The Triton Regional School Committee spent a large portion of its April 9 meeting discussing contingency plans for the district’s FY26 budget after town override votes, saying the committee must be prepared to identify cuts if two of the district’s three member towns do not approve the requested increases.

Superintendent (name not specified in the transcript) told the committee the budget the committee approved carries an identified $350,000 gap on paper. The committee discussed options and a target range for additional reductions — committee members repeatedly referenced a planning figure in the $350,000 to $400,000 range — and agreed administration should be prepared to return with scenarios by the May meeting if the override outcomes require further reductions.

The district’s timeline is driven by local override votes and a 45-day statutory window that can move the district toward a 1/12 budget if approvals are not obtained by late May. The committee noted that the May 21 meeting follows the override votes and that meeting would be the earliest practical date to recertify a revised budget.

Board members and administrators described the likely consequences of further cuts. Finance staff and the superintendent said reductions in the order of several hundred thousand dollars would likely affect staffing — not just non-personnel items — and estimated an FTE-level impact in a range that could be roughly five to seven positions, depending on retirements and whether some savings come from positions the district chooses not to refill.

“Right now we have a $350,000 deficit to close,” the superintendent said during the discussion, urging the committee to provide guidance to administration so leaders could prepare specific scenarios. Committee members said the public information sessions the district planned in member towns should include plain-language explanations of what passing or failing the override would mean.

Administration supplied a breakdown of current assessments to member communities under the approved budget: Newbury’s assessment increase of $533,458 (4.44%), Rowley’s increase of $949,036 (7.1%), and Salisbury’s increase of $651,062 (4.09%). Committee members modeled a hypothetical additional reduction and described resulting assessment decreases for towns if cuts were required.

Officials emphasized the committee was not making immediate personnel decisions but wanted to avoid last-minute scrambling if override votes failed. Several members urged public information and clear messaging for next week’s town sessions so voters understand the district’s decisions and potential tradeoffs.

Ending: Administration will develop cut scenarios and return to the committee with concrete options at the May meeting; the committee reiterated it will use the May 13–19 vote window to determine whether an emergency meeting is needed before the May 21 regular meeting.