District overview
How Haverhill Public Schools is funded, governed, and run, and what is underway right now
Like most Massachusetts districts, Haverhill gets most of its money from the state's Chapter 70 formula, with the city required to add a local share on top. For FY27 the state's formula said the city should contribute $65,990,591; the city actually budgeted $40,571,575.63. The district's finance office says roughly $25 million of that gap goes to costs the city itself absorbs on the schools' behalf, such as health insurance and retirement, which are not counted the same way in the state formula. An elected, 10-member School Committee sets the school budget and policy; Haverhill's Mayor sits as its ex-officio chairperson, and the Vice Chairperson is elected by the committee each January. A citywide election in November 2025 replaced most of the committee's membership.
State Chapter 70 aid was projected at $96,427,042 for FY27, funding most of the district's roughly $137 million budget.
The state's minimum local contribution guideline was $65,990,591; the city's actual FY27 contribution was $40,571,575.63, a gap the finance office attributes mostly to city-paid benefits and services that are counted elsewhere.
The committee voted 7-2 to add $1,000,000 on top of the superintendent's proposed budget, over the mayor's objection. That extra money needs an 8-of-11 supermajority from City Council; without it, the smaller budget takes effect automatically.
Salaries were about 81% of FY26 spending, and several union contracts were still unsettled while the FY27 budget was being built, so much of what the district spends depends on contracts settled during the year.
None of this means Haverhill's budget process is broken. The disagreement was over the last roughly 1% of the budget, every version on the record kept the schools open with no proposed layoffs, and City Council has a clear, public vote to decide the outcome.
The adopted FY27 budget ($136,998,617.63) divided by DESE's 2025-26 enrollment figure (7,732 students). This covers the whole school budget, not a school-level allocation, so it is not directly comparable to a per-school spending figure.
A new Consentino School building was under construction through the school year and opened with a ribbon-cutting on June 15, 2026. As of November 2025 it was reported 77% complete, on schedule, and under budget. The old Consentino building is now being demolished.
Not specified in the collected meeting records
A separate building committee is planning a project at the JG Whittier School. As of November 2025 the committee had selected and voted to negotiate with an owner's project manager (OPM) firm; the firm's proposal had not yet been received.
Not specified in the collected meeting records
The committee voted to spend $300,000 to enter the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program process for a new roof at Golden Hill School, following a similar prior project at Silver Hill School.
$300,000 from the district; a Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement has been applied for but not yet awarded
The committee signed a lease with the Archdiocese of Boston for the former St. James School building at 415 Primrose Street, Haverhill -- the same street address listed for Gateway Academy's program of studies, though the collected records do not spell out which program will use the space. The lease runs an initial five years with a five-year extension option.
General school department funds; rent starts at $386,696 in year one and rises to $426,840 by year five
A community group is raising money to build a new playground at Golden Hill School. As of April 2026 the group was about $92,000 short of its goal, which pushed the build back to October 2026. This is a private fundraising effort, not district capital spending.
Private community fundraising, not district funds
Haverhill
Haverhill holds citywide elections on the first Tuesday in November of odd years. The next School Committee and City Council election falls on November 2, 2027.
Official source · verified Aug 19, 2026
Haverhill · $136,998,618
The council approved the $136,998,618 school appropriation on a 5-4 roll call, keeping the $1,000,000 the School Committee added over the mayor's objection.
Official source · verified Aug 19, 2026
This page is drawn from every official Haverhill School Committee agenda, minutes, and meeting packet posted to the district's website for the twelve months ending August 19, 2026, plus the district's published board roster and district identity records.
We read every agenda, packet, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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