Beverly Schools FY26 Budget

The Beverly School Committee has begun planning for the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget (covering July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). Budget discussions will take place during School Committee meetings this spring. Your voice is needed! Find the meeting schedule and BevCam access here: Beverly Schools Budget Info

Why Does This Matter?

Recent data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) paints a sobering picture of Beverly’s current state. Beverly Public Schools are underperforming academically and showing limited growth, and we continue to fall behind in funding compared to most other Massachusetts school districts.

In fact, Beverly spends $4,007 less per student than the state average, creating a $18,332,025 funding deficit when benchmarked against the rest of the Commonwealth. This stark gap underscores the critical need for increased investment in our schools to help close these gaps and ensure all students have the resources they deserve.

As it stands, the majority of the promised funding increase from Mayor Cahill will go toward covering the new teachers' contract, leaving little to no flexibility for other critical needs. Just like families and businesses, our schools are feeling the effects of rising costs and inflation. This will make it difficult to sustain even a level services budget under normal annual cost increases.

Without additional funding, our schools will face deep, painful cuts. Since personnel makes up the largest portion of the budget, this will almost certainly mean reducing educators and staff, further exacerbating our already severe understaffing crisis – and ultimately, our students will pay the price.

The reality: Without more funding, our schools will be stretched beyond their limits. Who suffers the most? Our students.

Key Issues Affecting Beverly Schools:

✅ Larger class sizes, reducing individual student support and increasing teacher workload.

✅ Elimination of advanced courses in middle and high schools, limiting opportunities for students to challenge themselves academically.

✅ Fewer intervention services for students needing academic or behavioral support, leaving struggling learners without the help they need.

✅ Chronic underfunding, straining resources, staffing, and programming across all grade levels.

✅ Cuts to essential programs like arts, music, library services, and enrichment opportunities, depriving students of a well-rounded education.

✅ Limited mental health support, with too few counselors, social workers, and psychologists to meet the growing needs of students.

✅ Overworked and underpaid paraprofessionals, leading to staff shortages, classroom instability, and less support for students who need it most.

✅ Aging elementary school buildings and infrastructure, impacting learning conditions and school safety.

✅ Inadequate special education funding, placing additional stress on special education staff and families—resulting in inadequate instruction and support for our most vulnerable students.

✅ Increased reliance on temporary solutions like long-term substitutes and split classrooms due to staffing shortages, reducing consistency and quality of instruction.

✅ Outdated instructional materials and technology, making it harder for students and teachers to keep up with modern learning standards.

These issues directly impact the quality of education for every student in Beverly. Without additional funding, these challenges will only get worse. Our students deserve better!

How You Can Help:

📩 Email or call the Mayor, Superintendent, City Council, and School Committee members—your voice matters!

• Engage with your Ward representatives on the School Committee and City Council for targeted advocacy.
• Attend School Committee and Budget meetings to voice your concerns publicly.
• Spread the word: the more voices speaking up, the harder it is to ignore these urgent issues.

Beverly students deserve fully funded schools with the resources they need to succeed. Let’s demand action from our leaders – before it’s too late!