Brookline schools face $7 million gap; failed override would end middle school world language

School Committee · Meeting of February 26, 2026

Brookline School Committee hears that a failed override would eliminate world language and the conservatory from the district's middle schools. Superintendent Isabella Wong, in her 17th year leading a school district and first year in Brookline, told the committee Thursday that the proposed FY27 budget now carries a $7,010,309 net increase with a remaining funding gap of $5,269,603 after the town's initial allocation of $1,740,706 — down from an $8.1 million gap on Feb. 5 thanks to $1,095,926 in newly identified savings. A failed override would trigger 36 additional staff cuts on top of reductions already embedded in the proposed budget, eliminating grade-one paraprofessionals by half, world language in grades 6 through 8, and the conservatory program entirely.

The three-year funding gap through FY29 stands at $18,538,687, and Chief Financial Officer Susan Resnick confirmed that out-year failed-override modeling — expected to show comparable $5 million annual gaps in FY28 and FY29 — has not yet been completed but will be shared with committee members before the next public meeting. The committee also voted unanimously to authorize Wong and Deputy Superintendent Robin Benoya to bargain contracts with AFSCME building employees, food service workers, and the Educational Secretary's Association.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of February 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.