Taunton School Committee Approves Outdoor Graduation, Receives $140 Million FY27 Budget Plan

TAUNTON — April 1, 2026 — Taunton School Committee receives $140.3 million FY27 budget proposal with no staff cuts, approves outdoor graduation for record class. Superintendent John Cabral presented the preliminary spending plan at the April 1 meeting, warning that Student Opportunity Act increases are over and that the district will rely on $5 million of a $7.5 million circuit breaker reserve to close the gap between the requested $135.2 million city appropriation and total proposed expenditures of $140.3 million. Chapter 70 aid rises by $4.2 million to $109.6 million in FY27, roughly half last year's increase. The full committee unanimously received and placed the budget on file ahead of a forthcoming budget workshop. In a separate action, the committee approved an outdoor graduation on the football field for the Class of 2026, the largest in Taunton High School history at 589 students, with each graduate receiving six tickets; the ceremony is set for June 5 at 6 p.m. with a June 6 rain date. The Finance and Law Subcommittee voted to withhold $15,203.50 in Lions Law Group invoices after a $50,000 legal services line was exceeded, with DeMello stating, "We have a $50,000 amount allocated, and we are presently at $63,376.84."