What happened to the Winchendon Public Schools FY25 budget at town meeting?

Emilia Cardona, The Gardner News
·2 min read

Winchendon voters took over two hours to pass 30 of the 32 articles in the annual Town Meeting warrant on Monday, May 20, at the Murdock Middle High School auditorium.

The 30 articles voters passed include the fiscal 2025 town budget, which totals $17,712,045, and all four free cash articles. The articles not passed by voters were article 12, the FY25 Winchendon school district budget, which totals $17,432,926, and article 32, a citizen petition to join the statewide efforts to change the Commonwealth Flag and Seal.

The four free cash articles totaled $707,950. The town began the evening with $929,433 in free cash, and has $221,483 leftover after the approved spending.

  • Article 6, the town FY25 budget article, also requested that $350,000 in free cash to pay for the shortfall. After all the town expenses are paid, the town still needs $550,000 to balance the budget. In addition to free cash, the town will use the leftover American Rescue Plan Act money to pay for the other $200,000 needed.

  • Article 17 requested a total of $77,000 to pay for two capital improvement projects. The first project is the repairs on a Department of Public Works vehicle, which costs $62,000, and the other $15,000 will pay for the exterior repairs on the Beals Memorial Library.

  • Article 19 will transfer $200,000 from free cash into the town's Stabilization Fund.

  • Article 20 will transfer $80,949 from free cash to the Opioid Special Revenue Fund.

Why didn't voters pass the FY25 school district budget?

Dozens of residents, Winchendon school teachers, students, and their parents came to the annual town meeting in opposition to the proposed FY25 school district budget. A couple of teachers, parents, and a Murdock High School student expressed resentment toward the current administration and school committee for cutting specialist and teaching positions in the district while increasing some administration leaders' salaries.

The FY25 proposal budget states that the interim superintendent, Dr. Ruthann Petruno-Goguen, will receive a $17,850 raise, totaling $190,550. The interim superintendent received a salary of $172,700 for fiscal 2024.

The school committee chair, Karen Kast-McBride, said the parents and the Winchendon Teacher Union had spread misinformation, and the superintendent raise is only $5,000.

Parents and guardians said they noticed their children struggle to become proficient in school and wonder why school officials have cut several special education teachers, specialists, and other educator positions.

The school district budget will go under review by the finance committee and the select board before being presented again at a special town meeting, whose date has not yet been determined.

Selectboard member Danielle LaPointe said the town does have to pass a school budget before Monday, July 1, because after Sunday, June 30, the school district will not have any money to continue operations.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon annual Town Meeting: two articles fail including school budget