Bellingham Finance Committee Backs $35.8 Million School Budget With 37 Positions Cut

BELLINGHAM -- March 23, 2026, Bellingham Finance Committee unanimously recommended six FY27 budget lines totaling more than $57.4 million at its March 23 public hearing. The largest item, a $35,842,585 school department budget, was presented by Superintendent Peter Marano and E. Monteiro and reflects a no-override scenario in which the district would cut 37 full-time positions, dropping from 348 to 311 FTEs, eliminate the dedicated athletics budget, and increase elementary class sizes to 24 to 26 students and secondary sizes to 27 to 30. Marano cited out-of-district special education tuition costs ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per student annually and a 14 percent increase in those costs over three years as central drivers. Town Administrator J. Laydon clarified that a separate Annual Town Meeting article would carry any override-contingent supplemental funding if the ballot question passes. The committee also voted 5-0 on group health insurance ($11,696,396), retirement ($4,838,566), debt service ($4,103,690), property insurance ($964,000), and Medicare ($650,000), with Laydon noting the health insurance trust fund is expected to be essentially zeroed out by fiscal year-end after a high-claims year.