School Committee Votes to Sponsor Literacy Article, Debates Override Budget Split

FOXBOROUGH -- March 26, 2026, Foxborough School Committee endorses literacy warrant article, debates override split and bus fees. The committee voted unanimously at its March 26 meeting to sponsor a $221,000 K-5 literacy program town meeting warrant article, funded through free cash. Warrant Committee representatives Steve and Ed presented a "compromise scenario" pegging school budget growth at 3.64 percent and town budget growth at 3.33 percent for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, tied to a roughly $2 million override with an estimated $878 annual tax impact per household. Superintendent Dr. Marsden warned that a proposed June 8 override vote leaves fewer than seven days before the June 15 legal deadline for teacher non-employment notices, with the district's current reduction scenario cutting five Unit A teaching positions, one and a half administrative assistants, half a custodian, and $108,000 in non-payroll items. Chair Michelle Kirkby pressed Warrant Committee members on why the school side bears "94 percent of the cuts" while the town side absorbs roughly 6 percent, a disparity the Warrant Committee attributed to a longstanding 75-25 budget proportionality policy. The committee also directed administration to return in April with a bus fee implementation timeline, with a $1-per-day fee projected to net $80,000 to $110,000 annually after administrative costs.