Brookline Okays Renovations To Pierce School At Annual Town Election

BROOKLINE, MA – The unofficial election results are in: at the annual town election on Tuesday, Brookline voters said “yes” to question 1 – a Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion question – giving the town the go-ahead to renovate the Pierce School.

51.3 percent of voters cast a ballot for the proposed renovations to the school, which are set to cost $212 million, meaning Brookline residents will see a temporary property tax increase to pay for the bonds necessary for the Pierce School Building capital project.

Brookline voters also cast a ballot in favor of an override to fund Brookline public schools and a cap on the number of marijuana licenses in the town.

61.1 percent of voters said “yes” to question 2A, which allows for a permanent $11,983,367 townwide property tax increase for the purposes of funding the costs of Brookline Public Schools ($6,988,367) and funding the costs of additional expenditures in municipal departments ($4,995,000).

For the other override question, 2B, Brookline voters voted against the proposed increase in taxes by $13,833,367 over the next three years to fund municipal and school operations and close certain budget deficits facing Brookline – but it was a nearly tie vote.

50.22 percent of voters said “no” to question 2B, with 49.78 saying “yes.”

Brookline voters were much more certain of their stance on question 3, which proposed limiting the number of storefront marijuana retailer licenses in the town.

61.32 percent of voters said “yes” to question 3, capping the number of storefront marijuana retailer licenses in the town to four or less.

The election saw about 12,389 of Brookline voters casting a ballot on Tuesday.

The 2023 election featured three competitive races, with three candidates vying for two select board seats, two candidates running for one Brookline School Committee (1-year) seats and a two-person race for a seat on the housing authority.

See who was elected to seats in these competitive races and more here.