Board of Health details FY27 budget with new initiatives
Advisory Committee hears Board of Health FY27 budget and school enrollment trends. Marcia Testa Simonson, Board of Health Chair, presented a 2.78 percent increase in the FY27 budget request, with plans to allocate over $500,000 in opioid settlement funds toward new Opioid Addiction Services and New
Advisory Committee · Meeting of January 7, 2026
WELLESLEY — Advisory Committee hears Board of Health FY27 budget and school enrollment trends. Marcia Testa Simonson, Board of Health Chair, presented a 2.78 percent increase in the FY27 budget request, with plans to allocate over $500,000 in opioid settlement funds toward new Opioid Addiction Services and New Parent and Newborn Support Services programs. In a separate analysis, Advisory Chair Madison Riley presented findings on Wellesley Public Schools' budget growth of 37 percent between 2016 and 2025 despite a 22 percent enrollment decline, driven primarily by teacher salaries and rising support-staff costs.
Riley's peer-town comparison found Wellesley's per-pupil cost approximately $10,000 higher than Winchester and Belmont.
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Source: the Advisory Committee meeting of January 7, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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