Town Meeting Information 2026
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to our communities for their overwhelming support of the override and the HS Roof Replacement! The staff, faculty, and students sincerely appreciate the enormous level of support shown by our communities throughout the FY27 budget process, including the town meetings and elections.
This budget reflects both a steep rise in operational costs and a significant cut in staff and materials in an effort to maintain high-quality schools.
$1.079M Override in Hamilton
$438K Override in Wenham
What is a Prop 2 ½ Override?
An override is a permanent increase to the base budget that allows a school district or town to raise additional revenue beyond the limits of Proposition 2½. Unlike a debt exclusion, an override is used to fund ongoing operating expenses, such as staffing, programs, and services, and remains in place year after year.
Under Proposition 2½, a community’s total property tax levy can typically only increase by 2.5% annually, regardless of rising costs. In practice, this growth rate often fails to keep pace with inflation, contractual obligations, or the rising costs of education (such as transportation, utilities, and specialized services). As a result, funding from towns may not be sufficient to sustain existing school programs and services over time without an override.
What is a debt exclusion?
A debt exclusion is a temporary increase in property taxes used to pay for a specific big-ticket project, such as building a new school, library, or fire station. Debt exclusions are purpose-driven, for a specific project. The tax increase lasts only as long as it takes the town to pay off the debt (usually 10 to 30 years). Once the loan is fully paid back, the tax increase goes away, and your tax bill should drop by that amount.