Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Heidi Driscoll told the Town of Needhams NEEM subcommittee on March 27 that total enrollment for fiscal year 2024 is 669 students and that the schools preliminary FY26 budget is just under $32.5 million, a 2.99% increase from the prior year.

The budget presentation, led by Driscoll and Nikki Andrade, Minuteman's business manager, explained why Needham's preliminary assessment is rising: Needham's four-year rolling average of students attending Minuteman increased about 21%, which the school said drives an approximately 22% increase in Needham's share of the assessment to just above $2,200,000.

The enrollment picture: Driscoll said Minuteman is accepting member-town applicants first and noted that the class-size and town-by-town shifts produced the current 669 total. The school has a freshman slot allocation target of 175; Minuteman issued roughly 230 acceptances to anticipate typical attrition and currently has about 185 students who have committed, with the staff estimating an average post-acceptance drop of roughly 60 students in recent years. Driscoll said the out-of-district count is 63 applications this year; Minuteman typically keeps a minimum of 19 out-of-district students to preserve tuition revenue.

On tuition and fees, Andrade said total tuition revenue is about $800,000 and nonresident capital fees amount to roughly $250,000. She explained that out-of-district students pay state-set tuition plus a special-education fee and a capital fee; Minuteman obtains annual reapproval from the commissioner of education to charge the capital fee for out-of-district students. Driscoll and Andrade emphasized that transportation costs are often significant for sending towns and that Minuteman does not pay for transportation for out-of-district students.

Budget drivers and priorities: Andrade identified staffing costs (including a 3% collective-bargaining increase plus step increases), higher costs for supplies and materials tied to CTE program needs, building/general liability insurance claims, and an increase in transportation costs after a recent rebid (the new vendor, North Suburban Transportation, came in at about a 5% increase). She said health insurance was level-funded because the regional Mass Bay Healthcare Trust Fund voted a 0% increase this cycle.

OPEB and capital planning: Andrade described a one-time permanent $300,000 increase in the school's OPEB (other post-employment benefits) contribution for FY26 and a plan to continue 5% annual increases thereafter. She reported an OPEB trust balance near $1.7 million and an unfunded liability of about $22 million. The school also plans a $950,000 contribution to a capital stabilization fund (a $100,000 increase from the prior year) to smooth future large capital needs identified in a long-term facilities assessment by an outside firm.

Facilities and capacity: Driscoll reviewed a long-term capital plan prepared by an outside consultant and said the building was designed around an approximate 680-student design target at 80% utilization. She noted that some specialized CTE programs have ancillary space (for example, a separate advanced manufacturing building) and that program-specific scheduling complicates simple classroom-capacity calculations. The facilities director and finance/capital subcommittees will work to sequence the plan and identify funding strategies, Driscoll said.

Student highlights and co-ops: Driscoll and staff described several student work placements and postgraduation outcomes: one Needham senior in line for employment at JW Linton Plumbing and Heating, a junior working at a local childcare center, and a nonresident senior employed with a Needham DPW. The presentation also noted that six of eight recent Needham graduates matriculated to two- and four-year colleges, and that Minuteman students will continue outreach to middle schools and guidance counselors to sustain recruitment.

Meeting business: The subcommittee took a technical correction to the prior meeting minutes and voted them on file at the start of the meeting. The group discussed scheduling a fall NEEM meeting and tentatively held October 29 at 7 p.m. for the next session.

The school said detailed town-by-town assessment numbers and the full capital-plan recommendations will be shared with member towns and committees as the finance and capital planning work continues.