Norfolk School Committee Unanimously Approves 4.08 Percent FY27 Budget Increase

NORFOLK — March 10, 2026 — Norfolk School Committee unanimously approves a 4.08 percent FY27 budget increase while warning that one-time funds disguise a looming fiscal gap. The committee voted Tuesday to approve a $662,382 increase over the current year, driven largely by contractual salary obligations, a new paraprofessional contract costing $120,772, and enrollment-driven staffing additions at Freeman Kennedy School, which will open next fall with 610 students against a design capacity of 565. Superintendent Ingrid Alardi and business consultant Miriam Goodman disclosed that approximately $250,000 in remaining state reimbursement funds from Bay State Respite Shelter enrollments — part of a roughly $500,000 one-time payment — are being used to balance the budget, including a $170,000 Chromebook purchase that cannot be deferred because current third-grade devices cannot run the MCAS testing platform. Chair Lisa Sheldon noted plainly that the reliance on one-time funds "will lead to a significant shortfall as we enter fiscal [2028]." The committee also voted unanimously to again withdraw from the inter-district school choice program, citing overcrowding and a state reimbursement rate of only $5,000 per accepted student, and entered executive session to consider a tentative paraprofessional contract agreement with the Norfolk Teachers Association.