Kingston Grapples with School Budget Crisis and Police Staffing Needs
Proposed Override Sparks Debate as Officials Weigh Educational and Public Safety Demands Against Fiscal Constraints
KINGSTON - February 11 - The Kingston School Committee's proposal for a $986,782 budget override has ignited a heated debate with the Board of Selectmen, as town officials struggle to balance educational needs against financial limitations and taxpayer concerns.
During a joint meeting on Feb. 11, school officials presented their case for additional funding, citing the need to maintain current staffing levels and educational programs. An override would increase property taxes for an $800,000 home by approximately $238 annually per million dollar increase to the levy.
"We have poured through this budget," said Megan Cannon, a school committee member. "Our principals have poured through this budget, our director of finance, our superintendent. We truly have pulled out everything that can be pulled out until you hit the point of staff."
School officials emphasized that without the override, significant cuts to staff and services would be necessary. Dr. Kerri Whipple, principal at Kingston Elementary School, painted a stark picture of the potential impact.
"If we cut four kindergarten paras, that means I have four kindergarten paras left. We're going to spend the entire day mostly from 10:30 to 1 o'clock outside, which means I'm having 25, 26 kindergarten kids with one adult," Whipple said.
However, members of the Board of Selectmen expressed reservations about supporting an override. Kim Emberg voiced concerns about the residents’ ability to sustain increased spending.
"I'm not hearing from the people that we represent that this is what they want," Emberg said. "Everyone is saying to me, 'I can't do it. I can't make this stretch any thinner.'"
The debate over school funding comes as the Kingston Police Department is also seeking a significant staffing increase. Police Chief Brian Holmes presented a $1.3 million proposal to add four patrol officers, a sergeant, and a dispatcher to address high call volumes and staffing shortages.
"We're way off where we need to be, and without a certain plan about when and how we get to a department that's more appropriately staffed, there is no certain future," Holmes said.
The Chief highlighted that Kingston leads surrounding communities in calls per officer, with each officer handling approximately 400 calls per year.
Despite acknowledging the need for additional police staffing, Selectmen expressed hesitation about supporting both the school and police funding requests given the town's fiscal constraints.
"This is probably the worst timing," said Eric Crone, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. "If we do an override for the schools, whether regional, elementary, then we may want to consider some sort of an override for police as well."
The board did not take a formal vote on either override proposal during the meeting. However, several members indicated they were unlikely to support putting an override question on the town meeting warrant.
Selectman Tyler Bouchard emphasized the need for long-term solutions to the town's revenue challenges.
"We need to lift our water moratorium," he said. "We need to allow the people that work in this building, like our town planner, and some of the people on the planning board, TA, to be able to go and to meet with businesses to be able to bring in revenue to come here."