Marblehead School Officials Defend Push For Possible Override

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead school officials took their bid for additional funding beyond the approved operating budget increases to the public Thursday night as they continued to lay the groundwork for a potential override request.

Free kindergarten, a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director, as well as substantial updates in technology, security and textbooks, are among the services that Superintendent John Buckey and School Committee members argued are not supported through the level-funded budget with only contractual obligation increases that the Finance Commission approved earlier in the week.

"This budget for me represents what's in the best interest of Marblehead and its students," Superintendent John Bucket said during the forum. "Our stakeholders have determined that these are what our students need. So that, as the superintendent, is what I am bringing forward for the students and residents of Marblehead."

The School Committee is seeking an 11.38 percent increase over last year's budget with the Finance Committee agreeing to support a 5.12 percent increase as part of the town's operating budget. Any additional increases — which were estimated during Monday night's joint School and Finance meeting at about $2.6 million — would need to be subject to a separate vote of the town.

The pending request comes amid the backdrop of the Finance Committee meeting warnings that "structural challenges" likely mean that the entire town could be asking for an override at the town meeting next year just to sustain level funding for the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

"The town has been very transparent and clear that they are going for an override next year — there is no way around that — to address the structural difficulties or disconnect or challenges within the town," Buckey said. "Those will continue to be collaborative conversations with the town and the school department.

"The school department is prepared to move forward this year and not wait another year for our children to have the exemplary education they deserve."

School officials have said that many years of level funding in the budget has led the district to a point where it cannot add any of the new desired equipment, personnel and reference material — such as replacing the 1998 high school world cultures textbooks that are too old to include the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America — without the additional funding.

Buckey also defended the immediate need for the addition of the DEI Director position in the district — as opposed to hiring a part-time consultant or sharing DEI resources with area districts.

"I think it is important work," Buckey said. "If we see some of the incidents that have occurred in the district over the last couple of months — principals putting out messages (to notify parents) of things that aren't inclusive, that aren't respectful of diversity, that don't make safe and welcoming schools, I'm not sure we can question a need for such a position within the district and not diminish it to the role of consultant."

The Marblehead School Committee is set to vote to forward its budget — which appears likely to include the full increase request — at its next meeting on April 7.

The Finance Committee said it will make a decision on whether to support any potential override request during the April 11 town meeting warrant meeting.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)