Dear APS families and staff,
At the December 12th School Committee meeting, I presented the district’s preliminary budget for FY26, marking the start of our budget development process and the beginning of discussions around recommendations. The goal with any budget is to ensure that we provide our students and families with the resources they need to achieve the best possible outcomes, all while operating within the financial constraints we face.
The fiscal challenges we encountered last year are not isolated to one year. We will continue to face budgetary pressures in FY26 and beyond. Key factors contributing to these challenges include the rising costs of transportation, salaries, special education programming, and utilities.
Budgets are complex and not always easy to digest in bite-sized pieces. Projected data on which we rely, such as state aid, enrollment, staffing, special education out-of-district tuitions, can take months to review, adjust, and refine to ensure that we are working with accurate and responsible information. As we move forward in this process, it is essential that we continue to work together as a community to navigate the realities of a budget deficit.
I am deeply appreciative of the feedback from our Budget Advisory Council (BAC). The BAC’s valuable contributions and insights into community priorities help guide our efforts to ensure we are making informed decisions on behalf of our students.
To help our community stay informed, I want to share some important upcoming dates where you can gather more information:
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - District departments will present their budget proposals.
Thursday, January 23, 2025 - The School Committee will hold a preliminary vote on the FY26 budget allocation in relation to the overall town’s FY26 budget.
Thursday, March 6, 2025 - The School Committee will hold a public hearing. Following the hearing, the School Committee will vote on the School Department budget.
Saturday, March 8, 2025 - The Superintendent will share the FY26 budget approved by the School Committee to the Town of Andover’s Select Board and Finance Committees at the Tri-Board meeting.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - The school budget will be presented as part of the total town budget for a vote at the annual town meeting.
I encourage the community to visit our budget webpage, where you can find detailed information and updates to better understand the process and the decisions we are making. I appreciate your continued support as we work together to address our budget challenges, while being steadfast in our mission of preparing students for success through high-quality instruction and meaningful educational opportunities.
Sincerely,
Dr. Magda Parvey
Superintendent