Newton Public Schools may freeze non-essential spending after the district's carryover funds came in $900,000 below expectations, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Liam Hurley told the School Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Hurley, who manages roughly $350 million to $360 million in district funds including grants and revolving accounts, presented a budget report showing that higher-than-expected expenses during the last school year ate into the surplus the district carries forward each year. The district could impose the freeze later this year unless it finds savings elsewhere, as first reported by Fig City News.
The warning echoes a sharper crunch earlier this year. In February, Hurley issued a "Non-Essential Staff & Purchasing Plan" that froze hiring for all positions not required by a student's Individualized Education Program and halted non-essential purchases not covered by grants, according to the Newton Teachers Association's newsletter. The deficit at that time stood at $1.8 million.
At an April 30 budget presentation, Superintendent Anna Nolin described the district's reliance on circuit breaker carryforward funds as a source of structural volatility from year to year, saying NPS has used those funds to balance its budget rather than hold them as a cushion for unexpected costs, according to city budget documents.
No freeze has been announced yet.
The committee has not publicly set a deadline for identifying the needed savings.
AI rules, gym renaming approved
The committee unanimously approved updated student handbooks for Newton North High School and Newton South High School. The handbooks now prohibit students from using artificial intelligence tools unless a teacher grants permission.
In the same consent agenda vote, the committee renamed the F.A. Day Middle School gymnasium for John Carvelli, the school's head custodian who retired in June after 52 years of service.
Budget office wins national award
Nolin also announced that the NPS business office received the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), calling it a "deep point of pride." Only four Massachusetts districts have ever earned the recognition, which capped a three-year submission process. Financial analyst Awino Odhiambo received ASBO's rising star award.
Math curriculum update
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Gina McCarthy and Director of Mathematics Jennifer Shore reported that many district math initiatives are still in development. Teachers at both high schools have agreed on aligned scope and sequences for 10th-grade Math 2 and 11th-grade Math 3. The Math 2 curriculum is targeted for March 2027 and Math 3 for December 2027.
At the elementary level, K-5 planning teams launched the Amplify Desmos curriculum this fall. Feedback has been positive after roughly three weeks.
School Committee member Ben Schlesinger of Ward 5 raised concerns about anxiety among seventh and eighth graders facing a compacted curriculum. Shore said the transition will be difficult but pointed to encouraging early seventh-grade assessment data. The district plans to revisit how math specialists are distributed across schools after February benchmark results.
