Brookline School Committee News

The School Committee concluded the budget development process with a final vote on the FY26 school department budget in the amount of $142,148,452. Town Administrator Charles Carey joined the meeting to provide an update on school budget deficit resolution options, as discussed at the April 28 Town School Partnership meeting, and to share information from the April 29 Select Board meeting. The final budget was reached after accounting for new state aid, making adjustments to prior savings on food service benefits, and reducing the previously voted reduction to the Brookline Building department’s school repairs and maintenance account. The FY26 budget gap at the start of the meeting stood at $1,943,064. The School Committee voted to allocate $1,943,064 of out-of-district tuition expenses in the FY26 operating budget to the Circuit Breaker Revolving Fund, closing the projected gap. Mr. Carey reported that the Select Board has authorized the creation of a stabilization fund in FY26, with $970,000 in funding originally earmarked to launch a capital improvement project at Lincoln School. These funds will be set aside for school department operating budget use, as needed, in FY26. The $970,000 will reduce the overall reliance on the Circuit Breaker funding for the full budget deficit amount.

The School Committee expressed their appreciation to Mr. Carey, the Select Board, and the Town School Partnership Committee for their support and partnership during this critical process.

The School Committee held a First Reading of a proposed new policy that will guide the scope and use of exterior surveillance cameras in the school district. BHS Assistant Head of School Hal Mason joined the meeting to discuss a proposal for exterior cameras at Brookline High School that he previously shared with the Capital Subcommittee on January 22, and with the Policy Subcommittee on March 3 (start at the 37:11 minute mark) and on April 7. A date for the second reading and possible vote of this policy has not yet been set.

The School Committee’s upcoming regular meetings are scheduled for:

• Thursday, May 15, 6:00pm*

• Thursday, May 22, 6:00pm

• Thursday, June 5, 6:00pm**

• Thursday, June 12, 6:00pm

*This is the School Committee’s annual reorganization meeting following the May 6 Town Election.

**The June 5 meeting will feature a reception (starting at 5:30) to honor staff members who have served the school district for 30 years!

The schedule of all School Committee meetings is available on the Town's agenda center. As each meeting approaches, the agenda and supporting documents are uploaded. Meeting agendas will always include the time, location, method of remote access, and (for regular meetings) details for public comment.

If you would like to receive meeting agendas as soon as they are publicly available, sign-up through the Town’s Agenda Center. Click the “subscriptions” button and toggle the School Committee option. You can use this feature to receive meeting notices for any of the Town’s public boards and commissions.

The Brookline School Committee has six active subcommittees. Here is a snapshot of upcoming subcommittee meetings.

• Finance Subcommittee Meeting: Wednesday, May 14, 5:00pm, Zoom

• Policy Subcommittee Meeting: Monday, May 19, 5:00pm, Zoom

• Capital Subcommittee Meeting: Wednesday, May 21, 4:00pm, Zoom

• Curriculum Subcommittee Meeting: Tuesday, May 27, 4:00pm. Town Hall and Zoom

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Subcommittee Meeting: Wednesday, May 28, 5:00pm, Zoom

Please note that some of these subcommittee meeting dates and/or times may change following the School Committee’s May 15 annual reorganization meeting. For the most current agendas and meeting documents, check the Town’s agenda center.