Winchester panels review $3.2 million in school budget cuts
Other Committee · Meeting of April 16, 2026
Winchester panels review $3.2 million in school budget cuts after override fails. Meeting jointly at Winchester High School, the School Committee, Select Board and Finance Committee heard Superintendent Frank Hackett detail 32.5 full-time position eliminations needed to hold school budget growth to 5 percent, down from a 6.46 percent increase in FY26. Finance Committee Chair Derek Ross opened by stressing his board is "not an administrative body" with no final budget authority.
Cuts include nine central-office positions worth $878,000 and 15.5 elementary positions worth $1.1 million, while a roughly $300,000 athletics deficit remains unaddressed. Officials said only two of the 32.5 eliminated positions are currently vacant, and school costs have grown 40 percent over a decade, from $50 million to $70.4 million, as enrollment fell 270 students. The budget goes before a May 4 town meeting.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 783 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of April 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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