Halifax School Committee approves $8.16 million FY27 budget in unanimous vote

HALIFAX — March 23, 2026 — Halifax School Committee unanimously approved an $8.16 million fiscal year 2027 operating budget, choosing the level-service figure over the state-mandated minimum after administration warned that any lower amount would trigger potential loss of state aid and Attorney General enforcement. The 3-0 vote on March 23 sets the Halifax appropriation at $8,157,387 — a 1.54 percent increase over fiscal year 2026 — with total anticipated expenditures of $8,582,003 including a $324,615 circuit breaker reimbursement and $100,000 in grant and revolving account funds. Director of Finance and Operations Stefani Hatton told the committee that a town-requested $800,000 reduction would eliminate roughly 10 teachers and produce class sizes as high as 40 in sixth grade, a figure the school's physical classrooms cannot accommodate. Halifax Select Board Chair Jonathan Siebert appeared in public comment to disclose that the board had unanimously voted to place a $1.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override question on the spring ballot. The committee deferred decisions on charging bus fees and a proposed paid full-day kindergarten option to its April 27 meeting, with Chair Lauren Curley absent and committee members citing the need for further analysis on participation rates and equity concerns.