School Committee rejects $300,000 budget cut
Wakefield School Committee declined to cut $300,000 from its fiscal 2027 budget, sending its original plan to town meeting intact. Member Peter Davis said the roughly $58 million budget has "no fudge factor" to absorb the Finance Committee's requested reduction without layoffs.
School Committee · Meeting of April 29, 2026
Wakefield School Committee declined to cut $300,000 from its fiscal 2027 budget, sending its original plan to town meeting intact. Member Peter Davis said the roughly $58 million budget has "no fudge factor" to absorb the Finance Committee's requested reduction without layoffs. Chairman Kevin Fontanella, absent and represented by a written statement read into the record, noted the committee had already voted 7-0 to approve the level-service budget and cited $282,000 in revolving account offsets already used to avoid asking the town for more money.
Vice Chair Stephen Ingalls said the budget is "level" in the fullest sense, warning cuts now would cost more to restore later. School Business Administrator Christine Bufagna said the district covers more than $1 million in costs through revolving funds. Town meeting votes on the budget Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Galvin.
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Source: the School Committee meeting of April 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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