At the May 6 Town Election, we will cast votes on whether to approve the Tier 1 and Tier 2 overrides. The outcome will have dramatic implications for the town and school budgets.
Harvard does not routinely pass overrides. The last successful override was in 2008. Last year the full override narrowly failed, although the Tier 1 override did pass.
Why the need for an override?
We are all feeling the pressures of inflation, and the schools and the town are no exception. The school budget in particular is facing inflationary pressures from multiple sources: required salary increases, and outsized cost increases in benefits, insurance, utilities, transportation, and out-of-district tuition for special education students. These costs alone will result in over $1.1 million in additional mandatory expenses for the schools over the next fiscal year.
Tier 1 is not level service
Without an override now, the school district will face a staggering $955,000 budget deficit—an amount equal to roughly 11.5 full-time positions. If we pass only Tier 1, the district would still be short the equivalent of 4.5 full-time positions. Both scenarios would involve painful cuts to an already bare-bones budget. Further cuts would not only jeopardize jobs, programs, and services, but could ultimately result in larger class sizes and lower education quality for students. As one Finance Committee member aptly put it, “Any further cuts would be self-harm.”
The difference between Tier 1 and 2 is small
Although the difference in impact to the schools would be large between Tier 1 and Tier 2, the difference at the household level is relatively small: Tier 1 would bring an estimated property tax increase of around $38 per month for the average household with an assessed home value of $875,000, while Tier 2 would be an average increase of about $55 per month for the same household. The difference of $17 per month would fully fund the budget for the town and the schools.
It should be noted that the original school budget request sent to and recommended by the Finance Committee did not break the budget into tiers. The recommendations of the School and Finance committees are clear and unequivocal: Pass the full budget override to preserve essential services. This means we must pass both Tier 1 and Tier 2 for students to receive the same level of services and high quality education as in years past.
Preserving essential services while mitigating future costs
Harvard Public Schools are continually recognized as one of the best districts in Massachusetts. To maintain excellence, our schools must address evolving standards and needs. Three critical areas have been identified as needing immediate attention to address current needs while helping to reduce future costs: literacy, technology support, and special education.
- The current literacy curriculum at the elementary school does not meet state requirements and must be replaced. Compliance with state requirements will not only improve our students’ literacy education; it will also make the schools eligible for grant funding to offset future budget pressures.
- In a changing technological world, maintaining security of all of our data is paramount, and any breach would be a substantial financial burden to the town. Therefore technology support is imperative.
- The proposed special education teacher for Bromfield will result in a net savings for the district by reducing out-of-district tuition costs.
The School Committee’s strategic and forward-thinking budget is designed to mitigate rising and future costs, while addressing the needs of all of our students and maintaining Harvard schools’ pre-eminence.
Override benefits town as well as schools
This year’s proposed override does not solely impact the schools. Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 contain funding for town services as well. This includes funding for police training and adding an additional police officer; full funding for the building maintenance budget; purchases of services and equipment for the Fire Department; funding to maintain the current library schedule; fully funding Department of Public Works hours and DPW administrative assistant; funds for the Council on Aging; adding a front-office receptionist for the town; and fully funding snow and ice removal.
The choice we make collectively on May 6 has the potential to impact the quality of education our children receive for years to come. It will also determine whether the town is able to support the dedicated service of our first responders and the Council on Aging. It will ensure the DPW is able to perform the functions we expect. We urge you to vote “yes” to both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 overrides, and vote “yes” for Harvard.
If you agree and support the full budget override, it is important to vote “yes” for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 at the ballot. Because of the way the ballot is structured, if Tier 2 does not pass, your “yes” vote on Tier 1 will still be needed.
Please visit www.voteyesforharvard.com for more information.
Jamie Brent is a member of a ballot question committee, Vote Yes for Harvard, that advocates for passage of the overrides needed to meet the School Committee’s budget.
