Nauset Regional School Committee Unanimously Advances FY27 Budget to Public Hearing

ORLEANS — March 4, 2026 — Nauset Regional School Committee unanimously approved a $40.5 million FY27 preliminary budget carrying a 4.74 percent total assessment increase. The committee voted without dissent Wednesday at Nauset Middle School to advance five component budgets to a public hearing set for March 12, with final approval scheduled for March 18. Total regional expenses come to $40,795,328, a 1.56 percent increase from the current year, held relatively flat by staff attrition at the high school, which posted a bare 0.80 percent increase of $107,901. The central office budget rose 27.5 percent — an increase of $865,000 — almost entirely because retirement and Medicare costs for central office staff were reclassified out of the region-only fund where they had been improperly carried. Out-of-district special education tuitions jumped from $1.6 million to $2.5 million, partially offset by $1.7 million in state circuit breaker reimbursement. Business Manager Bob, praised by multiple committee members in an extended farewell as he prepares to depart the district, said comparable Massachusetts districts are budgeting between 3.5 percent and 6 percent increases, given negotiated contracts at 3 percent or higher and Cape Cod Municipal Health Group premiums rising 8 percent.