CLARKSBURG, Mass. — School officials have shaved $90,000 out their $3 million budget for fiscal 2026. 

 

The reductions bring the total budget to $3,093,756, a 4.26 percent, or $126,346, increase over this year. 

 

The cuts include a reduction in hours in the school for the dean of students, cutting the tuition to Drury High by a third, imposing tuition for 4-year-olds in prekindergarten and trimming supplies and training. 

 

Town officials had pushed for the school to cut back from an anticipated 7 percent increase. That's frustrated school officials who point out the operating budget is only going up by 0.67 percent but covering nearly $200,000 for retirees' insurance and FICA is responsible for the hike.  

 

The Select Board was nominally supportive of the amended budget presented at Monday's joint meeting of the School Committee, Select Board and Finance Committee but held off on endorsing it until the town budget is presented next week. 

 

"I appreciate your hard work going down. We don't have the town budget ready yet, so I'm not sure if we're in trouble," said Select Board Chair Robert Norcross. "I'm not sure if I can be in favor of this if we have to cut some more. So we are going to work on that."

 

Assistant Superintendent Tara Barnes had outlined two possible options in mid-April how to get the spending plan down to 2 percent or 4 percent; the latter called for about $90,000 in cuts and reduction in positions.