In February, Superintendent Lisa Fekete introduced the Watertown Public School budget proposal for 2026–2027, totaling $60,211,962. This is a 4.54% increase from the previous year. Although this is her first time leading the budget process as superintendent, Ms. Fekete brings prior experience from her roles as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for K-12 and as Polk School Principal. That background, she says, shaped her understanding of school finances long before stepping into her current position; “I always knew how tight the budgets are and how little money is left over when we’re trying to come in with a reasonable number for the tax payers.”
This year, Ms. Fekete approached the budget differently than past superintendents by building it from the ground up. School administrators collaborated directly with staff to determine the necessities of maintaining instruction – such as paper, pencils, technology, and other essentials. To ensure consistency and avoid surprises, Ms. Fekete said she “analyzed previous budgets to give teachers an estimate of what they can total up to,” so a shared understanding exists during the planning process. Once individual school budgets are finalized, principals submit them. From there, the administrative team added the fixed costs like salaries for teachers, custodians, and nurses, as well as expenses for cafeteria services and IT.
A key focus this year was equity. Ms. Fekete reviewed budget proposals from the past three to five years to identify areas that may not have been “necessarily equitably receiving money.” Her goal was to support programs effectively. She also looked for ways to generate revenue while remaining mindful of taxpayers. “I looked for ways to build revenue, because budgets are so tight. We were trying to be thoughtful for taxpayers,” she said.
Transparency was another priority in this year’s process. “I tried to make it very clear and transparent how the process went and exactly where all the dollars went and showing how much the fixed costs are.” Ms. Fekete added that she wants the community to understand the process and trust that “nothing is hidden” in the budget.
The proposed budget also prioritizes instructional improvements, including expanded coaching cycles for teachers, new books, and updated programs. A significant portion of funding will go toward teacher training. “We purchased coaching cycles for this year. Someone comes in and looks at the material and implements them differently. They teach side by side, coaching them. They develop plans and get familiar with the course,” Ms. Fekete explained.
Early in development, fixed expenses alone resulted in a 7.83% increase. Through the use of cost reduction measures, grants and adjusted revenue, that figure was reduced to a 5.54% increase before ultimately reaching the current proposed increase of 4.54%. She shared that the challenge this year started before anything was added in, stating “just maintaining the current staff and fixed costs, the increase was huge.” Working with advisors, the district aimed to find a more manageable number while still maintaining programs and allowing for gradual improvements.
During the 2025-2026 school year, only about 50% of this year’s school budgets were initially released due to concerns about overall budget constraints. This small release presented challenges at the school level with students and staff having shortages in basic supplies, such as white paper, with schools using colored paper instead. At WHS, offices have struggled to maintain everyday supplies. In response, community members have stepped in to support classroom needs. Ms. Fekete acknowledged these issues and attributed them to limited funding this year.
While noting that previous years saw even lower funding levels, she emphasized that her goal moving forward is full funding. “My hope is that next year, that will no longer happen. Over 1,030 budget lines were analyzed to ensure they were as accurately predicted as possible. This should help with fully funding approved budget expenditures. The goal is that the high school, and all other schools, are fully funded and able to buy all of the things that it set up for in their budgets. I really feel strongly that when the school developed their budgets this year because they were given a cap amount, that the budget is exactly what they need to function next year. Nobody is adding anything they don’t need.”
Looking ahead, the 2026-2027 budget also addresses broader district priorities, including safety improvements, sidewalk construction, and playground upgrades. Ms. Fekete emphasized that these investments are essential. “The priorities aren’t a choice. It’s non-negotiable,” she said. “Decisions were made based upon the requests that are going to impact the most kids in the most positive way.” As WPS moves through the budget approval process, Ms. Fekete’s first proposal reflects a balance between fiscal responsibility and educational needs. With an emphasis on transparency, equity, and long-term planning, the district aims to maintain current programs while gradually improving resources.
