Whitman Leaders React to Town Meeting Budget Decisions

Select Board Members Try to Understand Why Whitman and Hanson are Splitting on Funding the Shared School District, Without Clear Direction from the School Committee

WHITMAN, MA - May 7 - Town officials in Whitman are grappling with unexpected challenges to their educational funding plans after the Town Meeting failed to support a proposed override, which was seen as the best option to cover the assessment from Whitman-Hanson.

The issue came to light during a Select Board meeting on May 7, where members expressed their disappointment and worry about the lack of unified support for the override initiative.

Select Board member Shawn Kain voiced his concerns, stating, "I'm worried that I thought we had a good plan moving forward that was, as far as I'm concerned, the best chances of increasing educational funding. Although it was probably difficult to pass an override, now we're in a circumstance where we almost assuredly can't."

The plan, which had been discussed in previous meetings between officials in Whitman and Hanson, involved a 5% increase in Article 2 of the town's budget, coupled with a $509,000 override. This strategy was intended to provide a modest but meaningful boost to educational funding.

However, the School Committee's unexpected lack of support the override contributed to the lack of support from Town Meeting. Kain expressed frustration with the situation, saying, "When the school committee is actively not doing that and actually speaking out against it, and the school is very quiet about it, how the heck are we going to sell that?"

The override's failure to pass in Hanson, which is reportedly in a worse financial situation than Whitman, has further complicated matters. This development has left Whitman officials questioning the path forward for increasing educational funding in the current fiscal year.

Select Board Chair Carl Kowalski clarified that while the school committee did not vote for the override itself, they had voted to change their assessment with the understanding that the town would cover the difference through a small override.

"It was clear also that the plan was for us to cover that change, that drop in assessment with a small override. That was clear. But it shouldn't be construed that they voted for it," Kowalski explained.

The proposed override was described as "small" and "affordable" by officials, with an estimated cost of $8 per month for taxpayers. Kowalski emphasized the long-term benefits of such an increase, stating, "It lifts our floor for every year to come in a small way, and it would make things easier to transition to that budget situation that you like to envision where we can handle these things without a lot of stress."

Select Board member Laura Howe echoed the concerns of her colleagues, expressing worry about the division within the community. "I found it very disheartening how divided we became. Not of our own free will, but suddenly I felt like we were all outcasts. And a town cannot run divided," Howe said.

She called for unity and increased community engagement, urging residents to attend future meetings and emphasizing that there are "no good or bad guys" in the situation.

As Whitman officials grapple with these challenges, they are also looking ahead to other financial matters. During the same meeting, the Select Board unanimously approved the sale of $19,070,000 in general obligation building bonds for a Department of Public Works project.

The bonds, dated May 15, 2024, were sold to TD Securities USA LLC at a price of $20,123,010.85. This approval marks a significant step forward for the DPW project, even as the town faces uncertainty in its educational funding plans.

The Select Board also discussed an upcoming ballot election for the South Shore Vocational Technical High School project, scheduled for Jan. 25, 2025. Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter emphasized the need for further discussions about potential overrides and ballot questions related to this project.