A Wake-Up Call on School Funding in Beverly

Thank you to Shore Country Day School for its generosity to the underfunded Beverly Public Schools students.

I sincerely appreciate our neighboring private school for hosting BMS 5th graders on their one field trip this year, to date. If you were not aware, our 5th graders walked to Shore Country Day School this week to attend a rehearsal of Shore’s middle school production of Honk! A rehearsal.

Just to be clear: This is a public middle school, attending the dress rehearsal of a private middle school’s production. As. Their. Field. Trip.

Why, you might ask? Well, it likely has something to do with the fact that this “field trip” (a term I use loosely) came with no transportation costs, no admission fees, and no other expenses – making it the only viable option in a district struggling with underfunding.

Of course, this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and it is very generous of our well-resourced neighbors to open their doors to Beverly’s public school students. But let’s be honest – this situation is deeply troubling for several reasons:

• It’s yet another glaring symptom of our district’s chronic underfunding.
• What message are we sending to our students about the stark divide between the “haves” and “have-nots”? Yikes. Equity, what?
• We live in an incredibly rich cultural area, with countless low-cost field trip options. And this was the best we could do?
• There are four colleges within 10 miles - including two in Beverly - yet we couldn’t afford to transport our students to one of their productions?
• North Shore Music Theatre is right here in town, along with multiple professional theaters in the region.

These small cuts, cheapened experiences, and shortcuts – they all add up. Beverly Public Schools have been systematically stripped of vital programs and resources due to chronic underfunding. Just a few examples off the top of my head:

• The 3rd-grade strings program? Eliminated this year.
• Elementary band? Gone.
• Elementary school librarians? Cut.
• Teachers eliminated, leading to larger class sizes.
• Special education programming reduced.
• Intervention support at a bare minimum.
• Next to no mental health support.

And who picks up the slack? Our PTOs and private organizations, who are forced to fund what Beverly Public Schools should already be paying for.

PTOs are meant to enhance education, not replace critical funding. Yet, in Beverly, PTOs don’t just fund “extras”, they fill fundamental gaps in our schools.

Today, my daughter’s class is doing a squid dissection; a basic piece of science curriculum. And who paid for it? The PTO. That should not be the case.

Our PTOs are overburdened with fundraising and labor demands, staffing elementary school libraries with parent volunteers who have no professional educational background or training.

Let’s put this into perspective: If every household in Beverly paid just $25 more in annual property taxes (about the cost of a carton of eggs), we could fully fund every PTO activity across the district. And to be clear, that’s just an illustrative example – PTOs should continue to enhance enrichment, but they should not be responsible for essential school operations.

And let’s be very clear about who suffers the most from these cuts. The students who bear the brunt of these reductions are our most vulnerable students – those on the margins, those with disabilities, those who identify differently, those who are housing insecure, or food insecure, those learning English, those who don’t have the same resources or privileges as others. When we underfund our schools, we widen the gap, deepen inequities, and deny these students the opportunities they deserve. I speak for them.

This is not criticism – it is a call to action. Our public schools are worth fighting for, and together, we can make a difference. Many people don’t realize the challenges our schools are facing, but awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. That’s why I speak up, advocate, and push for better funding. And I urge every Beverly resident who believes in the power of public education to do the same.

📢 Reach out to our elected officials and advocate for stronger school funding.

📢 Get involved—join a PTO, attend a School Committee meeting, make your voice heard.

📢 Run for School Committee.

📢 Run for City Council.

📢 Run for Mayor.

📢 Be the change our students deserve.