Finance Committee Presses Shawsheen Tech On Budget Gaps

Finance Committee · Meeting of August 18, 2026

Tewksbury Finance Committee pressed new Shawsheen Tech business manager on budget gaps and transparency. Vice Chair Jomarie Buckley told incoming Business Manager Ian Gosselin that three of five sending towns had not approved the district's budget before two towns moved it along anyway, calling the situation a "business failure, not an academic failure." Chair Richard Levasseur said a $435,451 districtwide reduction actually returns just $140,886.53 to Tewksbury, and criticized Shawsheen Tech for posting only a March budget online while a revised June version circulated privately. Member Raymond Bowden warned that per-student assessments have climbed 5.5 percent annually for five years, above revenue growth, and that missing the Dec. 1 state deadline could let the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education set the budget.

The committee approved May 6 and June 22 minutes, 6-0-1 and 5-0-2, before adjourning 7-0 at 7:50 p.m.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,911 words

Source: the Finance Committee meeting of August 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

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