Acushnet School Committee Schedules Good Friday Classes, Projects June 25 Year-End

ACUSHNET -- March 11, 2026, Acushnet School Committee votes unanimously to hold school on Good Friday, shifting the projected last school day to June 25. Business Manager Mr. Petronio presented a preliminary FY27 budget projecting a roughly $1.6 million increase, approximately 9.9 percent above the current year, driven by $545,000 in contractual salary increases, an 11.44 percent rise in transportation costs, and a projected loss of more than half of the district's Title I federal grant funding, totaling about $78,000. The state has set a minimum town appropriation of $9.6 million for FY27, with Chapter 70 aid projected at $7.5 million. The committee rejected, on safety grounds, any plan to hold school on the April 28 town election day, with one member calling it "a no" given the volume of public traffic in school buildings. The committee also accepted a $20,000 donation from the Boyd-Lutif family to build a school store, and FMS Principal Mrs. Sylvia announced a $28,000 Project Lead the Way STEM grant to be distributed over three years.