Groton-Dunstable School Finance Panel Advances Roof Project, Bus Contract to Full Committee

GROTON — May 27, 2026 — Groton-Dunstable's school finance panel advanced a sole-bid transportation contract and a state roof project on deadline to the full School Committee. Business Administrator Sherry Farrell reported that only D-Bus submitted a proposal for a three-year contract covering all district routes, totaling just under $5 million at a 4.88 percent first-year per-bus increase — a figure Farrell called historically in line but structurally problematic given the district's budget constraints. On the MSBA Accelerated Repair Project for the Swallow Union Elementary roof, Farrell told the committee the district must commit funding for schematic design — estimated between $130,000 and $150,000 — before January 1 or forfeit its place in the program; a $130,000 legislative earmark request did not survive the state budget amendment process, leaving the capital stabilization fund's $150,000 balance as the only eligible source. The district's financial update showed $885,000 unencumbered as of May 22, with a year-end surplus projected between $300,000 and $400,000, offset by $551,000 in PFAS expenses and rising special education transportation costs that Farrell said were already underfunded heading into the current fiscal year.