School Board adopts FY2027 budget

posted on 1/16/2026

The School Board unanimously adopted the School Department's FY2027 budget at its regular meeting on Jan. 12, 2026. The adopted budget will be included in the overall city-wide budget that City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. will present to the City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

The School Department’s adopted budget totals $102,782,977, which includes an operating budget of $97,147,239 and a special revenue budget of $5,635,738. The amount raised by local property taxes to fund the adopted operating budget exceeds the school portion of the estimated tax-capped levy by $1,976,767, according to department documents.

Superintendent Christine Boston and Chief Financial Officer Michael Limanni will provide an overview of the School Department’s budget to the City Council at a workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. The public hearing on the education portion of the budget will be held at the City Council’s meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. The City Council is tentatively scheduled to adopt the city’s FY27 budget on April 1, 2026, with a budget adoption fallback date of Wednesday, April 8, 2026. City ordinance requires the budget to be adopted annually by April 15.

The School Department’s adopted budget does not cut any teaching positions, which Superintendent Boston said makes up about 70% of the department’s expenditures. It anticipates an increase of about $5.3 million in wages and benefits from new contracts with the school district’s three unions currently under negotiation. The budget also anticipates $160,022 increase in the facilities contract and $527,821 in special education transportation costs, among other budget drivers.

School Board members are hopeful that some of the budget line items will come in lower than currently estimated. School Board Secretary Craig Flynn noted that CFO Limanni used conservative estimates, with some expenditure numbers being reduced since the School Board began its review, as budget numbers firm. 

School Board Chair Robin Trefethen said the budget does not include any extras: only what is required by law or fills in gaps from reductions in federal and state funding. One requirement is funding a new full-time high school social studies teacher to meet new state graduation requirements for an additional social studies credit. The budget will also fund a Dover Adult Learning counselor, previously grant-funded.

The School Board began its budget review on Nov. 17, 2026, with a presentation from CFO Limanni and Superintendent Boston, followed by six budget workshops leading up to the Jan. 12 budget adoption. Video recordings of the budget discussions and related documents are posted on the city’s FY2027 Budget Revealed online resource.