Vote YES for the Braintree Override

Vote YES for the Braintree Override

On Saturday, June 15, the voters of Braintree will be asked to vote for a Proposition 2 1/2 override to raise $8million dollars to help fund schools, police, fire and DPW . This request by town officials does not come lightly but is necessary to prevent drastic reductions throughout all departments. The schools alone stand to lose in the vicinity of 90 positions if the override does not pass, along with reductions in police, fire and DPW. Everyone recognizes that during lean times we have to tighten our belts, but reducing the school budget by $8 million is more than tightening our belts. The school department will be making reductions of approximately $4 million dollars to balance the budget even if the override passes. Without the override passing, $8 million of reductions will be necessary.

Currently, our schools spend $2,000 below the state average in per pupil spending and less than all of the school districts on the South Shore with the exception of one. We can’t expect our students to compete and excel without providing the necessary resources to our schools. In addition to having the lowest tax rate on the South Shore, our average property tax bills are near the bottom compared to many surrounding and most South Shore communities.
With two years of Covid and remote learning, our school system has already been set back. New revenue growth has been reduced, making it impossible to maintain current services in the schools and other departments. While the federal government did provide additional resources to help communities maintain services, those were onetime payments which are no longer available. The town also committed one time revenue sources in an effort to prevent significant reductions and maintain services to the town.

Having both a short term and long-term plan for bringing new growth and additional revenue to the town, along with approving the Proposition 2 ½ override, will allow us to start digging ourselves out of what is a spiraling downturn for our schools and our community. The Mayor has presented a well thought out plan that includes a combination of department reductions and additional resources through an override that will balance the town budget for at least the next four years. Braintree is a proud community, never having shied away from challenging tasks and doing the right thing. The community needs to come together now more than ever.

I encourage all eligible voters to VOTE “YES” on June 15.

Dr. Peter A. Kurzberg
Retired Superintendent
Braintree Public schools