State Representatives John Lawn, Amy Sangiolo and Greg Schwartz, along with State Sen. Cindy Creem, met with the School Committee on Monday night to talk about how the state may be able to help NPS in these troubled times.

Superintendent Anna Nolin laid out a list of things that would make life easier for NPS, and most of that list was money-related.

Newton is going through what has become an annual budget challenge, with rapidly rising costs in health care, utilities and other things out of local control, as the city tries to figure out how to increase services toward Superintendent Nolin’s “Thrive” budget model for the schools, or at least keep services level for now.

Mayor Marc Laredo has allocated more than $314 million for NPS for FY2027, but with costs skyrocketing over the past several months, that amount is no longer enough to keep services level, so cuts must be made.

“The man does not have a money tree, as he has said over and over,” Nolin said. “And to that end, like all other districts, we are in the process of delivering cuts to help redeploy some resources within the organization and some to just eliminate positions or systems or products that we are currently using.”

The state budget is set to be voted on in a few weeks. There’s no money tree on Beacon Hill, either, but there are levers the state can pull to ease the fiscal friction in Newton.

Here are some highlights.

State funding programs

Nolin is asking for an increase in the state’s special education reimbursement from 75 percent to 90 percent and to lower the per-student cost threshold to trigger that aid sooner.

She’s also asking the state to keep Newton’s Chapter 70 funding at $150-per-student for FY2027. The governor has indicated that she wants cities like Newton, which rely less on that funding, to get $75 per student.

Creem said the point of the reduction was to give more money to communities that don’t generate much money through property taxes and rely on the state to fund their schools.

“I don’t know if that change would be very helpful to my communities,” Creem said. “That’s something to pay attention to.”

Last year, lawmakers were able to get Newton the $150-per-student rate, Schwartz pointed out, and that helped NPS avoid an even bigger budget crisis than the district had at the time.

“That’s obviously very important for us to get in the budget again this year, and I know that there’s been support for that,” Schwartz said.

The governor’s changes to Chapter 70, in response to limited available funds and a presidential administration determined to cut the state’s federal funding, may make this a tough ask.

“I hear my colleagues all over the state who want the changes made, and I feel for their communities because they are not getting the kind of funding that they need,” Sangiolo said. “But I do think that you also have to know and be prepared that if those changes go through, it will likely hurt Newton.”

Cell phone policy funding

Newton has already enacted a policy banning cell phone use from classrooms and establishing a Yondr Pouch program (in which students keep their phones in pouches during class time).

Now, a proposed state law known as the “bell-to-bell” bill would prohibit student phone possession in schools statewide. But it doesn’t come with funding to implement it, and there are components that go above and beyond Newton’s policy. The lawmakers seemed open to adding funding to the bill but wouldn’t make any promises.

“I’m always worried about there being mandates unfunded,” Creem said. “These are extraordinary times. I have to say that in all the time I’ve been in office, I’ve not experienced as much anxiety from my constituents for every reason, anxiety about the world and anxiety about immigrants, anxiety about money.”

Sangiolo concurred and noted that there are multiple bills filed regarding cell phones in schools and the lawmakers are asking the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for a policy model that would “give communities flexibility on how they want to handle that.”

“I am cognizant of the concern about having these unfunded mandates, so I’m sure that will come up as we move forward,” Sangiolo added.

The future of school buses

Newton uses Eastern Bus Company to transport local students to and from schools (as well as JSC Transportation for early childhood program students). Eastern Bus is located in West Newton but it serves many school districts in the state.

In fact, there are only a couple of bus companies that handle most standard school transportation in the whole state. According to South Coast Online, the number of companies offering bus services to schools has dropped by more than 20 percent since the 1980s as private equity has crept into the industry.

Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro’s office recently released a survey showing that two-thirds of districts in the state received only one bid, or in some cases zero bids, in their most recent transportation contracts.

And that has allowed a couple of bus companies to set prices high for everyone.

“I’m very concerned, because we are beholden to two companies that control all of the transportation in the state,” Sangiolo said. “I happen to be somebody who is very interested in moving toward electrifying our buses, and I did file a bill to make it easier for that to happen. I don’t know where that bill is right now, but that’s what I hope we can get to to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel transportation.”

Schwartz said he sees electric buses as more of a long-term solution, with potential incentives for cities and towns that use them.

“There might be some benefits to the communities that house the buses,” he said. “So it’ll be important for us to think about that as you make your plans long-term. I know that there are currently discussions about finding a place for the buses.”

With the state deciding its budget later this month and the City Council set to vote on Laredo’s budget in the next few weeks, it’s going to be a big season for money talk (and fiscal anxiety).

You can watch Monday’s meeting of the School Committee and legislative delegation here.