Belmont Superintendent's Blog

Hello Belmont Families!

As we approach the end of another year, I would like to take a moment to express my appreciation for your support and dedication to the growth and development of our students. This holiday season is an opportunity to reflect on our challenges, celebrate our successes, and to look forward to the possibilities that lie ahead.

As part of my ongoing entry planning process, I have been hearing input and gathering information about our school system and community. I am grateful for the warm welcome I have received from families, students, and staff, and for the time the community has spent helping me better understand Belmont. This process has been a critical step in my taking on the role of leading the Belmont Public Schools and shaping its future.

This past week, I presented my Superintendent Report of Entry Findings to the School Committee. The report outlines emerging themes, providing a picture of where we currently stand as a school system, identifying our strengths as well as areas for potential growth and improvements. Indeed, Belmont Public Schools is an exceptional school system with a high level of commitment from the community to ensure we are providing the best possible educational experience for all of our students. As I continue my work leading the district, my goal is to build on these strengths and leverage the opportunities to address the areas that need attention.

Our resources are shaped by the budget process and are central to the work of strengthening our schools for our students. Over the past months, much work has been done regarding the budget. On November 14, we presented draft 1 of each of the three budgets: FY25 Level Service, Override, and Non-override budgets, - and then followed-up with a community forum on November 16. During both of those conversations, we received very helpful feedback from the community regarding the budget drafts.

The November 30 Summit meeting with the School Committee, Select Board, Warrant Committee, and Capital Planning Committee, focused specifically on the draft FY25 Override budget, which included a multi-year resource map, identifying needed resources in FY25, FY26 and FY27. The resources on that map are informed by the results of my Report of Entry Findings.

After revising the FY25 Override budget to provide more information to show the rationale for the resource additions, we presented the latest draft of that FY25 Override budget to the School Committee on December 5.

At the December 19 School Committee meeting, as well as the December 20 Summit IV, we then presented draft 2 of the FY25 Non-override budget, which includes scenarios based on the Non-Override Budget Methodology tiers of reduction, as well as considerations for FY26 if there continues to be limited revenue without an override. I will be presenting one scenario for reductions for the School Committee in January.

During January there will be further work on the drafts of all of the budgets, including meetings that will shape the amount of revenue reflected in both the override and non-override scenarios.

The grid shows a list of the upcoming budget discussions. I will continue to keep you informed and provide updates on the ongoing conversations that are taking place regarding the FY25 budget.