School Committee trims budget to $101.97 million
Peabody's School Committee trimmed its proposed budget to $101,967,320 and added two Brown School paraprofessionals. Superintendent Dr. Vidala proposed $236,442 in cuts, including one Higgins ELL teacher, as projected ELL enrollment fell from 733 to 636 students.
School Committee · Meeting of May 12, 2026
Peabody's School Committee trimmed its proposed budget to $101,967,320 and added two Brown School paraprofessionals. Superintendent Dr. Vidala proposed $236,442 in cuts, including one Higgins ELL teacher, as projected ELL enrollment fell from 733 to 636 students. Member Millman opposed the cut, saying she would not "endorse" removing a teacher serving the lowest-performing students.
The committee later added 2.0 paraprofessional positions at the Brown School for $53,320. It then voted 5-1 to cut $250,000 from out-of-district tuition, $150,000 from health insurance and $60,000 from utilities. A public hearing was set for 7 p.m.
May 21 at the Higgins Middle School Library.
In the full story:
- The Full Story
- Why It Matters
- Key Motions & Votes
- Source
- Peabody's community access TV: School Committee meeting, May 12, 2026
- The complete report: 960 words
Source: the School Committee meeting of May 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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