School Committee Meets Sisitsky’s Number, Finalizes Budget Request

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham School Committee has finalized their annual budget request, matching what Mayor Charlie Sisitsky had included in his proposal for the 2026 fiscal year.

For weeks, local officials have been in discussions regarding the upcoming budget allocation for Framingham Public Schools (FPS). Sisitsky’s budget proposal featured about $183.1 million for local schools, while education leaders had gotten their request down to around $184.5 million following extensive analysis of their line items.

Still, that had left a roughly $1.5 million gap between what FPS officials were requesting and what Sisitsky was prepared to include in the final budget, as local education leaders have emphasized that they’ve been looking to minimize the impact on student-facing positions that any reduction to their pitch might poise.

During the City Council Finance Subcommittee’s meeting on Thursday, May 15, At-Large City Councilor George King asked FPS officials to swiftly come to a conclusion to their budget analysis in order to find a solution to the gap problem. He pointed out that the school district is set to receive a raise of $10.5 million—or just over 6%—in FY26 compared to FY25 through Sisitsky’s proposal.

“It’s not like (the school) budget has been cut at all…At 6.5%, I have to have faith that you guys can make this work and not cut student-facing services,” King said on May 15.

King added his belief that the continued deliberation between School Committee members had made it difficult for the Finance Subcommittee to make their budget recommendation to the full City Council. FPS Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay, though, contended that it’s vital to review any cuts to their budget request thoroughly, as all education positions could be considered student-facing.

“The argument could be made for any position, probably, in the organization,” Tremblay continued during the Finance Subcommittee’s meeting.

“The question is: which positions—if any—does the School Committee wish to reduce to close the gap?”

Eventually, King suggested on May 15 that the Finance Subcommittee should inform the full City Council that they would not be able to make a full recommendation without the submission of the School Committee’s final budget request. During the body’s full meeting on Tuesday, May 20, the City Council tabled the Finance Subcommittee’s full budget recommendation to June 3.

In the meantime, the School Committee met on Wednesday, May 21, to continue their work in bridging that roughly $1.5 million gap. Executive Director of Finance and Operations for FPS Lincoln Lynch noted that the work to do so was nearly complete, as additional reductions to their proposal were outlined. Most people with impacted positions in the latest round of cutbacks would be offered other roles in the district, according to Lynch, while other positions would result in direct layoffs.

“We talk about the human factor, and I think it’s real, and I think the earlier we’re able to let people know the better,” Lynch said at the Memorial Building on Wednesday.

“It’s a tough situation, no doubt about it; we have tough decisions to make.”

Sisitsky told the School Committee that the only solution he sees to the situation, outside of the gap between FPS’ ask and his proposal being bridged, would be convincing City Council members to approve of an increase to the local tax levy capacity beyond 2.5%. However, the mayor added that he doesn’t “sense that there’s an appetite” for local legislators to do so.

The newly-trimmed budget request includes cuts to early childhood alliance staffing, wraparound coordinators, the instructional coaches unit—as nine of those coaches would be shifted to another title—and additional salaries.

The School Committee moved to retain $130,000 in funding for the salary of a vacant Equity Director position within their budget request. To compensate for those dollars and to reach Sisitsky’s figure of approximately $183.1 million, the body approved of a $130,000 reduction to their electric utilities line item. While that final budget request was ultimately approved to be passed along to the Finance Subcommittee, Lynch explained that the school district could face the risk of having to address those utility shortages down the line—with the possibility of a discussion regarding a supplemental budget being one of the consequences.

After the Finance Subcommittee makes their final recommendations to the City Council, the full body will begin deliberations prior to their final say regarding the municipal budget for fiscal year 2026.