Committee approves $15.7 million in carryover spending

School Committee · Meeting of May 21, 2026

Springfield School Committee approved $15.7 million in carryover spending and heard a plan for a new autism day school. Members voted 7-0 for a $15,749,906 appropriation covering curriculum materials, network upgrades, autism classroom supplies and other one-time purchases, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Roach said. Dr. Marisa McCarthy, chief of exceptional learners, told the committee enrollment in the district's autism programming grew 353 percent since 2013, to 698 students, and proposed opening a 200-student public day school at the Chestnut Campus with 19 classrooms for 2026-27.

"If they can't learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn," McCarthy said. A committee member identified only as Rosa moved to revisit the 2026-27 school calendar after more than 200 emails from families and teachers, but the motion died for lack of a second.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Springfield's community access TV: School Committee meeting, May 21, 2026
• The complete report: 1,048 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of May 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.