Newburyport Schools Project $3.3 Million Special Education Cost Surge in FY27 Budget

NEWBURYPORT — February 11, 2026 — Newburyport School Committee receives FY27 budget outlook showing a $3.3 million surge in special education spending. Business Manager Ethan Manning presented a level-of-service budget requiring a city appropriation of $42,500,057 — up 8.7 percent over FY26 — with out-of-district special education placements nearly doubling from $2.3 million to nearly $5 million as the projected number of students placed outside the district rises from 27 to 34. Non-personnel special education costs alone are up 69.4 percent. The district plans to apply in March for state "extraordinary relief" reimbursement, which could return some funds before fiscal year-end. Superintendent Sean Gallagher cautioned that health insurance costs and federal funding uncertainty add further pressure, telling the committee, "There are just some circumstances that are a little bit more challenging." The committee also unanimously approved an eight-night Spanish language immersion trip to Seville, Spain, in February 2027, at an estimated cost of $3,500 per student. The preliminary budget with cost-reduction scenarios comes back March 11; the committee must adopt a final FY27 budget by April 29.