Shawsheen Valley Technical High School trimmed athletic capital spending in its fiscal 2027 budget while protecting safety-related field upgrades, the district's finance committee heard July 29.

BILLERICA --

HIGH SCHOOL -- The regional vocational school's finance committee reviewed line-by-line reductions to its capital budget during a July 29 meeting. New business manager Ian Goslin, in his eighth day on the job, told the committee that diving blocks and a weight room floor replacement were deferred for the year. Baseball field nets and replacement pellets for the turf on both the soccer field and the football field were kept in the budget as safety-related items. Bond interest tied to the district's athletic facilities debt also remained funded, since officials said that payment is contractually required. Goslin said total budget reductions came to between $435,451 and $456,614, depending on how a treasurer's salary line is counted, out of a total fiscal 2027 budget request of $43,903,347, a 3.69 percent increase over last year. Committee members noted most of the cuts, including the athletic capital deferrals, are one-time savings rather than permanent reductions, since deferred projects such as the diving blocks and weight room floor will likely need funding in a future year.

Compiled from team and league reports, reader submissions, and local coverage.