Lowell School Committee votes 7-0 to restore three student support jobs at Lowell High

CARLISLE — May 6, 2026 — Lowell School Committee voted unanimously to restore three student support specialist positions at Lowell High School, amending the fiscal year 2027 budget by cutting a combined $400,000 from three line items. The 7-0 vote, moved by Mayor Gitcheer and seconded by member Conway, drew down $248,000 from a reserve built to absorb an anticipated 15 percent reduction in federal Title I funding, $100,000 from school committee expenses, and $52,000 by eliminating two part-time technology positions. The district's superintendent warned the Title I reserve may be needed mid-year, telling the committee, "We don't do any of that work until the budget has been voted on," and pushed for a quick special meeting to finalize the $287,966,413 spending plan. The committee scheduled that formal adoption vote for the following Monday at 5:30 p.m. The dispute arose after members including McFadden and Bahu said they believed they had voted at the April 22 meeting to restore all six specialist positions — not three — a misunderstanding rooted in a mid-process trade in which the high school redirected three positions' funding to restore a fine arts chair and music teacher.