The Marion School Committee met on March 18 in Sippican School for a Public Budget Hearing as the town continues preparations for Fiscal Year 2027. All school committee members were present, along with Superintendent Michael Nelson, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Sharlene Fedorowicz, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Jamie Curly, Sippican Principal Lynn Dessert, Assistant Principal of Sippican School Gregory Thomas, and Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Melissa Wilcox. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howard Barber attended virtually via Zoom.
The first agenda item for the committee and school administration to tackle was the FY27 budget for Sippican School Public Hearing. “We are in a place where we have done quite a bit of work to get to this point regarding the Sippican Elementary school budget,” Superintendent Nelson began. Assistant Superintendent Barber gave a presentation on the process by which the proposed FY27 budget has been developed. First, Barber explained the “core values” used in ascertaining the budget priorities. They were listed as:
“THINK: Cultivate a culture of academic rigor and integrity which encourages critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and effective communication. LEARN: Strive for academic excellence in educating the whole child through authentic, rigorous and evidence-based learning opportunities that foster real world application and a continuous pursuit of learning. CARE: Ensure a caring and safe environment for all school community members by promoting a sense of belonging and respect for all.”
Barber noted the important steps in developing the budget, noting the importance of this public hearing in the process as it pertains to review and revision.
First, he noted “funding offsets,” or funds obtained through grants or other revenue streams that can be deducted from the town’s contribution to the budget. He noted Sippican School as receiving $105,225 in funding offsets, with Student Services having $215,582 and Facilities having $25,000 respectively. Most of these offsets are given through grants by the state, but others come from the $30,000 in Project Grow Grants or $25,000 in Sippican Building Rental.
Barber then spoke about the General Funds Proposed Operating Budget for Marion Public Schools. For budget amounts,
Sippican School: $5,083,459
Central Office: $254,591
Student Services: $1,173,256
Transportation: $805,525
Technology: $118,304
Facilities: $577,001
The total FY27 budget lies at $8,011,135. It was noted that the current year, FY26’s budget is $7,553,549, marking a $457,586 or 6.06% increase. The largest increases were from Sippican ($178,803 more than FY26), Student Services ($124,670 more than FY26), and Transportation ($84,943 more than FY26).
The assistant superintendent then spoke on the significant changes leading to the increase in costs. For Sippican itself, he noted a “reduction of two positions but we are adding one position in a different capacity. He said the loss of two regular education teachers led to an estimated $130,000 decrease, though he stated union-mandated step increases have led to higher costs, as well as a math interventionist cost estimated at $70,000
He noted the Student Services increases as being out-of-school placement costs and transportation being an increase in the contracted cost.
After the presentation and some discussion, the Marion School Committee approved the proposed FY27 Marion Public School Budget with a unanimous vote of approval.
The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for June 2.
Marion School Committee
By Sam Bishop