Dear Families,
As many of you may know, the Town of Hopedale is experiencing a challenging budget situation. The town is in need of an override in order to properly fund the schools, the police department, the fire department, the library, parks and recreation, etc. In an effort to keep our families updated and informed, I wanted to send an email with general information.
Monday, March 20th, the Select Board unanimously voted to approve placing an override vote on the warrant for the town's consideration at our Town Meeting in May . The Finance Committee and the School Committee verbally supported this recommendation. The Finance Committee met last night, Wednesday, March 22nd to complete a final review of the town’s financial situation. At this meeting, they provided a recommendation to the Select Board for an override amount of $1.2 million (and utilizing $250,000 in free cash). The Select Board will be reviewing the recommendation from the Finance Committee at their meeting scheduled for Monday, March 27th. Once the override amount is voted upon by the Select Board, the town will begin the process of educating the public about the need for an override.
After providing the public with information regarding the override, a town meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 16th. If the town votes to support the override recommendation, a ballot vote is then required.
My job, as your Superintendent, is to advocate for our schools, our staff, and our students, and to secure adequate funding to support our schools. In addition, I support our other town departments because our town services are what makes Hopedale unique. Although I was required, at Monday night’s meeting, to demonstrate what a $1,142,000.00 cut would look like for the schools, I remain hopeful and optimistic that the town will not allow that to happen. During the same meeting, our Town Administrator demonstrated what the town’s cuts would look like if the town does not approve an override. Along with major cuts to the school department, the town administrator’s budget, with no override, includes a need to close the library, our senior center, and the parks and recreation department.
I encourage our community to remain active, engaged, and knowledgeable about the finances of the town, including the impact of possible major cuts to school and town departments. Please feel free to review my presentation from Monday evening. Following my presentation, the town administrator provided an update as well.
Thank you for staying updated on the budget process. There will be many upcoming meetings at which the Select Board and Finance Committee will discuss our town finances. Feel free to stay updated by Clicking here to View Town Agendas, Meeting Minutes, and Meeting Videos.
In addition, Click here to View Finance Committee Meeting 3.20.23 where you can view the possible cuts to the school and town departments without an override.
BVT presentation from 1:00-24:31
Hopedale Schools Presentation 25:30-49:29
Town Administrator Presentation 49:29-1:18:30
Discussion and Comments 1:18:30
I truly appreciate the ongoing support of our families, staff, and community! I will continue to keep our community updated about the progress of our town and community in addressing our current financial challenges.
Sincerely,
Karen Crebase, Superintendent of Schools