FY26 Budget Development Process

Melrose Public Schools

FY26 Teaching and Learning Budget Development Timeline

We believe that the Teaching and Learning budget development process must be inclusive, collaborative, and transparent. Therefore, the process outlined below has been designed to organize our work in a way that allows all school and district leaders to be actively involved in developing the proposal, assessing our PK-Post Grad priorities, and communicating our FY26 Administrative Team budget proposal.

DRAFT - PROPOSED FOR FUTURE SC MEETING IN 2025

Date(s)	Milestone
City Finance Meetings	Ongoing Collaboration: MPS Director of Finance attends meetings with City CFO and Department Finance Directors
September/October 2024	Ongoing Collaboration on FY26 Teaching and Learning line item format: MPS Superintendent and Director of Finance
November, 2024	FY25 line item budget is available on the MPS website Consistent format to be used for FY26
December-January 2025	Ongoing: Assess anticipated Teaching and Learning personnel and students’ needs: Principals and Hiring Leaders FY26 Admin. Team - Personnel and Student Prioritization Focus on level services costs School Community Listening sessions 12.11.24 - Staff 1.7.25 - Community 1.14.25 - virtual for all interested (link published prior to session) Digital survey ongoing Ongoing: Monitor and forecast anticipated FY25 EOY projections (operating and offsets) Continued FY26 priorities and budget development Draft MPS school and department narratives due to Superintendent and/or Director of Finance Level Services priority and FY26 line item development by Responsibility/Cost Centers
February 5, 2025	Joint School Committee/City Council meeting - FY25 mid year budget update and FY26 update
February 11, 2025	FY26 Budget Overview and update - Executive Summary
February 25, 2025	MPS Superintendent’s FY26 Budget message shared Draft FY26 Teaching and Learning budget book shared with MPS School Committee MPS School Committee designates budget categories (vote on categories recommended) Budget Deliberations Fees (proposals for consideration)
March 11, 2025	Fees - Discussion MPS FY26 Proposed Budget Updates - Budget Deliberations ECC, Elem., Secondary Programming Pupil and Personnel Services (Special Education) Teaching and Learning FY26 PD, Tech, Materials, and Supplies Fees (proposals for consideration)
March 25, 2025	Public Hearing(s) on FY26 Budget (6PM prior to scheduled MPS SC meeting) Budget Deliberations (as needed) and proposed refinements
April 8, 2025	Budget Deliberations Discussion of FY26 Budget Refinements Fees - (vote recommended)
April 29, 2025	Budget Deliberations (vote recommended)
May 6, 2025	(Possible extension due to weather as needed)

Approved by MPS SC: