Override supporters urge a united front as bleak financial picture explained
MELROSE — Twenty five five-year-olds per kindergarten class, taught by one educator with no support staff.
A halftime, part-time Special Education coordinator at the 885-student Veterans Memorial Middle School.
A chief educational officer who doubles as a professional developer of math teachers.
A paltry increase in anticipated aid from the state.
Public works, police and fire departments to run.
Employee work agreements to honor and health care to cover.
Aging municipal buildings in need of repair.
Miles of roads to improve.
A genuine fear that a beloved city may fall apart.
These were just some of the concerns voiced by residents and municipal leaders at a joint meeting of the School Committee, City Council and Mayor Jen Grigoraitis last week.
With a handful of months left in fiscal year 2025, officials are looking at a grim future without more money.
“There are no more options,” Grigoraitis said. “We don’t have enough revenue to meet the needs of this community.”
A combined $6.1 million shortfall is staring back at the School Department and municipal government for the year beginning July 1. Without an override of Proposition 2 1/2, severe cuts will have to be made and they will be devastating, leaders said.
In a school system where spending has been frozen since the summer and 20 teaching posts were cut after the June 2024 override attempt failed, Superintendent of Schools Adam Deleidi and his team may be forced to cut 40 more teaching jobs, in addition to five administrative positions and resources dedicated to curriculum and the continued development of current teachers.
Some who successfully fought last year’s override attempt said municipal leaders and department heads needed to “tighten their belts.” Those belts are now tight to the point of cutting off oxygen, elected officials said last week.
A Lebanon Street parent told the School Committee and City Council last week that the budget constraints facing Melrose are a “shared challenge” and “together we can solve it.”
Adequately funded schools, she said, benefit everyone.
She highlighted what she called the “cost of failing” to provide enough money for local education. Kindergarten class sizes may rise to 25 students next year. No community has more than 20 in a class, she said. One teacher cannot and should not have to manage 25 5-year-olds, especially with no support from an aide or second teacher in the class. The woman said she had enough trouble looking after her own two kids.
Kindergarten, the resident said, is a critical time for children because it is in that year that undiagnosed learning disorders can be identified.
“Chronically understaffing our schools will have long-term financial consequences,” she said. It can lead to higher risk behavior in children, a higher teacher turnover rate and an increase in costly out-of-district placements.
She concluded her remarks by urging officials to not make the conversation about making do with less but demanding more for the sake of the city’s children. Understaffing the city’s schools is not something anyone should accept.
Another speaker told the gathering that he only saw a few options. One was to pass an override of Proposition 2 1/2, which is an increase in everyone’s property taxes forever. Another option is returning to the sam room in City Hall a year from now, trying to deal with more budget cuts and figuring out how to seek another override question. The third option, he said, was receivership.
“We’ve been here before,” he said, explaining that those who support an override need to show what will happen in the city five or 10 years from now if the lack of revenue continues the way it has.
Leslie Means, head of the city’s teachers union, explained that the city’s schools “are the foundation for the future. The challenges we face could put serious cracks in that foundation.”
Educational demands have “increased drastically” in the 19 years Means has been teaching in Melrose and they require many different resources to address.
She explained that a stronger educational systems leads to a stronger economy and a safer, more vibrant community. Kids who are well-educated go on to start businesses and drive innovation that makes all our lives better. They are compassionate and provide care for the elderly.
“What kind of future do we want for our community?” she asked.
Means said, “By coming together to advocate for proper increased funding for our schools, we’ll ensure we are all contributors to a vibrant, properous future.”
Another teacher and local parent said the $4.2 million eyed to be cut from what is now being spent on schools this year “sounds a lot like redistricting and school closings” that she went through 20 years ago.
She explained that she can’t be proud of a community that crams kids into classes and gives teachers scant resources and no support.
Another citizen said it is up to the city’s elected officials to “fix the narrative” so people know the extent of this dire situation.
One parent asked, “Do I want to remain in a community that does not prioritize our schools, our kids, or our teachers? I have the option of buying into a private school. I don’t want to, but I can do it. A lot of parents don’t have that option.”
The most emotional remarks of the night came from a woman who is the mother of a child in special education. She would barely contain her rage when she talked about how horrible this current school year has been, with a significantly reduced SPED position at the middle school and a real fear about what will become of her child.
Then she wondered aloud how bad next year would be.
Another resident said the last override attempt was unsuccessful because there was a belief the city could not manage its finances. “This room is energized, but we need you to reach those who are skeptical about that,” the resident urged. A community investment is needed, the resident told the School Committee and City Council. “We should not be just scraping by. We need you to be vocal supporters of an override. And we need it now.”
After about 40 minutes of public comment, the mayor and the city’s chief financial officer, Kerriann Golden, laid out the reasons why municipal government is looking at a shortfall of about $1.9 million heading into fiscal year 2026, which will result in an impact on services the city can provide.
The leader of the city’s schools, Adam Deleidi, told the gathering last week that while his goal to to make the Melrose Public Schools a “world class school district,” the current reality is “we’re struggling to meet state and federal compliance” because some many programs and positions have been eliminated.
“If we carry over everything that we have now into fiscal year ’26, we’ll have a $4.2 million deficit. And in order to work toward world class status, we will need another $2.7 million on top of that,” Deleidi explained.
He added that the way things are currently, “We are missing key positions that exist in other districts” and those who make sure the district is in compliance with regulations are very conscious of that.
In fact, the schools’ superintendent said he has pitched in to help instruct some math teachers because the district can’t afford professional development personnel.
In an on-line Entry Plan Report , Deleidi says the schools are woefully underfunded and “with an adequate budget, we could drastically improve the educational experience and the academic outcomes for ALL of our students. If we had the funds, I would strongly suggest the addition of the following positions:
Full-time assistant principals at the elementary level; full-time Special Education coordinators; Special Education director; instructional coaches (10) Math/ELA at each elementary school; Equity Officer; Human Resources director; Business Manager; curriculum directors at elementary level; two deans at the middle school level; MLL Director/Foreign Languages.
Grigoraitis has created a Finance Task Force to begin planning for additional funding, explaining that in her time as a city councilor and mayor, budget shortfalls have gone from $750,000 to the current $6.1 million.
The revenue coming in just can’t keep up with costs.
Ward 2 City Councilor Maya Jamaleddine said she didn’t think the issue was about trust in local officials, but about the fact that many in the city don’t know how tight things are financially.
“It’s not about privileges and wanting more,” she said. “It’s about necessity…The override is a must have.”