Framingham Joint City Council, School Committee & CIFOC FY27 Budget Meeting

This summary uses the provided meeting timestamp, December 31, 2025; the transcript's opening line references Tuesday, December 30, 2025. The joint budget meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM and adjourned at 8:19 PM. Presenters from the mayor's office and the school department gave initial FY27 revenue and expenditure outlooks, followed by questions from elected officials and public comment.

Presentations

• The mayor's office said the meeting was required by the charter's new joint-budget process. The city CFO was not in attendance, and the mayor's office stated the CFO position would be vacant as of January 1; no acting CFO has been named.
• COO Mike DeCeno reported strong FY25 operating results: local receipts exceeded estimates by $4.9 million, expenditure turnback totaled $7.9 million (about 2 percent of the budget), and the general fund balance increased by approximately $5 million.
• DeCeno presented preliminary FY27 revenue assumptions: an estimated tax levy increase of about $6.875 million from the 2.5 percent increase plus new growth, producing a levy of roughly $240.6 million; state aid categories totaling roughly $421,000 in increases, with total estimated state aid rising from about $372 million to $380 million; and a health insurance cost increase of about $6.5 million, with GIC increases averaging around 10 percent and a preliminary city estimate near 14 percent.
• Other expenditure changes highlighted included $3.7 million in salaries and wages, a $161,000 increase in the salary reserve, a $438,000 increase in debt service, and no change to snow and ice. The city-side spreadsheet did not yet include school or Keefe Tech totals. DeCeno said the city may need to move from level-service to level-funded budgets and must present a balanced budget by March 2.
• Lincoln Lynch, the school department's executive director of finance and operations, presented a FY27 school budget request that is 8.26 percent above FY26, or over $15 million, before reductions.
• Lynch identified six budget drivers: personnel at 78.72 percent of the budget, over $156 million; special education tuition and transportation totaling $32.6 million; in-house busing at $7.7 million plus $1.5 million for McKinney-Vento transportation; assumed cuts to federal Title I, II, III, and IV funding totaling over $1.2 million; a $4.3 million utility increase; and pre-K expansion costing over $1.4 million.
• Lynch said enrollment is down over 690 students from last year, with the October 1 count down 640 students. He projected the district will be a minimum Chapter 70 aid district, with the minimum $30-per-pupil increase adding about $268,000, and a possible return to $150 per pupil adding about $1 million more.
• Lynch said that with a $7 million city contribution assumption, the district faces an $8.1 million gap. The current internal plan closes about $1.3 million through expense reductions and about $6.8 million through staff reductions, equivalent to over 105 full-time employees.

Discussion Items

• School Committee member Ms. Bosch asked about the reduction plan; Lynch said the plan reduces expenses by $1.9 million and salaries by more than $6.8 million, affecting over 105 FTE. A school committee member noted the district's budget timeline: January 7 hearing, January 21 continued discussion, February 4 budget vote, and budget due to the mayor on February 8. This conflicts with the mayor's office statement that the school budget is due February 10.
• Councilor Bryant asked about in-house busing; Lynch said the goal is to be fully staffed with 77 drivers, that gas price increases are driving utility costs, and that staff reduction discussions have been internal only. He said he has not been able to pinpoint the cause of enrollment decline.
• CIFOC member Bill McCarthy noted CIFOC had only received the information in the last few days and he was speaking personally. He said the proposed $15 million increase is unsustainable, that the district should have made cuts in the current year given 640 fewer students since October 1, and that presenting an $8.1 million cut from what he called an already inflated budget was disingenuous. A school committee member responded that the budget contains no new positions and that the increase comes from negotiated contract obligations, not 'fluff.'
• School Committee member Freudberg said in-house busing is $689,138 less than the vendor model and should be a source of pride. He said enrollment declines should be managed over three to five years, argued against laying off 105 people in one year, and noted the collective bargaining increase for FY27 is $9.3 million, asking why the city's school budget target was not set at that amount. He also asked the city to consider new revenue or stabilization funds and said over two-thirds of students live south of Route 9, where there are fewer schools.
• Councilor Wood calculated that a roughly $405 million all-in budget against $380 million in revenue would produce about a $25 million deficit even after $6.8 million in school staff cuts. The mayor acknowledged the gap and listed options including exceeding the 2.5 percent levy limit, increasing employee health insurance contributions, and using free cash, while noting state aid remains uncertain until the governor's late-January budget.
• CIFOC member Dan Duby asked whether in-house busing has improved attendance and whether salary-increase reductions could be negotiated instead of layoffs. Lynch said he did not have attendance numbers at hand but could provide them.
• School Committee member Maskell spoke strongly against raising employee health care co-pays, saying the change would force her to make difficult choices between medical care, medication, and rent, and would affect many families.
• Councilor Cannon said the meeting was not very actionable while revenue estimates are unreliable, raised concerns about recent accounting issues and the absence of the CFO, and asked for multi-year forecasting and more reliable numbers. A city councilor also cited the charter change adding a 'highly transparent' budget process, called for earlier document posting and engagement with legislators, and asked for better data on free cash and new growth.
• Member-elect Lewis asked about timing; Lynch said Chapter 70 numbers arrive in late January, estimated additional revenue is between $268,000 and $1.3 million, and that timely layoff decisions are important so affected staff can find other positions.
• In closing, the school committee chair said enrollment declines are spread across the city and not as simple as closing one school, and that the district budgeted in good faith for its contract obligations.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mary Breen of 52 Arthur Street asked the city to increase funding for additional traffic safety officers, citing faster response times, greater presence in high-risk areas, and long-term savings from preventing accidents.
• Gina Frank of 49 Warren Road said the large budget gap is concerning, that she has seen decreased city services since 2021, and that the central question is who pays. She quoted a school committee member's saying that 'no matter what you do, someone pays,' said she supports making those who can afford it pay more, and asked that children and those who cannot afford increases be protected.
• A remote commenter, Mr. Bloomfield, said homeowners are already feeling property tax pain, warned of possible increases above 2.5 percent, criticized the lack of a visible five-year plan, said CIFOC has been underutilized, and asked for stronger Beacon Hill advocacy, including action on SNAP verification and the state auditor's authority. He also raised concerns about MetroWest Medical Center's D grade.
• Herb Chase asked two questions: what savings resulted from having 690 fewer students, and why the city's target number for the school budget was not higher given collective bargaining obligations.
• Donna Kilcoin Orthofer emphasized the need for transparency, coordination, audits, and protecting the city's bond rating. She described an elderly neighbor who lost a home to property tax foreclosure, and asked officials to respect different perspectives across ages and incomes.

Key Outcomes

• No budget votes were taken; the meeting was informational and the first joint budget session under the amended charter.
• The school committee's announced schedule is a January 7 budget hearing, January 21 continued discussion, and a February 4 budget vote, with the budget due to the mayor in early February; the date was stated as February 8 by one speaker and February 10 by the administration.
• The administration will continue refining revenue estimates, and the governor's late-January budget recommendation and Chapter 70 aid level will be critical inputs.
• The school department has prepared an internal reduction plan of over $6.8 million in staffing costs, over 105 FTE, but has not made it public and says it will be refined as revenue estimates improve.
• Options discussed for closing the gap included exceeding the 2.5 percent levy limit, increasing employee health insurance co-pays, using free cash or stabilization funds, and seeking more state and federal aid.
• Both the school committee and city council adjourned by roll-call vote, with the school committee adjourning at 8:19 PM.