Article 64 School Budget Presentation¶

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Arlington Public Schools

School Committee’s FY27 Proposed

Budget to Town Meeting

May 6th, 2026

Dr. Elizabeth C. Homan, Superintendent

Mr. Christopher Schweitzer, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations

on behalf of the Arlington School Committee

FY27 Budget Priorities and Overview

- Centering budget decisions around our values: what’s best for students and the

district’s vision, mission, and priorities;

- Establishing equitable budget-building practices that interrogate system-level staffing

and resource models and prioritize system-wide efficiency over more siloed departmental

and school-based proposals;

- Gathering input across stakeholder groups to identify things that are core to the work

we are doing and that expand or replicate successful approaches to staffing and resource

allocation; and

- Establishing long-term sustainability for both staffing and operational costs,

including:

● A reduced 4% increase rate (was 4.5%), elimination of growth factor, and elimination

of FY27 strategic plan additions from prior LRP

● $1.8M in staffing reductions for FY27

● Seeking every opportunity possible to avoid and decrease additional costs

Empowering Learners

Every Day in APS

APS 10-Year Enrollment

Shifting Enrollments: From Elementary to

Secondary

An important factor in

budget planning over the

past several years is the

shift of student population

from the elementary schools

into the secondary schools

(Gibbs, OMS, and AHS).

School Decisions of Arlington Families

There has been more

than a 6% increase in

the percentage of

Arlington families

choosing APS over

other options in the past

two years, resulting in

less of a dropoff in

enrollment overall, and

more secondary

students than

anticipated or projected.

About Our Students

Focal Group Population Shifts

Since 2020:

High Needs: 26.5% to 29.5%

Low Income: 7.9% to 11.1%

Ss w/disabilities: 15.9% to 18%

Black/Hispanic: 9.2% to 11.7%

Multilingual Ss: 4.8% to 4.6%

LGBTQIA+: uncaptured

FY27 Reduction Criteria

1. Stay Strategic: Maintain a steadfast focus on the priorities and goals of the

APS Strategic Plan, which prioritizes that we...

2. Stay Student-Centered: Minimize the impact of reductions on the student

experience, so that we can…

3. Stay Strong: Distribute reductions throughout the system in order to…

4. Stay Sustainable: Preserve the long-term stability of programming through

sustainable reductions, which allows us to…

5. Stay Creative: Consider all options, and think outside the box.

FY27 Budget Salaries and Operations

Yes on Override

FY27 Town Allocation $107,775,899

FY26 Town Allocation

$103,630,672

$ Difference $4,145,227

% Difference 4.00%

4% SCHOOL INCREASE

$4,145,227 goes to:

SALARIES: $ 2,194,993

OPERATIONS: $ 1,950,234

01

02

Without staffing reductions and retirements,

salaries for FY27 would increase by

$4,173,225, leaving no room for operational

expense inflation. Retirements for FY27 are

helpful, contributing over $500,000 in savings.

Operational expenses have increased at a

higher rate than budgeted (~3%), necessitating

that additional resources go to both salaries

and operational accounts.

Revenue by Funding Sources

from FY22 to FY27 (in millions)

.

FY27 Transfer Categories

FY27 Change Summary

THANK YOU ARLINGTON!