Framingham City Council and School Committee Joint Finance Subcommittee Meeting - January 27, 2026
Framingham City Council and School Committee Joint Finance Subcommittee Meeting - January 27, 2026
This joint meeting of the City Council Finance Subcommittee and the School Committee Finance Subcommittee was held on January 27, 2026, at 5:02 PM to discuss revenues for FY27 and the Framingham Public Schools FY27 budget development. The meeting included public comment, detailed revenue projections, a presentation on the school budget gap, and motions to explore consolidation of city-school services and extend budget deadlines.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tiffany Maskell (District 7) expressed relief that arts, Mandarin, ESL positions were reinstated but noted 96 positions still proposed for cuts, mostly student-facing staff, and urged protecting those roles.
- Therese Actum Roberts (CPAC co-chair) highlighted that Framingham is rated "in need of intervention" for special education outcomes and that eliminating special education positions would harm vulnerable students and increase costly out-of-district placements.
- Bella Octamaroitz (Walsh Middle School student) spoke about her dyslexia and the importance of experienced teachers, Walsh drama program, and urged fully funding existing schools before building new ones.
- A speaker from the Framingham Public Schools community (not named) argued that the city has $26M in free cash, $22M in stabilization, and $41M in excess levy capacity, so staffing cuts are not unavoidable; called for correcting the local contribution.
- Shannon Pearson (elementary health teacher at Dunning Elementary) warned that cutting elementary health positions would push mental health support onto classroom teachers and harm students' readiness to learn.
- Alicia Goodwin (ESL department chair) described improved ESL outcomes at Fuller Middle School (doubled proficiency on WIDA access test) and urged keeping staff who contributed to that success.
- Jessica Villatoro (District 4) questioned why classroom teachers are laid off while central office administrators receive COLAs, and called for transparency and prioritizing schools.
- Herb Chasen urged using reserves to avoid permanent damage from teacher layoffs, noting that smaller class sizes are vital for disadvantaged students.
- Andy Creel (District 4) said running a school is a public service, not a business, and that cutting positions does not eliminate needs; urged using emergency funds.
- Randolph Randall asked to break the pattern of cutting the most vulnerable, suggesting right-sizing, tapping reserves, and collaborating with other agencies (Framingham State, parks, fire) for creative revenue.
- Kim Lee Manual (Fuller Middle School ELA teacher) asked the committees to work together on a budget that supports students and called for funding that reflects the community's values.
- Tara Whitehurst (DEI coach at Fuller) described her daily work with student councils, affinity groups, and lessons on microaggressions, emphasizing that DEI positions are essential for equity and student support.
Discussion Items
- Revenue Projections: City CFO Mr. Tosino and City Accountant Rich presented revenue estimates. Property tax growth (2.5% + new growth) is about $8M, state aid increase ~$500,000, total new revenue ~$9M. Free cash certified at $26M, but $10M must be used to maintain revenue level, and health insurance ($1M) and snow/ice deficits will reduce available funds. Councilor Stefanini requested line-by-line review.
- School Budget Development: Superintendent Dr. Tremblay and Executive Director of Finance Lincoln Lynch presented the school budget gap. Initially $15M increase request, then reduced to $9M gap. After community feedback, a revised proposal restored 1.2M in federal fund risk, reducing proposed cuts from 116 to 96.4 FTEs. The district lost ~700 students, prompting proportional staff reductions. Councilors criticized the starting $15M number as unrealistic and noted the narrative that city council cuts school funding.
- Public Comment on Budget: Many speakers opposed cuts, especially to student-facing positions, and called for using reserves, merging departments, and increasing transparency.
- Consolidation of Services: Councilor Stefanini and others discussed merging buildings/grounds, HR, IT, and capital projects between city and schools. A motion passed to ask administration to propose consolidation of buildings/grounds and capital within 30 days.
- Extension of Budget Deadlines: Councilor Stefanini moved to recommend to the full City Council to invoke the emergency clause in the charter to extend all budget timelines by 30 days. The motion passed 5-0 on the finance subcommittee.
- School Committee Member Comments: Councilor King noted the need for efficiencies and that $9M new revenue is insufficient; Councilor Stefanini emphasized tough choices and looking at non-student-facing positions; Councilor Freudberg urged a data-driven approach and reminded that the mayor can propose mergers under the charter.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1 (passed 5-0): The City Council Finance Subcommittee directed the City COO and School Executive Director of Finance and Operations to present a proposal to consolidate buildings/grounds and capital within 30 days.
- Motion 2 (passed 5-0): The subcommittee voted to recommend to the full City Council that it invoke the emergency provision of the charter to extend all budget deadlines by 30 days.
- Public comment time extended beyond the 15-minute limit by a 5-0 vote to allow all speakers.
- The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:50 PM to allow setup for the regular City Council meeting at 7:00 PM.
- Next steps: The school committee will continue budget discussions on January 28, 2026, and the City Council will consider the emergency clause at its February 3, 2026 meeting.
Meeting Transcript
The finance subcommittee of the city council is comprised of five council members and considers any or all questions appropriate for the purpose of considering the budget, including the creation of new positions to the payroll, changes to the employee classification plan, or any matters pertaining to increasing the City of Framingham employee headcount. The following City Council Finance Subcommittee meeting coverage is brought to you by the government channel, a service of the City of Framingham. The hour being after 5 p.m. on January 27th, the City Council Finance Subcommittee will come to order. Participating this evening is the City Council Finance Subcommittee. It's a joint meeting with the School Committee Finance Subcommittee meeting. So we're going to follow that tonight, and I hope that's okay with everybody, but everybody will get their chance to speak. But you can publicly participate if you're here tonight to talk about something other than anything on our agenda. So with that, our meeting is open. Welcome to the Framingham School Committee's Finance and Operations Joint Subcommittee meeting of Tuesday, January 27, 2026. I call the meeting to order at 5.02 p.m. In attendance, District 3, Jennifer Moshe, District 4, Adam Freudberg, District 6, Brent Lewis, District 8, Jessica Barnhill, Superintendent Dr. Tremblay, Executive Director of Finance and Operations, Lincoln Lynch, Assistant Superintendent Free K to 12 Education and Ludis. This meeting is live on the government channel and on Zoom. Recording this meeting will be archived on the City of Framingham and School Committee website as soon as possible. Today's agenda includes public comment, um, discussion with city administration regarding revenues, Framingham Public Schools FY27 budget development status. Um seeing that we have an agenda discrepancy, we have revenues listed first. Is it a problem for us to go with revenues first? We were going to do revenues first. Okay, perfect. Um see where the people are that need to be. Okay, and then like um Chair Ataviani said, uh, we'll do public comment at the start, and please hold your comments if it's a budget issue or a revenue issue, right? Okay. That being said, uh, we'll open up for public participation. Is there anybody here that would like to publicly participate on anything that is not on our agenda this evening? Please raise your hands. Seeing none, we'll go out to Zoom land. Um we had one this just so the whole public knows there's 38 people on Zoom for attendees, and there's uh four panelists. Okay, that being said, there is nobody. We are gonna start with revenues because we'll decide everything, and I'm just wondering where the mayor and Mr. Tecino are. Thank you. For those on Zoom, three to five minute recess. The mayor and Mr. Tacino have joined us. Mr. Decino, even though the agenda had revenues second, we want to start with revenues because without revenues, uh before we start, I just want to apologize for us being late. Uh we had a very important interview to do today. We're in envisioning people for a CFO position. This this interview was scheduled for yesterday, but we had a reschedule it, and uh, we got jammed up with time, so I apologize. Um we thought you were gonna start off with the school budget and get started with that and apologize for being late. We'll do what we can to make up the time. No worries, thank you. And thank you for the explanation. Good for people to know. Nobody was doing an interview yesterday, that's for sure. You've got the floor, Mr. Tecino, whenever you are ready. I'm not even sure the format, what you want to do tonight. We want to talk about revenues because without revenue projections, we we don't know how bad the situation really is.
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