Greenfield School Committee Approves FY27 Budget, Orders HVAC Procurement Review

GREENFIELD — June 10, 2026 — Greenfield School Committee approves balanced FY27 budget and orders legal review of HVAC procurement. The committee voted unanimously Wednesday to accept a fiscal year 2027 budget that draws $250,000 from the preschool revolving account, $125,000 from transportation revolving, $250,000 from special education tuition revolving, and roughly $717,000 in school choice and vacancy savings to avoid any new appropriation request to the city, with City Council action expected the following Wednesday. Business Manager Andy cautioned that the district has "been balancing the budget on the back of vacancy savings" for more than four years and that FY29 remains uncertain. The committee also voted unanimously to commission a legal compliance review — rather than a formal audit — of the quote-solicitation process for a $51,000 annual HVAC maintenance contract with MCORS Services after Business Manager Andy explained a 2022 change in state law raised the quote-solicitation threshold to $100,000. A motion by Member Deitman to create an ad hoc literacy assessment committee was withdrawn after Member Deneuve argued it exceeded the school committee's governance role, though Deitman cited 2024 MCAS data showing only 8 percent of eighth graders meeting expectations in English language arts before rising to 22 percent in 2025. The committee also voted six to zero with one abstention to rename Discovery School at Four Corners to Four Corners Elementary School, and entered executive session at 9:23 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining strategy with the Wayland Educational Association Unit A.