Specifics are coming into focus on how Cambridge Public Schools will reallocate spending in 2027 Fiscal Year (FY’27) to bolster paraprofessional and interventionist positions. Those roles are “two classifications that we know to be extremely impactful for the well being of students,” said David Murphy, CPS superintendent, at a March 11 meeting of the School Committee.
Staff realignment has been a major topic during budget discussions, with about three months until FY’27 begins. Murphy said increased support for the district’s high-need student populations is a priority, including at a March 4 roundtable with the School Committee and City Council. The district projects a 4.5 percent budget increase from FY’26.
Some of the realignment will reflect staff retained after the 2025 closure of the Kennedy-Longfellow School. Most positions were allocated to other schools in the district. “Generally speaking, the FY ‘26 budget existed…as though the Kennedy-Longfellow had not closed,” Murphy said at the March 11 meeting. He added that “only a handful” of those positions will be cut in FY ‘27.
With the resources from the closure, the district will lower the threshold at which additional staff are added to schools, which may mean staff “moving around buildings,” Murphy said.
In addition, schools may choose to boost their paraprofessional resources by using other aid allocations from the district. (Every elementary and upper school receives an aid and a lunch aid allocation). Three of the district’s four upper schools have already converted their lunch aid allocation into an additional paraprofessional position, Murphy said.
Public hearing March 17, workshop March 25
The district will slightly increase spending on interventionists in FY ‘27, to just under $10 million, said Ivy Washington, the district’s chief financial officer. Interventionists are staff who provide one-on-one support for students who need extra support. The district’s investment in interventionists represents its commitment to elementary literacy as a top priority, Murphy said at the March 11 meeting.
Committee Member Richard Harding requested a “definition of the budget impact on literacy.” At the March 4 committee meeting, Harding co-sponsored a resolution to hold back third graders without reading proficiency. The motion was deferred to a subcommittee.
The school committee will host a public hearing on the budget on March 17. On March 25 there will be a budget workshop to review the proposed FY ‘27 budget in full. At this meeting Murphy will give more details about the budget’s link to literacy goals.
Data administrator to be hired
The new budget will also allow for a more consistent social work model, with full-time General Education social workers at each of the district’s upper schools, according to the district’s presentation.
The district will also hire a “data administrator,” who will work under the Office of Accountability. With “such little capacity for additional positions,” Murphy said this position was prioritized because there is “too much variability with regard to how data is being used in our individual schools.”
A recent equity audit conducted on Cambridge Public Schools urged the district to standardize its data practices across schools. The Superintendent’s presentation listed additional software for optimizing data and support for a “data-driven” strategic plan, which the district is currently in the process of developing.
The school committee will conduct a final vote on the budget on April 7 before review by the city council in May. The 2027 Fiscal Year begins on July 1.
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