Finance Department

The Finance Department of the Somerville Public Schools provides effective and efficient financial services to enhance and support teaching and learning. Responsibilities include: budget preparation, management of all fiscal operations in the district including administration for all local, state and federal funds; contracting and purchasing of supplies and services; accounts payable and receivable; revenue and expenditure tracking and auditing; data accuracy monitoring; local, state, and federal reporting; auxiliary programs supervision; and facilities oversight.

Finance Divisions

  • Accounts Payable
  • Contracts
  • Facilities: Rentals + Management Information
  • Grants Management
  • Payroll

Current Requests for Bids

Annual Budget

Important Facts

  • The SPS budget runs on a Fiscal Year that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.
  • The SPS budget is part of the City of Somerville’s overall budget.
  • The Superintendent of Schools and the SPS Chief Financial Officer prepare and propose a budget to the School Committee. The School Committee votes to approve (or propose amendments to) the budget. The School Committee typically votes on the Superintendent’s proposed budget in May.
  • The School Committee has a subcommittee focused on financial oversight: the Finance and Facilities Subcommittee. The subcommittee meets regularly during the year. When the School Committee is deliberating on the fiscal year budget, they convene a Finance Committee Meeting of the Whole, which means that all members of the full School Committee are present.
  • The Superintendent and CFO present the SPS budget to the City Council as part of the Mayor’s annual budget. The City Council typically votes on the City budget in June.
  • The SPS budget is broken down into several areas: Personnel/Staffing, Ordinary Maintenance, and Operations.
  • The SPS budget is supplemented by external sources, including Private, State, and Federal grant funding.

About the SPS Budget Process

The SPS annual budget is created by the district over the course of several months, ending in a presentation to the School Committee in May and to the City Council in June. The SPS Chief Financial Officer and the Superintendent of Schools regularly meet with School Committee, through its Finance and Facilities Subcommittee, to develop the SPS budget. 

A majority vote of the full School Committee is required to approve the final proposed budget. This means that at least four of the seven School Committee members must vote to approve the budget. Because the SPS budget is part of the overall operating budget for the City of Somerville, the City Council also votes to approve funding to the school district. The City Council typically votes on the City budget in June.

FY26 Budget Materials

FY25 Budget Materials

View archived budget documents here.

Finance Department Central Office Staff