Kingston School Committee Approves FY26 Budget Without Override
Emergency shelter funds and anticipated reimbursements help close $1.4 million gap
KINGSTON - March 3 - The Kingston School Committee unanimously approves a level service budget for fiscal year 2026 without requiring a tax override, utilizing emergency shelter funds and anticipated reimbursements to cover expenses.
The committee voted Monday to approve a $15.6 million operating budget for Kingston Elementary and Kingston Intermediate schools, with additional funding sources bringing the total expenditure to nearly $17 million.
"We're not going to need an override to settle our budget tonight," said Committee Member Jeanne Coleman during the meeting.
The budget represents a 7.1% increase over the current fiscal year, higher than the town's initial 4% target but made possible through additional Chapter 70 state education funds and emergency shelter reimbursements.
Parents attending the meeting expressed relief at the news after weeks of concern about potential cuts to educational services.
"We are hopeful that we'll hear tonight that additional funds have been found," said Jackie Jovenangelo, a Kingston parent, at the start of the meeting. "We hope that moving forward, changes can be made regarding timelines for when the budgets are due in order to have more complete information at the right time."
Business Manager Sarah Hickey presented the budget details, explaining that the current budget is $17,056,596, which exceeds the amount approved by the Kingston Select Board by approximately $1.46 million.
To close this gap, the committee approved using $255,110 in existing emergency shelter funds already received by the town, plus an anticipated $341,127 from future shelter reimbursements. These funds come from the state to compensate districts for educating students temporarily housed at emergency shelters.
"In the letter that comes to us from the state, it says that the funds are allowed to be carried over," Hickey explained regarding the shelter funds.
The committee also removed a previously approved English Language teacher position from the budget, saving an additional $65,000, after learning that shelter students are expected to be relocated by August.
Committee Chair Megan Cannon noted that without including that position, "there should be about $150,000 left if we were to use all the available money that we're looking at."
Superintendent Jill Proulx clarified that the budget maintains current services rather than simply maintaining funding levels.
"What we have presented is a level services budget, not a level funded budget," Proulx said. "A level funded budget, if you were to advocate for that, would actually result in reductions in force."
Committee members acknowledged that using one-time revenue sources creates challenges for future budgets.
"We're going to have $800,000 that we need to come up with for next year's budget," said Committee Member Michael Shekane. "We need to be aware that this is a huge hole for next year. We're just kicking the can down the road."
Coleman emphasized that Kingston is not alone in its budget challenges.
"We're not in a unique situation," Coleman said. "Duxbury is looking at about a $5.8 million education override and deficit this year. Hanson is also looking at an override."
Several parents attended the meeting to show support for the schools and express appreciation for the committee's work to maintain educational services.
"The community is rallying in support of the school budget and we will continue to do so," said Barbara Gilday, a Kingston parent. "This school board understands the importance of investing in our schools. This school board understands that it's short-sighted to underfund education."
Amanda Robbins, another parent, thanked the committee "for your support and all that you've been doing to move this budget forward and get us the things that we need for our kids to have the most effective education."
The total cost of education for Kingston, including both the elementary schools and the town's assessment for Silver Lake Regional School District, will be $32,770,590 for FY26, representing a 4.7% increase over the current year.
The committee and parents also discussed the need to improve the budget timeline, as state funding numbers often aren't available until late January, creating challenges for budget planning.
"Our budgets are incomplete if we don't even know what the state numbers are," Coleman said. "Last year, if everyone remembers, our budgets went into a tailspin at the end of January when the state numbers were released, like 4% lower than what we were anticipating."
Other business discussed at the meeting included:
• Approval of school committee meeting dates for the 2025-2026 school year
• Updates on professional development initiatives, including math curriculum review
• Reports from Kingston Elementary and Intermediate School principals on upcoming events
• Approval of a Girl Scouts flyer distribution
• Discussion of a proposed policy change regarding flyer distribution in schools
• Approval of a sixth-grade field trip to Bridgewater State University Observatory
The Kingston Teachers Association expressed gratitude for the budget resolution.
"The KTA would like to thank administration, town leadership, school committee, and all the families working hard to secure a level service budget that will meet the needs of our students," said Kristen Pishkin, co-president of the Kingston Teachers Association. "A lot of teachers were very worried what their classrooms would look like and their jobs would look like next year."