Hamilton-Wenham School Committee Pushes Support For Budget

The following was submitted as a letter to the editor by Gene Lee the Chair of the Capital and Financial Planning Subcommittee and Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email samantha.mercado@patch.com.

On June 20th, Hamilton will hold its Town Meeting on the field of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. Five days later, on June 25th, Hamilton Town Elections will be held. Wenham will hold its Town Meeting on July 11, and its Town Elections on June 25th.

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee urges residents of both towns to vote in favor of warrant articles and ballot questions supporting the District’s operating and capital budget requests. Specifically, we urge Hamilton residents to vote in favor of the two warrant articles at Town Meeting that make up the District’s Fiscal Year 2021 operating budget and also the ballot question asking voters to approve the District’s capital request. For Wenham, the District’s Fiscal Year 2021 operating budget will be presented in multiple questions on the back of the Wenham ballot with one being an override question. Approval of the override and a capital budget request must also pass at the Wenham ballot.

Before COVID-19, the School Committee presented a level services budget of $38.3 million. This budget allowed the District to maintain existing educational services and programming for the District’s 1,835 students. The economic situation of the Commonwealth has changed dramatically since the pandemic began and with an anticipated 20% reduction of state aid, the District may expect to see a loss of $1.274 million in state aid. Since learning that, the School Committee has already acted to reduce the District’s operating budget by that amount. To give context, $1.274 million is equivalent to half of the budget for the Buker Elementary School. Such a significant loss in revenue from the state means that some services and programming will not continue as before. Such reductions or elimination of activities will be devastating and significantly alter the educational experience for all students and personnel. Votes not in favor of the school budget at Town Meeting or at the ballot will force the District to make even further reductions in programming, jeopardizing the community resource that attracts new residents to both towns and educates and serves all students in Hamilton and Wenham.

The children and youth of the Hamilton Wenham Regional School District need your support to preserve the integrity and quality of their educational experience and maintain educational excellence. If you want to vote in favor of the schools, vote “Yes” every time you see the word “school.”

Signed,
Gene Lee
Chair, Capital and Financial Planning Subcommittee
Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee