FY26 would represent a raise of approximately $17.8 million—nearly 10.5%—to the final FY25 school budget of $172.6 million. About half of last year’s approved school budget in Framingham—roughly $86 million—was through Chapter 70.

The initial proposed budget for Framingham schools in FY26 is reflective of all requests made across all schools and departments within the system, according to FPS’ Executive Director of Finance and Operations Lincoln Lynch on Tuesday. The numbers presented to the Finance Subcommittee would assume that FPS would get the full allotment of $92.5 million in Chapter 70 aid.

Lynch recognized that the total budget discussed on Tuesday is a “large, large number.”

“We understand that both state and local revenues cannot keep up with what everyone asks for,” Lynch told members of the City Council and School Committee.

“So, we are working and discussing on [sic] how to reduce the number, and as soon as we have a target to hit for (FY26)—a percent increase—then we’ll be speaking with the School Committee and implementing any further reductions as needed.”

Notable aspects of the first school budget outline include money for personnel and salaries to cover about 2,400 staff members—close to $150 million in FY26, compared to $133.4 million in FY25—along with nearly $31 million for special education programs, close to $1 million for expansions to preschool offerings across the city, and approximately $7.2 million to implement an in-house model for school bus transportation amid the ongoing driver shortage and concerns on how to get local students to and from classes.

Lynch explained that the first proposed budget does not account for grants, which are not allocated until the end of July and are not outlined on a preliminary basis until May. He said that the grant aspect will be a situation to watch over the next few months, as FPS is projecting level funding; in that scenario, the school district would get the same amount of money via grants that they received last year. Lynch added that those grant sources are “up in the air right now,” however. Framingham schools received more than $9.2 million in federal funding last year, according to Lynch.

Framingham school enrollment slightly dipped over the course of the past year, as 10 fewer students were in the system in October 2024 compared to October 2023. With that, FPS Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay had not anticipated an increase in Chapter 70 funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Lynch noted on Tuesday, though, that Chapter 70 projections are based on low-income students and English language-learning students within a school district.

“We have a high population of both of those groups of students,” Lynch continued, “which is why our increase is over $6.5 million when our enrollment actually went down.”

FPS officials have also pointed out that Framingham’s CFO Jennifer Pratt is still calculating projected city revenues for the FY26 period, as the amount of local funding available could be limited.

The school budget proposal provided to local leaders on Tuesday did not include money for things like health care benefits or salaries for school resource officers and crossing guards, as those costs are covered within the overall municipal budget.

Members of the City Council’s Finance Subcommittee were in agreement that the final school budget proposal will have to look much different in the coming weeks.

“It’s helpful to see (the first budget presentation), but there’s no question this budget’s going to have to look a lot different when it gets (to the City Council),” At-Large City Councilor and Chair of the Finance Subcommittee George King said.

“There’s no other way; it can’t go up $17 million. It can’t even go up, probably, $10 million.”

The school budget request has to be voted on by the School Committee and submitted to Mayor Charlie Sisitsky by the end of March. From there, Sisitsky has to present the budget to the City Council by May 1. The City Council will then have to refer the matter to their Finance Subcommittee, before a recommendation is made by that group and a public meeting on the budget is held.