The Manchester Essex School Committee approved a modified budget plan for fiscal year 2026 that will keep a principal at the Middle School. The vote was unanimous at Tuesday’s meeting at MERHS.
The approved budget will be $32,682,198, an increase of $2,451,676 or 8.1 percent more than the current budget.
It will mean a 7.29 percent increase in Manchester’s assessment and an 8.79 percent increase in Essex’s assessment. Manchester officials have said that the town would not need an override to cover the increase.
However, Essex officials have said that it would need an override of Proposition 2 ½ to pay for the increase. According to the school’s calculations, the override would increase the average Essex tax bill by $577 a year, or about $48 a month.
Superintendent of School Pamela Beaudoin said the modified budget, one of four possible budget plans she presented at the meeting, would cover all the schools’ contractual obligations, a 25.4 percent increase in the health care costs, the reduction of a facilities manager, reallocation of a full-time teacher to the middle school and Memorial School, and the use of $600,000 from reserve funds and $150,000 that won’t be added to the OPEB fund.
Beaudoin said that the latest numbers from the school’s health care insurance provider had dropped from about a 27 percent increase over the current budget’s health care costs, to a 25.4 percent increase, saving the district move than $40,000.
During the public comment period, many residents of both towns spoke, calling for a budget that level-funded services.
“I implore you to help our residents to understand the crossroads our public schools find themselves at,” said Sarah Stone of Manchester, “and the repercussions of not financially supporting the needs of our children.”
She urged the committee members and the residents attending the meeting to spread the word about all the good things the local schools accomplish.
Lindsay Banks of Manchester said that it was unreasonable to expect school departments to stick to a 2.5 percent budget increase each year.
“We have been fortunate that the district has been able to keep average budget growth under a very reasonable 3.5 percent these past five years,” said Banks, but noted that with inflation, cost-of-living salary hikes, and huge increases in health insurance, even 3.5 percent increases were out of reach.
Erin Greenwood, like many of the residents that spoke, urged the committee to keep a principal at the middle school.
Jessica Pino was one of several of the speakers who said they were new to town and that they chose to move to Essex or Manchester because of the quality of the schools. They were concerned that making cuts like eliminating the middle school principal was a step in the wrong direction.
A couple of the speakers also said that the loss of the facilities manager would lead to the deterioration of the school buildings.
Katie Vandi of Essex admitted that the schools needed more financial backing, but added that the cost of the schools increased the taxes for many residents struggling to get by. “We need to find a path in the middle,” said Vandi.
The other budget options that Beaudoin presented were a revised version of the budget presented at the March 4th meeting, which would cut the middle school principal, as well as the other reductions in the modified plan; a budget plan to get the towns’ assessments to 3.5 percent but use additional reserved funds; and a budget plan using no reserves.
Beaudoin said that the last two plans were not possible at this stage of the year.
Each of the members of the School Committee spoke about their budget preferences after Beaudoin’s presentation. While some said the modified plan did not include everything they hoped for, all said they preferred it to the other options.
Committee member Theresa Whitman said she didn’t agree with loss of a facilities manager and the reduction to OPEB account, but she would “hold her nose” and go with the compromise.
Committee Chairman Chris Reed said that the schools and the two towns need to work together.
“We need to have a serious conversation about what a (budget) correction will look like,” said Reed. This compromise “sets us up for a big decision next year.”
Committee member Kate Koch-Sunquist said the committee needed to be “mindful of the increased cost to Essex residents... But if this doesn’t pass, we’re in a desperate situation.”
Committee member Erica Spencer said that the schools have cut 15 positions in the past five years.
“We’ll lose between 21 and 27 position if this budget doesn’t pass,” said Spencer, using numbers provided by Beaudoin. Several committee members said that they will need to work very hard in the next six weeks to make sure the school budget and the override in Essex are approve at the Town Meetings.
The budget now goes to each town for review by the finance committees and select boards, before facing votes at the Town Meetings. Manchester will hold its Town Meeting on Monday, April 28, while Essex holds its Town Meeting on Monday, May 5.
