Orleans School Committee Unanimously Approves $6.7 Million FY27 Elementary Budget

ORLEANS — March 16, 2026 — Orleans School Committee unanimously approves $6,725,015 elementary budget for FY27. The committee voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Orleans Elementary School fiscal year 2027 spending plan, a $336,560 increase representing a 5.27 percent rise over the current year. Principal Elaine Pender reported late revisions reduced fringe benefit estimates by $68,923 to $1,437,674, lowering the bottom line from initial projections. Superintendent Brian Brinegar identified special education tuition, out-of-district transportation, and a central office budget reclassification as the primary cost drivers, with special education tuition up $73,405, pre-K costs up $52,632, and out-of-district transportation up $69,000. Committee members pressed for clearer public communication about why Orleans's per-pupil costs run roughly 20 percent above peer Nauset towns, with one member noting that all-in averages of $43,000 to $45,000 per student "make it look as though everybody in the school is getting that $40,000 education, which is not the case at all." The budget goes before the Orleans Select Board on March 25.