Doctor Cohen, the Mendon-Upton Regional School District superintendent, told the school committee on Jan. 27 that the governor's proposed FY26 state budget increases K-12 accounts and would add roughly $360,089 in net state aid to the district.

The proposal sets minimum Chapter 70 funding at $75 per student, Cohen said, and overall K-12 accounts rose about 4.5%. "That was really good news to hear," she said, adding the district received a total net increase in state aid of $360,089 based on the administration's initial analysis.

Why it matters: state aid changes affect the district's budget gap and the towns' required contributions. Finance staff warned committee members that one state item in particular'the Minimum Local Contribution (MLC) released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education'will increase local obligations.

Jay, the district's finance staff member who answered committee questions during the meeting, said the MLC and town shares are one of three town funding buckets and that towns can offset increases by adjusting other local lines but must fund the required minimum contribution itself. "The minimum contribution is just one of three funding buckets from the the towns," Jay said. He noted Mendon's share rose modestly (about $120,534) while Upton faces a much larger increase (about $631,365) in the draft calculations.

Cohen also reviewed several line items in the governor's proposal that affect the district. The budget would expand the state's school transportation reimbursement program with a new combined account and an estimated $16.5 million increase for regional transportation; the district's estimated regional transportation increase is about $186,000. The proposal would also increase the state's special education ("circuit breaker") appropriation and change charter school reimbursement assumptions; Cohen cautioned that charter reimbursement projections have been volatile in prior years and final legislative action could differ from the governor's numbers.

What committee members asked: Several members pressed for detail on the MLC increase and how it affects town contributions. Jay explained that towns have an "operational additional" line that can be adjusted, but the MLC rise itself must be paid by the towns. He said he had not yet completed a line-by-line reconciliation to explain why Upton's MLC projection was so much higher than Mendon's.

Looking ahead: Cohen said the district will continue budgeting work as the legislature and the governor's office move proposals toward final fiscal year decisions. She and Jay said the district will present updated numbers at future budget meetings as state and local figures firm up.