Free Full-Day Kindergarten Sparks Budget Battle as Cohasset Residents Demand Greater Transparency
COHASSET - September 30 - The Cohasset Select Board heard impassioned pleas and detailed budget analysis Tuesday night as residents pushed for a citizens petition to guarantee tuition-free full-day kindergarten, with broader questions emerging about how the town allocates its annual budget and whether administrative spending has grown at the expense of education.
The Full Story
Will Ashton, a resident of Doane Street, presented a citizens petition to guarantee tuition-free full-day kindergarten for all residents beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year. The petition requires the appropriation of $300,000 from the town budget to cover the costs, with the school budget to be rebased thereafter to include full-day kindergarten funding. Ashton’s proposal comes after the school committee voted 3-2 in 2025 to take away free full-day kindergarten, despite town meeting voters unanimously supporting it in 2023.
Ashton presented a comprehensive analysis spanning 13 Excel spreadsheet tabs comparing Cohasset to peer communities. His findings suggested that Cohasset systematically underfunds education while spending significantly more than comparable towns on administration, information technology, public safety, and benefits. According to his data, Cohasset spends two to four times more than peer towns on administrative functions, with IT spending exceeding comparable communities by three to four times. Over five to six years, Cohasset’s administrative budget increased approximately 50 percent, while IT spending grew more than 80 percent.
The presentation drew sharp responses from residents on both sides. Jennifer Chu of Virginia Lane expressed alarm at what she characterized as poor budget management and communication. “It is extremely offensive to hear that any of you would accept a $17 million increase on a $10 million project and think that is something that is appropriate to bring in front of the town,” Chu said, referencing the public safety building proposal. She urged the board to welcome community expertise and make economically reasonable decisions for a small community.
Nick Francona of Red Gate Lane, attending his first community meeting, said the process of gathering information has been “extraordinarily difficult” and that residents don’t feel equipped to make informed decisions. “If that project is as important as some people say it is, then you’ve blown a lot of credibility with the town and the residents right now,” Francona told the board.
Select Board member Paul Grady questioned why petitioners had not worked more extensively with the school committee first, noting that the school committee has province over its own budget. “I’d like to see what the school committee has to say about it,” Grady said. “I think that before I would even make a recommendation to forward it on, I’d like to see what the school committee says.” He noted that the school committee is accountable as elected officials and encouraged residents to attend school committee meetings.
Ashton responded that the school committee is “not accountable to anyone” and that accountability can only come through Town Meeting or the Select Board. He said he met with the school committee chair and Superintendent, who suggested phasing in free kindergarten over five years—a proposal Ashton rejected, leading to the citizens petition.
Town Manager Chris Senior challenged some of Ashton’s methodology, particularly the use of per-capita metrics and online data sources. Select Board Chair Ellen Maher noted that Cohasset’s police budget increase of 40 percent over five years included the town’s participation in the South Shore Regional Emergency Communication Center (SRECC), which has grown from $355,000 to $490,000. Maher also pointed out that many costs related to schools—including health insurance, facilities maintenance, and the School Resource Officer—are funded from the town side of the budget, not the school budget.
Maher acknowledged the value of Ashton’s analysis and invited him to meet with the board for a more comprehensive budget review. “What you’ve come forth with is interesting, and I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you as a board,” Maher said. She explained that due to open meeting law, board members cannot respond individually to resident communications and must discuss such matters in public session.
Select Board member David Farrag defended the planning department as an example of value in town spending, noting that since 2022, the two-person planning department has secured more than $1.295 million in grants for the town. These grants have focused on resiliency, infrastructure, ADA compliance, and bylaw updates. “Both Sandra and Julie who work there, we’ve had other people in the past who’ve worked there—I remember when we first were looking at getting a town planner, it was over 20 years ago, and it was controversial at the time because people said, ‘Why do we need a town planner?’” Farrag said. “And now we have a full-fledged department that’s able to bring in this amount of money way beyond what their salaries are.”
Another resident defended the School Resource Officer program, citing the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012 as the impetus for the position. She argued that SRO officers should remain in the budget and questioned whether families unable to afford kindergarten fees should homeschool instead. This comment drew pushback from other residents who said such an approach would undermine the sense of community and public education’s fundamental purpose.
Town Manager Senior acknowledged that the school budget has deficits in fiscal year 2026, including more than $100,000 in under-budgeted utilities. “There are deficits that are existing in fiscal 26 in the school budget that are trying to be rectified, and we’re having a conversation about adding $300,000,” Senior said. He expressed frustration at the lack of a balanced budget.
Maher explained the collaborative budget process, noting that the town manager, select board chair, school committee chair, and superintendent meet quarterly—and more frequently during budget season—to discuss needs and allocations. “There’s a lot of conversation that goes on prior to the budget allocation about what the needs are, what the town needs are, where we can move, where we cannot move,” Maher said. In the past, the town has funded curriculum purchases from one-time free cash, saving approximately $100,000 and preserving teaching positions.
The Select Board did not vote on the citizens petition Tuesday night. The advisory committee had not yet weighed in, and board members indicated they would wait to hear from both the advisory committee and the school committee before making a recommendation. The petition will be addressed again at a future meeting before special town meeting, tentatively scheduled for November 15, 2025.
In a separate but related discussion, Fire Chief John Dockray provided an update on plans for 62 Elm Street, the current fire station. The board had previously discussed the public safety building proposal for 135 King Street but had not addressed the future of 62 Elm Street. Chief Dockray and facilities staff outlined a phased renovation plan for 62 Elm Street, which would begin in 2028 after the completion of any new public safety facility. The original estimate of $7 million was reduced to $4.2 million by identifying must-have components and phasing the project over five years.
Chief Dockray emphasized the need for proper decontamination facilities to prevent cancer among firefighters. “One of our biggest issues in the fire service is cancer,” Dockray said. “Right now we don’t have the proper areas to decon coming back from either a fire scene, a medical scene, or a hazmat scene. We store our gear on the apparatus floor. That doesn’t help with cancer prevention.” The chief noted that the fire station basement has experienced two major sewer backups, and state EMS officials cited the department for storing supplies there. Dockray explained that the 62 Elm Street renovation would allow the fire department to expand into space currently occupied by the police department, creating proper decontamination areas, storage for on-duty and callback firefighters, and a conference/training room that could be shared with Safe Harbor, which currently operates from the library attic.
The 62 Elm Street project would also relocate the IT department and Safe Harbor to the building, providing approximately 1,500 to 1,700 square feet for those departments. Select Board members asked about the funding source for the project, and Maher indicated it would be contracted work similar to the ongoing Town Hall renovation, with costs likely spread over several years through the capital budget.
In other business, the select board approved a letter of support for Hull Select Board Chair Irwin Nesoff to serve as the South Shore Coalition representative to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The board also approved the South Shore Community Center Nursery School Halloween Stroll for October 19, 2025, along with an entertainment license for the event.
The board unanimously approved the transfer of the Chapter 12 General On-Premise Annual All-Alcohol License from RBLB, Inc., doing business as Lenny’s Hideaway, to Just Add Water, LLC, doing business as Captain’s Hideaway, located at Stage Coach Way. Manager Jill Solimini, a resident of Scituate with extensive experience managing floating restaurants for Boston Harbor Cruises, told the board she plans to keep the restaurant largely the same with only minor decor changes. The board also approved a common victualer’s license for the establishment. In a separate license matter, the board approved a name change for the former Peel Pizza restaurant at 13 Depot Court to Hook Pizza Company under Thurman LLC.
The board made several committee appointments. Gene Pesci was appointed to the Affordable Housing Trust, one of three open positions. Nicole Roth was reappointed to the Community Television Commission, leaving six openings on that committee. Doug McGregor of Border Street was appointed to the Cohasset Village Historic District Study Committee. McGregor, who has been in town for eight years and co-owns Salty Days downtown and supports Seabird Coffee financially, described his background in construction and development, including historic preservation work in Newton and Brookline. “I won Newton’s Historic Preservation Award, although that was more than a couple decades ago,” McGregor said. “I used to do historic preservation work, basically saving historic structures.” Select Board member Paul Grady praised the appointment, noting the importance of the committee’s work to establish guidelines and structure to protect the village character. Sanji Fernando was appointed as the Conservation Commission representative to the Community Preservation Committee.
The board approved the FY27 budget message, which will be posted on the town website. Maher indicated that she and Town Manager Senior are working on a comprehensive budget review with appropriate benchmarking and metrics, to be presented before special town meeting. The review will examine budget trends since 2020 across various departments.
The board reviewed articles for the upcoming special town meeting. Article 1, creating a revolving fund for the Cohasset Community Market with an $8,000 cap, was approved 4-0. Town Manager Senior explained that revolving funds allow fees collected for specific programs to be spent within the same fiscal cycle on those programs, while enterprise funds are for larger ongoing operations. Article 2, for unpaid bills from previous years totaling $13,450.83, was approved 4-0. Article 3, appropriating $350,000 to the Post-Employment Benefits Trust Fund to maintain compliance with the town’s funding policy, was approved 4-0. Article 4, covering capital improvements including water and sewer projects, was not voted on pending advisory committee review. Article 5, for the Joseph Osgood Elementary School roof project with Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement, was approved, with funding to come from the school stabilization fund. The MSBA will fund 32.47 percent of the project cost, which came in at approximately $5.8 million.
Article 6, the Cohasset Public Safety Building, was not voted on pending advisory and capital committee review. Article 7, creating an enterprise fund for the Recycling Transfer Facility, was not voted on, with plans to provide more detailed information at the next meeting. Article 8, amendments to the fiscal 2026 operating budget including transfers for cable access TV and water department expenses, was approved. Article 9, allocation of funds for one-time costs including $25,000 for a Cohasset Village Historic District consultant study, approximately $96,000 for Town Hall furniture and shelving following flood damage, and $50,000 set aside for potential Sandy Beach monitoring related to endangered piping plovers, was not voted on pending further information.
Article 10, on town parking regulations, has language forthcoming. Article 11, accepting Massachusetts General Law Chapter 138 Section 12-D to allow on-premise wine and malt beverage licenses to be traded for all-alcohol licenses without changing the total number of licenses, was approved. Article 12, accepting MGL Chapter 83 Section 16-A for sewer liens, was approved after Senior explained that the town has been functioning under this provision for years but formal acceptance was never recorded. Article 13, regarding lease of school property for solar power generation facilities, was not voted on pending school committee and advisory review. Senior noted this is a reauthorization as the window for such deals has changed in the past decade. Article 14, the citizens petition for tuition-free full-day kindergarten, was discussed extensively but not voted on.
Maher announced several upcoming public engagement opportunities. An “open house” tour of 62 Elm Street will be held October 11 from 1-3 p.m., coinciding with the fire department’s open house featuring the SAFE program. A second tour will be offered October 18 from 1-3 p.m. Three community forums on public safety initiatives are scheduled: October 14 at 135 King Street, October 15 at the Beechwood Meeting House, and October 22 at the Panagia Orthodox Church on Jerusalem Road, all from 6:30-8 p.m. Maher emphasized these would not be select board meetings but forums for presentation and questions and answers. The architect and Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) will be available at these sessions.
Why It Matters
The debate over full-day kindergarten funding exposes deeper tensions about budget priorities in Cohasset. For families with kindergarten-age children, the unexpected restoration of tuition fees—reportedly $3,000 per child—represents a significant mid-year financial burden that many say they budgeted around when town meeting voters approved free kindergarten in 2023. The broader budget analysis presented by residents suggests potential systemic issues in how the town allocates resources across departments, with implications for future override requests and debt exclusion votes as the town faces expensive capital projects for facilities including the public safety building, fire station, water department, and schools. The establishment of an enterprise fund for the recycling transfer facility and increased school fees signal a shift toward user-fee models that could fundamentally change how residents pay for town services. For voters, understanding these budget dynamics before the November 15 special town meeting will be crucial, as decisions made now will shape both immediate costs and long-term fiscal sustainability.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Approve Hull Select Board Chair Irwin Nesoff as South Shore Coalition representative to the MPO. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:08:49)
Motion: Approve South Shore Community Center Nursery School Halloween Stroll on October 19, 2025 from 2-4 p.m. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:09:35)
Motion: Approve entertainment license for Halloween Stroll. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:09:41)
Motion: Approve transfer of all-alcohol annual on-premise license from Lenny’s Hideaway to Just Add Water LLC DBA Captain’s Hideaway with Jill Solimini as manager. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:14:50)
Motion: Approve common victualer’s license for Just Add Water LLC. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:15:11)
Motion: Approve common victualer’s license for Thurman LLC DBA Hook Pizza at 13 Depot Court. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:16:38)
Motion: Appoint Gene Pesci to the Affordable Housing Trust. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:18:31)
Motion: Reappoint Nicole Roth to the Community Television Commission. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:18:31)
Motion: Appoint Doug McGregor to the Cohasset Village Historic District Study Committee. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:21:55)
Motion: Approve Sanji Fernando as Conservation Commission representative to Community Preservation Committee. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:22:55)
Motion: Approve FY27 budget message. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:25:22)
Motion: Approve location of Deer Hill School gymnasium for local election tentatively scheduled for November 15, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:49:04)
Motion: Recommend Article 1 - Creation of revolving fund for Cohasset Community Market. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:51:57)
Motion: Recommend Article 2 - Unpaid bills from previous years. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:53:13)
Motion: Recommend Article 3 - Stabilization Fund/Trust Fund appropriation. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:54:19)
Motion: Recommend Article 5 - Joseph Osgood Elementary School project. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:58:48)
Motion: Recommend Article 8 - Amendments to fiscal 2026 operating budget. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:00:56)
Motion: Recommend Article 11 - Acceptance of MGL Chapter 138 Section 12-D to allow on-premise wine/malt licenses to be traded for all-alcohol licenses. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:15:11)
Motion: Recommend Article 12 - Acceptance of MGL Chapter 83 Section 16-A for sewer liens. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:10:38)
Motion: Approve minutes of September 23, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: 4-0 (one abstention). (Timestamp: 1:56:59)
Motion: Move into executive session for collective bargaining negotiations with non-union personnel (town manager), not to return to public session. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:57:32)
Public Comment
Three residents spoke during the opening public comment period. Nick Francona of Red Gate Lane, attending his first community meeting, expressed frustration about the difficulty of gathering information to make informed decisions on town issues, particularly the public safety building. He stated that information either doesn’t exist or hasn’t been clearly communicated, and criticized what he characterized as “propaganda” from town government. Jennifer Chu of Virginia Lane thanked board members for their service but expressed alarm at budget management, specifically calling a $17 million increase on a $10 million project “extremely offensive.” She urged the board to welcome community expertise, focus on needs rather than wants, and make economically reasonable decisions. She also criticized the handling of full-day kindergarten funding, calling it “really, really poor planning and poor governance” that was unfair to parents.
Later in the meeting, during discussion of Article 14 (the kindergarten petition), Will Ashton of Doane Street presented detailed budget analysis comparing Cohasset to peer communities, arguing that education has been systematically underfunded to support other departments. Multiple residents spoke on both sides of the issue, with some defending the School Resource Officer program and questioning why families couldn’t pay kindergarten fees, while others argued for restoring free full-day kindergarten and expressed frustration about budget transparency and decision-making processes. One resident who identified as a mother criticized the characterization of young parents as unable to afford fees and expressed feeling that her household budget had been disrupted by the mid-year policy change. The discussion became heated at times, with the chair having to remind attendees to remain on topic and maintain decorum.
What’s Next
The Select Board will continue reviewing special town meeting articles at its next meeting, with particular focus on Articles 4 (capital improvements), 6 (public safety building), 7 (recycling transfer facility enterprise fund), 9 (one-time cost allocations), 10 (parking regulations), 13 (school property solar lease), and 14 (kindergarten petition) once the advisory committee and other relevant committees provide recommendations. The board invited Will Ashton to meet with them to discuss his budget analysis in more detail as they conduct their own comprehensive budget review. Special town meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 15, 2025. Three community forums on public safety initiatives are scheduled for October 14 (135 King Street), October 15 (Beechwood Meeting House), and October 22 (Panagia Orthodox Church), all from 6:30-8 p.m. Tours of 62 Elm Street fire station are scheduled for October 11 and October 18 from 1-3 p.m., with the October 11 date also featuring the fire department’s open house with the SAFE program. The board will meet again prior to special town meeting to finalize recommendations on all warrant articles.