by Marty Green ·
Friday, December 19, 2025
There were handshakes and smiles all around at Monday’s School Committee meeting, as current Assistant Superintendent Dana Labb signed the contract by which he will become superintendent of Harvard schools, effective July 1, 2026. Labb signed immediately after the committee’s unanimous vote, 4-0, to approve the contract. (Member Amy Morton was absent.)
The Dec. 15 School Committee began with a half-hour executive session while the committee discussed the three-year contract, which set Labb’s salary for the first year at $190,000. School Committee Chair Abby Besse noted afterward that the committee had consulted with its lawyers to develop a contract “that is fair and works for the district.”
The School Committee’s next task at the meeting was to approve the fiscal 2027 school budget, which will take effect on the same date Labb becomes superintendent. Current Superintendent Linda Dwight described the recommended budget as “a maintenance budget,” aimed at providing stability for the schools. As reported previously, the total fiscal 2027 budget is 2.2% lower than that for fiscal 2026. But it calls for a 1.56% increase for the schools in the town’s omnibus budget, because of a sharp decline in offsets from outside sources.
All committee members expressed regret about the need to reduce staff positions, particularly the loss of an English teacher at the Bromfield High School. All together, five positions were eliminated, for a saving of $318,000. Besse summed up the regrets, saying, “The hardest thing about the budget is not the numbers.”
After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve the recommended budget. The next step is sending it to Town Hall. The School Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Select Board are scheduled to discuss the school budget in a joint meeting Jan. 12.