Uxbridge Public Schools

FY2027 Proposed Budget: Public Hearing Recap

Last evening, the Uxbridge School Committee held its public hearing on the proposed FY2027 school budget. Thank you to the community members, staff, and municipal officials who attended and participated in this important step in our budget process.

I want to take this opportunity to share a summary of the proposed budget and provide access to the materials presented. Transparency and community engagement are central to how we approach this work, and I encourage anyone with questions to reach out to our office.

What We Presented

The FY2027 proposed budget totals $31,729,888, representing a request of approximately a 2.5% increase in town-appropriated funds. It is important to understand what that number means in context: our actual operating costs have decreased approximately 3% compared to FY2026. The district achieved $443,584 in strategic reductions across all buildings, guided by core principles of protecting classroom instruction, using data-driven decision-making, and prioritizing attrition. While we have worked hard to minimize the impact on staffing, there are proposed reductions that include retirements not being replaced, position restructuring, and redistribution of resources. These proposals could change as the budget process continues, but represent the current plan to bring the budget into balance.

The increase in the town appropriation is driven by a combination of rising (fixed) costs and by declining revenue offsets. School Choice revenue, Circuit Breaker reimbursements, and competitive grant funding have all decreased, which means the town must fill a larger share of a budget that is actually smaller than last year’s. We have also made a deliberate fiscal decision to fund staff positions through sustainable town appropriation rather than unpredictable grant funding. This is responsible budgeting — it protects the long-term stability of the positions that serve our students every day.

Six Strategic Budget Priorities

This budget is guided by six data-driven priorities that align directly with our District Strategic Objectives:

1. K–12 Literacy — Addressing critical MCAS performance gaps, including a Grade 5 ELA proficiency rate of just 24%
2. Individual Student Needs — Meeting our obligations under IDEA and our DESE “Needs Assistance” determination for special education, along with social-emotional and behavioral supports
3. Staffing and Compensation — Retaining quality educators in a competitive regional labor market
4. Class Size and Student Retention (Grades 8–10) — Managing capacity pressures and keeping Uxbridge students in Uxbridge schools
5. Professional Development — Supporting NEASC accreditation preparation and new curriculum implementation
6. Aging Facilities — Addressing infrastructure needs at Taft Early Learning Center and Whitin Intermediate School

Budget Materials and Recordings

For full details, I encourage you to review the following materials and recordings:

FY2027 Budget Proposal — School Committee Meeting (February 3, 2026)

Watch the full recording of the initial budget proposal presentation to the School Committee on Uxbridge TV.

FY2027 Budget Public Hearing — School Committee Meeting (February 10, 2026)

Watch the full recording of last evening’s public hearing on the proposed FY2027 budget.

FY2027 Budget Presentation Slides

The slide deck presented to the School Committee on February 3, 2026 and referenced again during the public hearing on February 10, 2026, including our budget overview, revenue analysis, strategic reductions by building, MCAS achievement data, DESE accountability context, and the complete budget timeline.

Paraeducator Staffing and Support Model — Informational Slide Deck

This supplemental memo and slide deck provides a deep dive into why we have 45 paraeducators at Taft Early Learning Center and what their roles are in supporting students and classrooms. It details our staffing model across all buildings, including the programmatic rationale for support in our PreK and Kindergarten classrooms, staffing breakdowns by building, cost data, and our approach to supporting students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. This deck was provided to the School Committee and is available for public review.

What Comes Next

The School Committee is scheduled to vote on their recommended budget amount on February 24, 2026. This vote will establish the total dollar figure for the FY2027 school budget. The line item budget will continue to be discussed and debated in upcoming School Committee meetings as part of the ongoing budget process. The approved budget will then be presented to the Town of Uxbridge for consideration at the annual Town Meeting.

As always, I welcome your questions, feedback, and engagement throughout this process. Please do not hesitate to contact me or the Superintendent’s Office.

Respectfully,

David Ljungberg, M.Ed.

Superintendent of Schools

Uxbridge Public Schools