Marblehead Schools Headed Toward Override Request

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead School Committee appears prepared to move ahead with a budget override request at the annual town meeting after the Finance Committee on Monday night signed off on a level-funded budget for Fiscal Year 2023 adjusted for increases in contractual obligations and unfunded special education state mandates.

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 Monday night at about $2.6 million — would need to come under a separate vote of the town.

"If the question that's being asked is 'Is this year the year,'" School Committee member Sarah Fox said, "I joke that there aren't many things on our School Committee that we're unanimous on. But I think it's safe to say we are unanimous that this is the year."

Fox noted that it's been 17 years since the schools have asked for an override and that procrastination has led the district to the point where the curriculum and equipment are often outdated — including world history textbooks at the high school members cited are too old to include the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in America.

"Four years ago when we had such an issue," School Committee Chair Sarah Gold said, "I stood up and I said that I know we need money. But I can't tell you where we need it. And when I can tell you I will come back and let you know.

"This is us coming back. I can get behind this."

Finance Committee members said the budget process meant they could only approve the budget they did on Monday and that they will consider whether to support the additional request at the April 11 warrant meeting.

There will be a public budget hearing where Marblehead residents can learn more about the proposals, their costs and have their say during public comment about them on Thursday night.

The pending request comes amid the backdrop of 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.

School Committee members said that should not preclude the schools from fulfilling long-overdue needs now and any additional needs in both the near and long-term future.

"When we look at these other items on the budget that we proposed," Fox said, "none of these are hope-to-have items, wish-list items. This is really a needs-based budget. This really reflects what is appropriate and what is needed to educate our students in the Marblehead Public School system.

"This is our children's education. If we don't fund what our administrators tell us needs to be funded then we are taking away the educational opportunities of the students in our town."

(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.)