The Melrose Messenger

School Committee Dives Deeper into Budget Details for Next Year

March 28th, 2025

The School Committee examined in more detail this week several aspects of the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), which begins in July.

One of the most surprising cuts to come out of this budget cycle is the elimination of the middle school principal position - a decision that Superintendent Adam Deleidi explained in more detail this week.

Members of the public commented at the meeting that the decision was “shocking” and “devastating” and that the situation at the middle and high schools would be “unsustainable - this is more than about education, this is about safety.”

“The middle school principal was among the last cuts we made,” Deleidi explained, “but we have a very talented high school principal who I believe has the capacity to run both schools. Saugus and Watertown both run on the same model. It’s putting a lot of faith in Mr Merrill, but I believe that, if there’s one person who can do this, it would be him.”

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Mayor Discusses Potential Impact of Federal Funding on Melrose

March 21st, 2025

On Tuesday, Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, along with other mayors and town administrators from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council Metro Mayors Coalition, met at the Massachusetts State House with House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz to discuss how changes to federal funding over the next months and years could impact cities and towns across the state.

There has been uncertainty over whether cities like Melrose will receive anticipated federal funds since President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a freeze on many federal grants in January, an order which is currently blocked by the courts. And a number of potential cuts to federal agencies and programs, including the Department of Education and Medicaid, could have significant impacts at the state and local levels.

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Mayor Aims To “Pull Every Lever” To Lessen Cuts For Schools and City

March 13th, 2025

In their most recent meetings, the City Council and the School Committee each received updates from Mayor Jen Grigoraitis on the process of setting the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), which begins in July.

It was initially announced that the MPS deficit would be $4.2 million and the remaining deficit on the city side of the budget would be $1.9 million. However, the mayor announced this week, “Given how little is left that can feasibly be reduced from the school budget, please be aware that I have informed the Superintendent that no further cuts are needed; the City will absorb the remaining shortfall on its side of the ledger.”

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School Committee Looks At Budget Cuts For Public Schools

February 27th, 2025

On Tuesday evening, the School Committee met to hear from Superintendent Adam Deleidi about proposed budget cuts to balance a $4.2 million budget deficit in the Melrose Public Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which begins in July.

Superintendent Deleidi explained that his top priority in creating the budget for FY26 was legal compliance with contracts and with state and federal regulations. “As much as I don’t want this to be the top priority,” he explained, “we’re in a situation where we’re in danger of not being compliant with our current budget.” This includes meeting contractual obligations to teachers and other staff members; providing services legally mandated by special education plans for students with disabilities; providing transportation for students who legally require it; and meeting a minimum school spending level dictated by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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City and Schools Facing Millions in Budget Cuts for Next Year

February 6th, 2025

Last night, the City Council and the School Committee held a joint meeting to hear about the status of the budget for the City of Melrose and Melrose Public Schools (MPS) for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) and what the budget process will look like for FY26, which starts in July. Speaking to the full City Council and School Committee as well as a packed audience in the City Council Chamber, Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, Superintendent Adam Deleidi, and other officials discussed prospective budget cuts.

Based on rising costs in a number of areas and limits on the amount the City is able to raise in taxes, MPS will need to make $4.2 million in cuts relative to this year’s services, while the City will need to make $1.9 million in cuts, for a total of $6.1 million, which is almost 6% of this year’s total budget of $104 million.

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School Committee and Teachers Union Agree to One-Year Contract Extension in Anticipation of Challenging Budget Season

January 30th, 2025

On Tuesday night, the School Committee announced that they had come to an agreement with the Melrose Educators Union (MEU) to extend the current Unit A and Unit C contracts to June 2026. The School Committee agreed to “market adjustments” for teachers and paraprofessionals within the current pay scale, but no other changes were made to the contracts. This agreement comes as the School Committee prepares to start discussing the budget for the Melrose Public Schools (MPS) for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), which officials already anticipate will see a number of service cuts relative to this year’s budget.

School Committee Chair Dorie Withey called the agreement an “innovative one-year deal to keep our schools uninterrupted next year in the face of enormous fiscal constraints for our city and our schools.” Melrose’s contracts for teachers and paraprofessionals (Unit A and Unit C, respectively) had been set to expire this June. The extension provides educators in these groups with a pay raise, although Melrose teachers are still paid less on average than educators in a number of surrounding districts.

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