February 28, 2025

Dear APS families and staff,

At the February 27th School Committee meeting, I presented an updated version of the district’s preliminary budget for FY26 as we approach the final stages of the annual budget process. Initially, the district was facing an estimated deficit of $1.87 million for FY26.

I am pleased to share that during the budget development process, we have identified savings that have reduced the deficit to $177,845.

Some highlights of the FY26 Budget:

Preserves services and programs for students
Meets all contractual obligations
Maintains the non-salary expense at the FY25 level and will reduce these expenses by 2.5%.
The offices of the Superintendent, Teaching and Learning, Finance and Administration will reduce contracted services further by $50,000 to help offset an increase in contracted service fees for students’ activities (i.e., rental of athletic facilities, transportation and athletic training). The district’s Special Services contracts are not included in these reductions in order to maintain services and programs for our students.
The full presentation of the Superintendent’s Recommended FY26 Budget can be located here.

In January 2025, the School Committee refined the district’s focus to preserve services to students and families, while recommending a modest 2.5% increase to Athletic and Fine Arts fees. To address the remaining deficit, we had initially anticipated a reduction of 18.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions across all areas to reconcile the $1.87 million deficit.

With the refinements made to the budget, the annual assessment of enrollment and staffing needs, and an above average number of staff retirements, we now estimate the remaining deficit to close is $177,845, or approximately 2.25 positions. We expect this number may decrease further through natural attrition as staff make personal decisions in the coming months.

The budget process is complex and requires careful adjustments based on many factors. Key drivers of our budget are student enrollment, assessing, and maintaining responsible staffing levels. A number of this year’s retirements are middle school educators, and we anticipate a lower enrollment for our rising 6th grade students for the 2025-26 school year.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the FY26 Budget Advisory Council and our PTO & PACs for their continued engagement and feedback, which play a vital role in shaping the priorities for the FY26 budget. I would like to share my gratitude to the APS leadership team for their support and thorough work in developing this budget.

I also appreciate the Andover community for their patience and active participation throughout this process. Our partnership with the community is essential in ensuring we make well-informed decisions on behalf of our students.

• I will be hosting a Let’s Talk! FY26 Budget virtual forum on Monday, March 3, 2025, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. to further the conversation with the community. Advanced registration for this forum is required and can be completed here.

• The public hearing for the FY26 Budget will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the School Committee room, 30 Whittier Court, 2nd floor. Following the hearing, the School Committee will vote on the School Department budget.

Sincerely,

MP signature

Dr. Magda Parvey

Superintendent

Andover Public Schools

West Elementary School