The School Committee voted to add two “placeholder” override articles on the Town Meeting warrant (voting agenda) for this May, with no dollar amounts attached.
The first is a general Proposition 2 1/2 override “for the purposes of revenue to go directly to the school budget,” said School Committee Chair Jenn Schaeffner.
“I just want to make sure everyone knows this is just a placeholder,” emphasized member Alison Taylor. “No decisions have been made on what is or is not needed from a budgetary perspective.”
During teacher contract talks, Schaeffner and member Sarah Fox said that the agreed-upon wage hikes would add more than $3 million to the school budget, and without an override there would be layoffs.
The second placeholder article is for a debt exclusion override for capital expenses for the school department.
Fox said this override could be used to replace the leaky high school roof. New estimates for the project came in at nearly $14 million. (Town Meeting approved $5.3 million for the project in 2023.)
The School Committee will learn at the State of the Town address on Feb. 5 what its budget allocation will be for FY 2026. (The FY 2025 budget was $46,759,111.)
The following is a preliminary timeline from there.
- Feb. 3: Assistant Superintendent Michael Pfifferling presents draft budget to School Committee at a public workshop
- March 6: Public School Committee budget hearing
- March 20: School Committee votes on a budget
- April 7: Finance Committee holds its warrant hearing reviewing articles (including possible overrides)
- May 5: Town Meeting
Interim super wants to stay
Interim Superintendent John Robidoux announced at the School Committee meeting that he would like to be named permanent superintendent beginning July 1. He is currently six months into a two-year contract as interim superintendent.
“Having permanency is helpful to me, but I think it’s more helpful for the community, the educational community, to have some stability,” he said. “I’m the fifth superintendent in four years. That’s not helpful to any district.”
Robidoux added, “If I’m permanent, buy-in from the staff becomes a little elevated. Parents would feel the same way.”
School Committee members thanked Robidoux and expressed happiness about his desire to stay. They discussed forming a subcommittee to develop a formal evaluation process. Schaeffner is contacting the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to ask if the MASC can lead a workshop this January to help with the evaluation process. School Committee members agreed that input from parents, educators and students is vital.
“I’m excited that you’re interested after your trial by firing squad the last few months,” said Taylor. “I do think you’ve handled it with as much style and grace as possible.”
Goodbye to Coffin
The School Committee also voted unanimously to turn over the old Coffin School property to the town. Coffin is valued at $3.2 million, with $1.5 million of that coming from the land.
Initially, Fox and Taylor wanted to hold on to the Coffin School in case the town sees population growth, especially if Marblehead ultimately votes to comply with the MBTA multifamily zoning mandate.
Robidoux pointed out that the Coffin property is costing the district.
“For the schools to maintain the building doesn’t make any sense at all,” he said. “It’s not cost-effective. It makes fiscal sense for us to get rid of it.”
Fox said, “In an ideal world, I would like to see that building razed and for it to become an outdoor classroom or learning space, or a community space of some kind. It will be developed.”
Town Meeting will decide if the property should be sold.
