Wellesley Public Schools: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
Staff Resources
Development of the salary budget is the most complex part of constructing the FY’26 budget. The process begins in the fall with the approval of the FY’25 Adjusted Budget. This process realigns the budgeted salary lines, and associated full-time equivalents (FTEs), to mirror current staffing levels. Staff who are on partial or full leave in FY’25 are assumed to return to their previous positions. This creates a bumping of individuals across multiple accounts. Bargaining unit employees who are not on the maximum step in their respective salary tables are advanced a step. As part of the Wellesley Educator Association (WEA) Unit A Teachers and Nurses agreement, teachers can move a lane within their salary table with the attainment of a new degree or the accumulation of graduate credits. Notification of a potential lane movement in the FY’26 budget year was November 1, 2024. Since not all members who notify the Superintendent’s Office achieve the goal in the upcoming year, the district has set aside funds in a similar means to prior years – approximately 75% of the total requests. Staff turnover often results in cost savings. Most employees who retire are at the top of the salary table. With a hiring target of a master’s degree with eight (8) years of teaching experience, the turnover savings for the replacement of one educator can result in savings of approximately $35K. The turnover savings for instructional support professional positions is much less, approximately $5K per employee. The budgeted turnover savings in FY’25 was $700K. The FY’26 Budget includes projected turnover savings of $700K.
Below is a table outlining the changes in enrollment, related sections and their impact on full-time equivalents:
FY’26 Projected Enrollment
FY’26 Projected Section 14 Sections 16 Sections 17 Sections 15 Sections 17 Sections 14 Sections
FY’26 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Impact
FY’26 Salary Cost/(Savings)
Grade
Kindergarten
14 Down
0.00 FTE 0.00 FTE +1.00 FTE -1.00 FTE +3.00 FTE -3.00 FTE
$0 $0
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12
8 Up 31 Up
$84,994 ($84,994) $254,982 ($254,982)
16 Down
59 Up
21 Down 10 Down 15 Down
-3.00 FTE
($254,982)
15 Up 3 Up
22 Down 32 Down
-3.80 FTE
($301,213)
5 Up
TOTAL
8 Down
93 Sections
(6.80 FTE)
($556,195)
In addition to these classroom teacher reductions, there are additional personnel changes because of the projected enrollment for school year 2025-2026. These personnel changes include an additional 0.20 FTE Librarian at Sprague; an elementary Math Specialist reduction (-1.00 FTE) resulting in two (2) specialists per elementary building; and a School Counselor reduction (-0.50 FTE) at the middle school. With these additional enrollment-based personnel changes, the total FTE impact is a reduction of 8.10 with a financial reduction of ($668,998).
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