City Council backs $81.7M budget after school merger
Salem Council unanimously approves $81.7M school budget with consolidation savings. The Committee on Administration and Finance recommended Salem Public Schools' fiscal 2027 budget totaling $81,755,368, with $64,053,931 in personnel costs and $17,701,437 in expenditures. The district consolidated
City Council · Meeting of June 10, 2026
Salem Council unanimously approves $81.7M school budget with consolidation savings. The Committee on Administration and Finance recommended Salem Public Schools' fiscal 2027 budget totaling $81,755,368, with $64,053,931 in personnel costs and $17,701,437 in expenditures. The district consolidated Carlton and Saltonstall elementary schools to resolve a projected $4.5 million budget gap, reducing staff by 31.8 positions while adding four new positions for enrollment growth.
Interim Superintendent Kate Carbone and Interim Deputy Superintendent Elizabeth Pauley presented the plan, which includes 6 percent personnel cost increases and $4.5 million in energy efficiency improvements. The council simultaneously approved the FY27 Capital Improvement Plan and $1 million in Free Cash CIP Appropriations.
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Source: the City Council meeting of June 10, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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