Somerset-Berkeley Regional School Committee Adopts AI Policy, Forms Capital Planning Panel

SOMERSET — February 3, 2026 — Somerset-Berkeley Regional School Committee approves AI policy and braces for a tight FY27 budget. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new artificial intelligence policy and to establish a capital planning subcommittee, as district leaders warned that Governor Maura Healey's FY27 budget proposal delivers only the minimum Chapter 70 per-student aid increase of $75, yielding roughly $66,900 in new funding against a current allocation of $7,204,101. Chief Financial Officer Rafele Keller said broader state receipt changes put the district up about $350,000 over FY26, but Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Spoonover and committee members cautioned that a projected 15 percent health insurance cost increase and rising contractual obligations will make budget deliberations difficult. A governance dispute emerged when a member reported that the Somerset School Committee is considering a policy that would bar its appointed regional members from sitting on regional subcommittees — a move regional members called a potential violation of the regional agreement.