Hanson Schedules Special Town Meeting to Address School Budget Shortfall
Voters to decide on funding options for $372,000 deficit on June 17; Select Board grapples with limited choices
HANSON, MA - May 14 - Hanson's Select Board has scheduled a special town meeting for June 17 to address a $372,000 deficit in the school budget, giving voters another chance to weigh in on funding options.
The decision comes after voters rejected an override at the May 6 town meeting, creating a disconnect between Hanson and neighboring Whitman, which approved its share of the school budget using one-time free cash.
"We've got a disconnect where Hanson did not pass the override to pay for the 2.68% above what we had budgeted. Whitman did pass the budget that was assessed," said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.
The school committee voted to maintain its original assessment despite Hanson's rejection, leaving the town to grapple with how to fund the shortfall.
Town Accountant Eric Kinsherf strongly advised against using free cash to cover the deficit, warning it would be "unconscionable" and leave the town in a precarious financial position.
"I can't in good conscience recommend anything other than budget cuts to fund it," Kinsherf said. "If we did nothing and we just spent the free cash, we'd be looking at 1.1 million. It would just be unconscionable in my mind."
Kinsherf explained that the town has only $627,000 in free cash, with $794,000 already allocated to fund this year's budget. He recommended setting aside $100,000 for potential unemployment costs and $500,000 for a stabilization fund to prepare for future financial challenges.
Select Board member Joseph Weeks expressed frustration with the school committee's decision to maintain its assessment after voters rejected the override.
"What I have a problem with is what happened on May 7th and why we got the same assessment from the four conservative representatives that brought it right back to us," Weeks said. "You were elected to make hard decisions. Make the hard decisions. Stop kicking it back to us."
The board discussed several options for addressing the deficit, including another override attempt, using free cash, making budget cuts, or a combination of these approaches. However, they agreed to wait until after the May 18 town election before finalizing their strategy for the June 17 meeting.
FitzGerald-Kemmett emphasized the board's limited options, saying, "There's not like magical money coming out of thin air."
She also highlighted the challenges of being part of a regional school district, which complicates budget negotiations.
"Because of the fact that it's a regional district, it's a separate entity by design," FitzGerald-Kemmett said. "But it sets it up so that there isn't that connectivity between the district and us."
The board expressed concern about the impact of potential budget cuts on town services and employees. They noted that even modest cuts could result in significant reductions in staff and services.
"You're actually losing way more services and way more people by making personnel cuts than you actually think you would," Weeks said.
Board members also discussed the need for better communication and collaboration between the school committee and the Select Board. They called for more frequent and substantive discussions about budget issues throughout the year.
"I would like to be working together to be like, okay, can we be reasonable here? We can cut it, you know, can you guys cut here?" FitzGerald-Kemmett said. "And kind of like work together that way. But we haven't been doing that for years."
The June 17 special town meeting will provide another opportunity for voters to decide how to address the school budget deficit. The board emphasized the importance of citizen participation in both the upcoming town election and the special town meeting.