Resolution by the Shrewsbury School Committee in Support of the
Operational Override “Question 1” on the May 4, 2021 Ballot
Unanimously approved by the School Committee on April 7, 2021
The Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to place the following ballot question before Shrewsbury voters at the May 4, 2021 town election:
QUESTION 1
Shall the Town of Shrewsbury be allowed to assess an additional $9,500,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding municipal and school operating expenses for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand twenty one?
A “Yes” vote on this question will be a significant benefit to our town for the following reasons:
1) The additional revenue generated for municipal and school operating expenses will address our town’s structural deficit problem and will provide financial stability to our town government. This fiscally responsible approach is illustrated by the joint commitments made by the School Committee and Board of Selectmen to exercise fiscal discipline and provide quality services without any additional Proposition 2 ½ override questions for at least the next four years, as illustrated in the Override Statement to the Residents of Shrewsbury.
2) The School Department will have sufficient resources to maintain or improve the quality of educational services that our community expects by:
a) maintaining current staffing and programming;
b) adding the staff necessary to properly open the new Beal School;
c) providing tuition-free, full-day kindergarten for all; and
d) incrementally restoring positions, programming, and supports that have been cut in previous years.
3) Without sufficient local revenue, the school district will need to make major cuts to personnel and programming and will not be able to properly open the new Beal School, which will severely compromise our schools’ ability to meet our students’ needs at a critical time when they need our strong support. Severely reducing our schools’ resources next year will compound the negative effects of the pandemic on our students’ well-being and academic progress.
For these reasons, the School Committee strongly encourages all Shrewsbury voters to vote YES on Question 1 at the annual town election, either on May 4th or during the designated Early Voting period. A YES vote will provide our schools with the resources they need to ensure that our town’s children receive an excellent education.