Lincoln-Sudbury committee opts out of school choice, advances $39.5M FY26 budget

SUDBURY -- January 28, 2025, Lincoln-Sudbury committee advances $39.5M FY26 budget and votes unanimously to decline school choice. Director of Finance Kirsteen Patterson presented a $39,506,909 spending plan at 2.99 percent over fiscal 2025, meeting Sudbury's 3 percent guidance and Lincoln's 2.5 percent, with out-of-district tuition down 31 percent and non-MTRS pension contributions up roughly $130,000. The district directly receives $448,059 in federal funding, including about $380,000 supporting IDEA-grant FTEs; "if that were to go away next year, we would be in a critical mode," Patterson told members. Superintendent Andrew Stephens recommended declining school choice given the $5,000 statutory reimbursement against a per-pupil cost above $15,000, and the committee voted six to zero against participating. Members also unanimously approved the 2024 Town Report and an Outdoor Club overnight trip with eight students to Mount Moosilauke on Feb. 28.