FY'26 Budget Document (December 10, 2024)

Wellesley Public Schools: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

Town of Wellesley (Schedule 19) revenue comes from the Town of Wellesley through funding services provided by various Town Departments to support the operations of the schools. For instance, health benefits are managed and funded through the Town Human Relations budget and not directly through the schools. Custodial services and building maintenance are managed and funded through the Town Facilities Management Department. Capital Fund revenue comes from borrowing or direct outlay for capital or fixed asset improvements. Capital funds are project specific and require Town Meeting authorization. As mentioned earlier, the school district has no legal authority to issue bonds. All capital projects are part of the Town’s Capital Budget within the Facilities Management Department (FMD). Grant Funds are awarded in one of five methods: entitlement, allocation, continuation, other non- competitive and competitive processes and must be used for their stated purpose. There are three main sources of grant funds: Federal, State and Private. Examples of these funds include: Federal: Title I, Title IIA, Title III, Title IV State: Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Private: Wellesley Education Foundation (WEF) Other Special Revenue Fund (Revolving Funds) allow the district to raise revenues from a specific service and use those revenues, without further appropriation, to support the service. There are several revolving funds including, but not limited to: Athletics (user fees and gate receipts used to offset the cost of the athletic program) Performing Arts (ticket sales used to offset the cost of the performances) Facility Rental (revenue and expenses related to the rental of school buildings) Pre-School (typically developing student tuition fees used to offset their program costs) Guidance (revenue and expenses related to College Board testing) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Fund allows the district to raise revenues from the sale of breakfast (middle and high schools), lunch (all locations), and collect state and federal reimbursement. Reimbursement rates vary for the type of meal served and the annual rates set by the Commonwealth and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In FY’24, the Commonwealth funded universal free meals to all Massachusetts children. Revenue Categories There are three revenue categories used throughout Level 1 through Level 3. Revenue is classified as General Fund Revenue (state education aid and local contribution) or Special Revenue (state and federal grants, school lunch, or other special revenue.) Below is an General Fund Revenue:  State Education Aid: also known as Chapter 70, is the allocation for the Wellesley Public Schools based on the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) education formula. The SOA (Chapter 132 of the Acts of 2019) updated the Commonwealth’s commitment to ensuring that every student in the state experiences high-quality learning opportunities that lead to success in school and in post- explanation of each source.

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