School Leaders Rebut Finance Panel's Budget Remarks
Finance Committee · Meeting of September 17, 2026
Eastham school leaders rebut finance panel's "not professional enough" budget remarks. Nauset Regional School Committee member Maura Noonan-Carrie and Eastham Elementary School Committee Chair Sarah Higgins used public comment to push back on comments made at the Finance Committee's August 20 meeting questioning school officials' qualifications, defending Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Dr. Beth Regabuto, who previously managed a $250 million budget at Brockton Public Schools.
Higgins said the district ended fiscal 2026 with a $42,000 surplus rather than a projected $118,000 deficit. Separately, finance staff said the town's roughly 3 percent annual levy growth leaves only about $572,000 in real flexibility for fiscal 2028 after health insurance, pension and energy costs, warning "you're going to have to ask for more again." The committee also heard the town's wastewater treatment contracts came in at $122.5 million, about 27 percent under the $170 million allocated, and that its OPEB trust holds $1,373,704 against a liability funded at only about 3.5 percent.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 4,219 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of September 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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