Weymouth Council Opens FY27 Budget Hearing as School Funding Gap Draws Crowd

WEYMOUTH -- May 18, 2026, Weymouth Town Council opens FY27 budget hearing on a $227.2 million spending plan with a $1.63 million school funding gap still unresolved. Mayor Michael Meleese presented the budget, a 4.1 percent increase over FY26, to the council Monday, with Acting CFO Ted Langell reporting a reaffirmed double-A bond rating, health insurance costs rising just 6.1 percent against a projected 9 percent, and new growth falling to its lowest level in 11 years at $1.65 million. The Weymouth Public Schools had sought a 5.3 percent increase to $94.87 million; the mayor's operating appropriation covers $93.25 million, with a separate $500,000 free-cash measure for special education. School Committee Vice Chair Danielle Graziano called the process "careful planning" but pressed the state to overhaul Chapter 70 and Circuit Breaker funding, while parent after parent warned of 35-student elementary classrooms and the elimination of middle school French instruction. U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch told the council his office has secured $17.8 million in federal funding for Weymouth over the past two congressional sessions. The council passed three ordinance committee measures 10-0, including a seasonal 20 mph safety zone on River Street and an expanded waterways ordinance that grew from six to 16 pages.