School Comm. Holds Override Public Hearing

By Adam Swift

With only two weeks to go until election day, the public hearing on a proposed $4.95 million override for the school budget dominated Monday night’s school committee meeting.

Those who spoke during the hearing generally supported the override, which will help fund expected district budget shortfalls for at least the next three years. There were questions raised about potential cuts to services if the override fails at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“I’m very passionate about getting this override passed, I don’t think we can overstate the consequences if it doesn’t get passed,” said Kaitlin Burroughs, chair of the Yes for Winthrop Kids committee in support of the override and co-president of the Gorman-Fort Banks PTO. “I’m hopeful about the energy in the community, the things we have been hearing, the questions we have been getting are really motivating and inspiring; just seeing how much people care about our town and our schools and our children.”

Courtney Woodward, who has also been volunteering for the Yes for Winthrop Kids campaign, said that the override vote could be a big turning point for the town.

“If this does not get passed, there will be substantial consequences to the kids and the schools, as well as to our entire community,” she said. “What we are doing now is not just investing in the schools, but investing in Winthrop as a whole.”

Parent Ashley Blackburn said her concern is with potential cuts to staff and support for students if the override vote does not pass.

Blackburn noted that the town has not gone for an override vote in 15 years, and asked if the money allotted in the current override would extend to help pay costs beyond three years.

School committee member Gus Martucci, who chairs the finance subcommittee said the school committee is currently stating that the override can help carry the budget through for three years, but added that he hoped it could be longer than that.

“I’m hopeful that our revenues will be better than we think,” said Martucci. “Budgeting is a crapshoot, there are two things, we have revenue and expenses. Revenue is state, local, and expenses are expenses.”

Martucci said the school department looks at past history and last year’s budget to try to determine what the budget needs will be in the future.

“We try to get it as best we can based upon that, as close as we can, sometimes things come in better, sometimes they come in worse,” said Martucci. “I think they are going to be better, the glass half full. So I think it is going to last longer than three years.”

While Martucci said he is hopeful the money from the override will extend beyond three years, it is likely the schools will have to go for another override when the money’s gone.

Superintendent of Schools Lisa Howard said she and superintendents across the state have spoken about making state and federal grants equitable by community to help with the budget crunch school districts are facing. “There is some hope there, it took the