The School Committee discusses the proposed FY26 school budget during its June 18 meeting.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — The School Committee approved an approximately $133.8 million fiscal year 2026 school budget during its June 18 meeting, an increase of $5.1 million from FY25.
The School Committee last discussed the FY26 proposed budget during its meeting on May 21, when Chicopee School’s Budget and Finance Director John Miarecki gave a presentation on the budget breakdown.
The FY26 budget is approximately $133.8 million, which is an increase from FY25, where the budget was approximately $128 million.
Miarecki was at the June 18 meeting to go over a few changes to the budget that have taken place since May 21.
The FY26 budget breakdown included salaries, budgets, Chapter 70 funding, city contributions, cost of transportation, circuit breaker, school choice and the education stabilization fund.
The changes from May 21 to June 18 included a $453,000 increase in salaries and expenses decreased by $492,000.
Chapter 70 funding is set to increase by approximately $6.5 million from FY25 to a total of $100 million, and city contribution is also set to increase by $1.3 million, for a total of $36.4 million, which represents a total contribution of $136 million.
Miarecki explained that the original figure listed for transportation costs was an estimation because the Chicopee School District went out to bid for services. The bid recently came back, and Miarecki said the bid came in a little higher than they expected at a 5% increase.
The school district is still in contract negotiations with Van Pool for special education transportation.
The reduction of positions presented in the budget may not mean layoffs as last year, Chicopee school administration moved to a more “needs based” budget which focuses on potentially reorganizing positions to accommodate what is needed in each building.
At a previous finance and budget subcommittee meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Accountability Jennifer Bellville stated that even if the presentation says “reduction” of a position in a certain building, it may do with the reorganization of a specific program or needs throughout the district and may not mean that a person is being fired.
It could also mean that a position was never filled and was removed, or others were able to fill another position needed in the district.
Superintendent Dr. Marcus Ware said the only pink slips given out were to those who had certification issues and not because of budget cuts.
The School Committee approved the FY26 budget request for approximately $131.6 million by a vote of 7-3.
Now that the FY26 school budget is approved by the School Committee, the budget was sent to the City Council for final approval in June.
In a press release from the city about the FY26 operating budget, the school budget reflected the minimum net school spending requirement of about $123.6 and the cost of the lease for the school administration building for $280,000, which is separate from the net school spending equation.
Mayor John Vieau talked about the construction of the school budget and said, “I commend our school Superintendent Dr. Marcus Ware for his difficult task of being creative about how to still deliver top tier education to our students while also dealing with the reality that ESSER funds are gone. Dr. Ware, myself and our mutual finance teams also recognize that the current Federal Administration has taken and may continue to take away funding that we have relied on in the past.”
