LS school committee receives $38.4 million FY25 budget proposal

SUDBURY -- December 5, 2023, Lincoln-Sudbury unveils $38.4M FY25 budget with 3.4 percent increase and eye on 2026 debt cliff. Superintendent-Principal Andrew Stevens and Business Administrator Christine Patterson presented the $38,357,107 preliminary budget to the Regional School Committee on Dec. 5, falling between Lincoln's 2.5 percent and Sudbury's 3.8 percent guidance. The package adds 0.25 FTE each in math and science from existing staff, a 0.25 FTE substance interventionist for vaping and alcohol intervention, and 2.0 FTE special education teaching assistants for incoming eighth-graders. Patterson assumed a 10 percent Harvard Pilgrim premium increase and a level-funded $3.05 million circuit breaker offset, holding the assessment to $33,799,208, split 12.69 percent Lincoln and 87.31 percent Sudbury. A separately requested $397,145 capital package includes a Wi-Fi upgrade reduced from $200,000 to a net $81,545 after federal E-rate credit. Stevens called the staffing adds "not a panacea" for scheduling pressures.