Newton’s School Committee unanimously approved a $314.5 million budget for Fiscal Year 2027 on Monday night, supporting a new middle school math program at the cost of budget cuts to leadership positions in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), sustainability, and mental health coordination.
Newton Superintendent Anna Nolin acknowledged the trade-offs required to balance the budget within Mayor Marc Laredo’s allocation.
“We will do the best that we can for Newton children, and we will uphold the core values that have been stated here by citizen after citizen, in the best way that we can, knowing that we can’t create miracles if we don’t have funds,” Nolin said.
The committee adopted “Path B,” a proposal that funds eight middle school math interventionists but reduces the DEI director position and cuts the district’s mental health and sustainability roles.
Jonathan Greene, Ward 6 School Committee member, called for stronger middle school math, essential for students who can’t afford outside tutoring.
“The math investment is actually a question of social justice because your family’s ability to pay for outside math courses should not govern the education that you get in the city of Newton,” Greene said. “It is also the right thing for our advanced students who are ready for more challenging material.”
The decision follows months of debate over a $2.8 million gap between Nolin’s recommended budget and Laredo’s budget allocation, forcing the district to choose between expanding academic support and maintaining staff positions.
Newton residents urged the committee to use the city’s Education Stabilization Fund to bridge the $500,000 gap that led to the staff cuts, but city officials declined.
Zachary Pfannenstiel, a Newton North High School senior, challenged the narrative of a “math crisis,” arguing that the district should prioritize existing supports.
“We cannot keep cannibalizing our school’s culture for a temporary solution to a nonexistent problem,” Pfannenstiel said. “I see the impact these support systems have on my friends’ lives every day. To cut these programs isn’t just a budget move, it’s a direct hit to the students who are already working the hardest.”
Nolin clarified that the new math model is not traditional “tracking” but a system of pathways recently endorsed by the state’s Department of Education.
“We are not going to do tracking and mathematics leveling as traditionally implemented in the district,” Nolin said. “It’s just really important as an educator that we make sure we talk about the flexible pathways.”
The committee also rejected an amendment by Ward 4 member Tamika Olszewski to create a “priority add-back” list for positions if funds were identified later this year.
Laredo warned that the proposal would offer “false hope” to staff.
“I don’t see this being at all practical, realistic, or part of our budget process,” Laredo said.
Before the final vote, Ward 8 member Victor Lee described the trade-offs as an unfortunate result of limited funding rather than a choice against values.
“It’s not a DEI versus math, it’s not a sustainability versus math,” Lee said. “That’s unfortunately the situation where we come in because of fungible dollars. Math is going to be our core option, because I think it will help the majority of our kids, regardless of what grade level they’re in, what they look like, or what they believe in.”
Ward 3 Vice Chair Jason Bhardwaj emphasized this support, noting that the budget involved extensive collaboration to meet the district’s needs.
“We need the investment to make sure it has on-ramps and off-ramps that really work,” Bhardwaj said. “Change is complicated, and it does require a lot of work … This has not been a rushed process in the sense that the math discussion, the feedback from the community, the construction of the plan with feedback from teachers, all of this has been happening over months and months.”
The committee voted 9-0 to approve the budget and submit it to the City Council for final approval.
Nolin is scheduled to present a formal transition plan on June 15. The committee also voted to set the last day of school for June 25, 2026, a date pushed back by snow days this winter.
