Southbridge Schools Announce 19-Position Cut to Close $1.8 Million Budget Gap

SOUTHBRIDGE -- April 14, 2026, Southbridge schools face an $1.8 million structural budget gap heading into fiscal year 2027, with at least 19 positions already cut. Receiver Bill Metzger and Business Manager Matt Rabido presented the spending plan to the School Committee on April 14, built on a net appropriation of $40.3 million, up from last year but overwhelmed by a 37 percent surge in out-of-district special education placements (now 56 students), a projected $1.2 million drop in grant funding, $1.1 million in collective bargaining increases, and a 10 percent insurance cost jump. Reductions include eight administrative positions, one elementary teaching position, nine support staff, and one board-certified behavioral analyst, all already notified, with formal non-renewal notices targeting the end of May. Metzger warned the committee that ending receivership, a goal voiced by resident and Town Councilor Steve Kelly during citizens forum, would cost the district an additional $700,000 annually in strategic support grant funding. "It brings me no joy to come here and discuss any reductions," Metzger told the committee. "These are all real people that have contributed significantly to the progress." This is also the final year of Student Opportunity Act supplemental funding, meaning future per-pupil increases will be substantially smaller.