Middleton School Committee Restores $40,000 to Budget, Defers After-School Rate Vote

MIDDLETON -- February 2, 2026, Middleton School Committee approves $40,000 in provisional FY27 budget restorations and a 6 percent preschool tuition hike. Meeting Monday, the committee voted unanimously to add $20,000 back to the professional development line and another $20,000 to supplies and consumables, bringing the district's planning deficit against the town guideline from roughly $136,475 to $156,475. Superintendent Scott Morrison and Assistant Superintendent Steve Buccheri said all figures remain in pencil pending health insurance renewal data expected by mid-February from the district's consultant at Cabot Risk Strategies; early signals suggest the rate increase could fall in the high-8-to-14-percent range, well below the 20 percent the district had been carrying, with each percentage point worth approximately $20,000. Assistant Superintendent Peggy Donahue told the committee the professional development line had been cut 48 percent and that baseline FY25 figures understated actual spending by more than $27,000 in grant-funded services. A proposed 10 percent annual increase to before-and-after-school program tuition was tabled until March after committee member Bettina Coviello requested attrition and usage data, saying a prior 75 percent overhaul "really did hurt" enrollment.