The 2009 budget required $1.1 million in cuts. Through a series of cuts, reductions, layoffs and fee increases, the School Committee provided the budget to the Board of Selectmen. They proposed an override to restore a number of high-priority items and reduce the fee increases (sports, activity and bus). See the summary report here.

The School Committee had to raise these fees to show a good-faith effort to make families carry some more responsibility for non-academic services to answer the community’s call that the tax burden not be too great on all taxpayers. This was how the override request was kept relataively small (which they were advised to do by the Board of Selectmen).

Even with a $496,000 override passing, the following fees will be added or raised:

• High School parking fee will increase from $25 to $100. High School activity fee of $100 will be added (flat fee, not per activity).

• All Middle School activities (other than sports) will be "cost neutral" for the district. That is, participants will pay the full cost of the activity, no subsidizing by the district.

• Athletic fees (click here to see a schedule of fees with and without the override) at the High School and Middle School will increase. A portion of the override ($100,000) would help to offset these raises in sports fees, but they will go up anyway. Without an override, sports fees at the high school will increase $100 per child, per sport with no family cap. Sports fees at the Middle school will increase $133 per child, per sport with no family cap.

• Full Day Kindergarten tuition will be raised $380.

A $496,000 override will restore the following:

• Pittaway, Warren, Mindess and Middle School libraries stay open and staffed at current levels.

• No loss of teachers; class sizes remain the same.

• Bus fees remain at this year's level. Without an override, they will go up from $220 ($400 family cap), to $280 ($560 family cap).