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Natick School Issues - past, present
and future
Why do
we need a new middle school?
What
are the alternatives to a new school?
What
other school buildings will need to be replaced, and when? What will
that cost?
Why
not wait until we see what the Natick High School renovations will cost?
Why
not just repair Wilson instead of replace it?
Why
did we build a new Bennett-Hemenway Elementary School before replacing
Wilson?
What
about Kennedy Middle School?
Why
didn't we plan for this years ago?
What
alternative sites were considered?
What was
the role of the Middle School Advisory Committee?
What's
the long range plan?
Does
the School Department properly maintain its buildings?
Why
did Natick spend so much on the Downtown and elementary schools?
Why
not use East School?
Wilson
was good enough for me. Why replace it now?
The Ballot Question and Town Finances
Why
does NO cost more than YES?
What
is the ballot question?
Why doesn't
the ballot question include a dollar amount?
What
will it cost?
Why
do we need an override?
Does
the cost include interest?
Will revaluation
be effected by an override?
Why
do we pay for schools with property taxes?
Why
does Natick spend so much on schools?
What
other costs will we have to pay for teacher salaries, administration, etc.?
Could
we solve the problem by selling Town property?
What
about operating expenses?
Is
the override a "blank check?"
Wouldn't
a split tax rate solve our problems?
My
taxes are already too high. Why should I vote to increase them?
What
about people on fixed incomes who can't afford a tax increase?
What
will the cost be to Natick taxpayers?
What if
Natick voters say "no"?
What
if we just do nothing?
The
voters already said no! Why bring this up again?
What's
the timing of this process? / What happens when?
What
other towns have had overrides because of overcrowding and/or structural
deficiencies?
Why
does No cost more than Yes?
NO will cost taxpayers more
than YES because a short-term solution is actually more expensive than
a long-term solution.
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First of all, 17 modular classrooms
would be purchased at a total cost of $1.7 million or more. Unlike
buildings, which can be bonded over 20 years, trailers must be paid for
in 5. Whether the $1.7 million comes from the operating budget or
is paid over 5 years, we will pay for it.
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Next, the expensive repairs
to Wilson will total $3.5 million within five years, and further repairs
and modulars will cost $1.9 million in years 6-10.
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Then, we will have to budget
for project contingencies, student relocation, etc. for a total of $8.6
million within the next ten years. Not one cent of these expenses
is reimbursable.
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Around 2010, we will have to
replace Wilson, regardless of what we have spent in short-term repairs.
The cost is likely to be $35 million or more. Both the total cost
and the annual cost of this solution imposes a greater burden on Natick
than the override to pay for a new school and Kennedy repairs.
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If we fund these costs without
an override, there will be an impact on services. Because the school
department is virtually at a minimal level of staffing, other departments
would feel the burden, such as DPW, Police, Fire, etc. Natick may
elect to impose trash pickup fees, which of course would be borne exclusively
by residents, since commercial taxpayers do not have trash pickup.
The cost for trash pickup will be $150 per household per year, according
to Town Admninistration, whether your home value is $125,000 or $625,000.
Those are the direct costs.
Another hidden cost is the loss of home value if Natick is perceived to
be a less desirable community to buy a home based on the condition of its
schools, overcrowding and an inability to plan for current and future needs.
This will be fely when people sell their homes, which of many people is
their greatest financial asset.
Who will pay for a No vote?
Natick's taxpayers and Natick's children will share the high cost of No.
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Could
we solve the problem by selling Town property?
No. Selling Town property
is a lengthy process which deserves consideration for its long-term potential,
but only in the context of Natick's open space and other needs, not just
for short-term financial gains that we might later regret. The Surplus
Property Committee did a laudable job of balancing these interests over
the course of its work in the Summer of 2000. While the dollar value
of the property recommended for sale is relatively small (under $500,000,
subject to a process of zoning, approval and bidding for all parcels),
it was nevertheless a comprehensive review that has made a valuable contribution
as the Town weighs its options in the future.
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Why do we need a new
middle school?
There are two primary reasons:
Wilson's physical condition, and enrollment increases.
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Wilson is a 42 year old building
that has outlived its useful life. It was intended to last 25 to
30 years when it was built in 1958; it was built economically at the time,
and the town has gotten a good return on its investment.
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Enrollment at the middle schools
will be from 200 to 400 students over capacity over the next decade (see
chart).
We can't change grade configuration every year, because our other schools
are at, near or even above capacity as well, and there are educational
and other reasons not to redistrict or reassign students every year based
on changing space conditions.
Physical Conditions
Natick must replace the
Wilson Middle School because it is structurally deficient. There
are many problems with the existing structure that force replacement, and
make renovation a poor choice. The mechanical, electrical and structural
systems at Wilson are beyond renovation; they can only be repaired on a
temporary basis. Wilson's limitations are not just a product
of its age, nor of upkeep, but of its design and original construction.
Renovation would be costly, amounting to rebuilding the facility on-site,
and presents two daunting problems:
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During renovation, there is
no place to house the approximately 700 students who use the building
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Since so much of the building
does not meet current codes, renovation costs are very high; as a result
renovation is ineligible for the 59% reimbursement that the Commonwealth
offers through the SBAB (School Building Assistance Bureau) program
For a complete review of the
architectural conditions at the Wilson Middle School, click here
for a full report.
Aside from its basic physical
condition, many Natick residents and educators believe that Wilson is inadequate
for other reasons; it does not provide the facilities that we should provide
our children and educators, if we believe that they should have an education
that meets our standards for excellence.
Still, if the building were
not in such disrepair, it would suffice. In other words, if Wilson
were structurally sound, there would be little debate about replacement
or renovation, because our teachers and staff could make do in a building
that is not optimal, as long as it is safe. Unfortunately for the
town, the building's days are numbered, no matter what our preference.
Enrollment
The second issue that drives
the Middle School issue is the growing school population. The middle
school population in Natick is currently above capacity. The problem
is acute now, and will be critical in a year, and will remain above current
capacity for at least ten years. We need a permanent solution to
middle school overcrowding.
| Projected Enrollments,
1999-2008 |
|
Grades:
|
K-4 |
5-8 |
9-12 |
Total |
| Year |
(cap 2,135) |
(cap. 1,215) |
(cap. 1,525) |
(cap. 4,875) |
| 1999 |
1,887 |
1,351 |
1,025 |
4,263 |
| 2002 |
1,967 |
1,480 |
1,175 |
4,622 |
| 2004 |
2,035 |
1,484 |
1,282 |
4,801 |
| 2008 |
1,981 |
1,615 |
1,324 |
4,920 |
Schools need both classroom
space and common space (cafeteria, library, gymnasium, auditorium, etc.).
Wilson had insufficient classroom and common space to accommodate the numbers
that arrived in September of 2000. Already, lunch periods are extended;
the gymnasium is used for study halls; band and music classes are audible
from math classrooms, and other examples of an overcrowded school exists
where learning suffers because of overcrowding. there are 87 Wilson
fifth graders who spend most of their day at Bennet-Hemmenway because there
is no room for them at Wilson. As a result, Ben-Hem was not able
to add a needed Kindergarten class in 2000-2001.
It is true that the actual
total enrollment and maximum capacity are not far apart, but to use every
available seat in every level would require splitting grades, reassigning
students each year, curtailing programs and compromising education.
In addition, the maximum capacity figures are for classroom seats, not
common areas. Adding temporary classrooms does nothing to reduce
common area overcrowding.
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What are the alternatives
to a new school?
If we don't build a new school
on a timetable that the Town plans for and agrees to, we will likely have
to build one in an "contingency scenario" - for example, if Wilson has
a major failure, or as the result of a State action, citing inadequate
or unsafe facilities, or unequal educational opportunities. An unplanned
replacement would be educationally and financially disastrous - but the
Town should prepare for such a possibility if a new school is not built,
nor are timely repairs made.
Replacing Wilson is just
a matter of when, not whether.
To address the overcrowding
issues, there are several proposed options:
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Use East School. East
has been uneconomical to use in every analysis, for a wide variety of reasons
ranging from repair costs, serious code problems, location, high administrative
and
maintenance costs, and many educational issues.
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Sell East School. A long-term
option, but one complicated by 1) eminent domain issues (for adjacent Route
9/Oak St. reconstruction), 2) practical limits on a sale's income considering
the FAR (Floor-Area Ratio) zoning restrictions that would limit development,
and 3) other town and neighborhood issues that deserve other web pages.
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Move the 5th grade to various
elementary schools. There is no room; even keeping the 5th grade
at Bennet-Hemenway Elementary School as has begun this year has caused
overcrowding in Kindergarten. Moving 5th grade to the elementary
schools would shift the overcrowding problem to the elementary schools,
and likely require annual redistricting to balance the load, as well as
non-reimbursable expenses for modular classrooms (trailers).
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Move the 8th grade to the High
School. This would bring about major educational and social challenges,
and is a very short-term solution, because the high school would instantly
be at capacity. It would compound existing problems at the high school.
It would also dislocate the NorthStar program, an alternative educational
program for students with emotional and behavioral needs. This program
benefits the students, and saves the town money and resources that would
otherwise be allocated to outside placement.
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Schedule "double sessions" and/or
lengthen the school year. The Department of Education would have
to grant a waiver, and they have not done so anywhere else in Massachusetts.
If a waiver were to be granted, the school would be in use from early morning
to early evening; operating costs would rise, as teacher and staff contracts
would need to be renegotiated; learning would suffer; and the indirect
costs to the town and to families would be significant. No one claims
that double sessions or a longer school year would provide a quality education.
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Purchase or rent "modular classrooms"
to provide classroom space. The economics of this are a bad investment
for the town. The cost of modular classrooms over the period of overcrowding
will run into the millions of dollars. These expenses are non-reimbursable,
and only forestall the problem of replacing the Wilson facility, while
not addressing the overcrowding in the "common areas" of the school.
The February 3, 2000 Architect's report (click
here) provides a cost accounting for a modular solution.
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Accept severe overcrowding of
30+ students per classroom in the middle schools. This is the most
likely scenario, and the one that will be certain to cause the most damage
educationally and socially. Abundant research demonstrates that learning
suffers when children are placed in classrooms of this size.
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Some combination of the above.
This puts the Natick Public Schools in the position of allocating resources
based only on cost, not educational merit, because many parents will rightly
feel that their children are being denied educational opportunity.
What alternative
sites were considered?
The Town has very little open
space, and no money to buy space at market rates for real estate. Of all
Town-owned parcels, only the Oak Street Gravel Pit and the existing Wilson
property have sufficient buildable acreage. Of the two, the Wilson
site is the most economical given the costs and consequences of relocating
or eliminating the Public Works functions at the Gravel Pit.
The purchase of property
for a school is not reimbursable by the state.
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What was the role of the
Middle
School Advisory Committee?
The Middle School Advisory Committee
was created by an act of Town Meeting in April 1999 to review the need,
options and alternatives for a new Wilson Middle School. The seven-member
Committee included citizen representatives appointed by the Town Moderator,
Board of Selectman and School Committee, as well as members of the Board
of Selectman, School Committee, Finance Committee and Planning Board.
All meetings of the Committee were public.
Click
here for the committee's final report.
The unanimous recommendation
of this Committee was that the Wilson Middle School must be replaced with
a 900-pupil school, and that the existing Wilson property is the best available
location. They further recommended an investment in Kennedy Middle
School to maintain educational parity. The Committee's final report,
dated 9/2/99, states the following conclusions:
The Middle School Advisory Committee
has determined:
1. The Wilson Middle School building is not salvageable
and should be replaced. This conclusion concurs with evaluations
of two separate architectural firms that specialize in renovation and construction
of public schools.
2. The Wilson Middle School should be replaced
with a new 900-student facility. All available demographic data point
to a continued increase in enrollment over the next decade. There
will be an anticipated increase of as many as 400 students over the current
capacity at the middle school level. In addition, there is a need
to house the 575 student capacity of the current Wilson facility.
3. Of the six Town-owned parcels, which appeared
to be large enough to be used as school building sites, only two were suitable.
Of these, the current Wilson site offers the most economical and logistically
efficient site for a 900-student facility. It would cost less
than the Gravel Pit for re-grading and site preparation. Unlike at
the Gravel Pit, all work on the property would be SBAB reimbursable.
4. The Department of Education recommends that
a plan of action be adopted to provide educational parity throughout the
grade levels that are being improved. To ensure that the students at Kennedy
have the same opportunities as will be presented at a “New Wilson”, it
is necessary to upgrade aspects of the Kennedy Middle School to provide
educational parity.
5. The estimated cost of this project would be
$24 Million for the new Wilson School (59% reimbursable by the Massachusetts
School Building Assistance Bureau under current guidelines) and $1 Million
for parity associated upgrades at the Kennedy School for a total of $25
Million.
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What will it cost?
The recommended school will
cost about $24.6 million, if built in the next two years and approved now.
This is based on accepted and proven formulas for school buildings, and
is a reliable estimate. The cost of the school is based largely on
state guidelines for space and specific features, which translate to a
given cost per square foot.
59% of the project's cost
is reimbursable under the Massachusetts School Building Assistance Bureau
(SBAB) guidelines, for a net cost to Natick of just over $10 million.
In addition, the $1 million for Kennedy upgrades is not reimbursable.
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Why do we need
an override?
The Town of Natick does not
have the sufficient revenues to pay for increased bonding without cutting
services. Proposition 2½, foreseeing the need for cities and
towns to issue long-term bond notes, allows for a Debt Exclusion Override
to assess a fixed cost for a fixed period of time. When the bond
is paid off, the taxes are reduced.
It is important to distinguish
between a Prop 2½ Override, which effects a permanent increase
in the property tax rate, and a Debt Exclusion Override, which is
a temporary increase in the property tax rate.
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Why do we pay for
schools with property taxes?
Almost all local expenses in
Massachusetts are funded by local property taxes. 85% of Natick's
school budget is funded by town revenues; the remainder is primarily state
aid to education.
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What will the cost
be to Natick taxpayers?
The incremental cost of the
Middle School Override alone is calculated at $75-$80 per year per average
tax bill, on an average present valuation of $219,000. Of course
this figure goes down for smaller tax bills, and up for higher bills.
The total tax increase based
on the override will be capped it will not increase based on changes
to property valuations or the tax rate, although after revaluation the
relative amount each taxpayer pays for the override may change (just as
the relative assessment for all real estate changes). Revaluation
will not change the average property tax increase of the override.
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What about people
on fixed incomes who can't afford a tax increase?
There are a number of programs
available to more than offset the cost of the proposed override for residents
that meet various criteria. We have provided a listing at this
link.
What's the timing of
this process? / what happens when?
The Natick Board of Selectmen
have approved an override ballot question for the November 7th National
and State election. Fall Town Meeting voted by a two-thirds majority
on October 5th to approve a warrant article to fund the Wilson and Kennedy
projects, contingent on the approval of a majority of Natick voters on
November 7th. If the voters approve the override, design work will
continue and site preparation will begin next Spring.
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What other towns
have had overrides because of overcrowding and/or structural deficiencies?
The problems of growing school
populations and aging facilities are not unique to Natick. Other
towns and cities have constructed new schools using overrides when there
were no other alternatives. These include Framingham, Arlington,
Hopkinton and many others. Natick is of course a unique community,
but our problems are not uncommon.
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What if Natick voters
say "no"?
The issue of overcrowding and
physical conditions at Wilson will not go away if the override fails.
If it does fail, the School Committee has indicated that they will proceed
with a costly alternative. This is the "$8.6 million option," so-called
because that is the approximate cost to make immediate repairs to Wilson,
and to acquire modular classrooms/trailers at Wilson and Kennedy.
The problems with this option
are threefold:
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None of the costs are reimbursable,
and the SBAB program will not pay for "band aid" repairs, only comprehensive
solutions - and in no case, modular classrooms;
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The cost will either be funded
from the Town's operating budget, requiring either cuts in services or
a series of operating overrides;
-
Wilson will eventually need
to be replaced, at a greater cost in present dollars because construction
costs increase at a rate greater than inflation.
The "no" option just pushes
the problem into the future. The "no" option will cost most taxpayers
more in additional fees (trash fees are not deductable against income tax)
than the override would cost, not to mention that cost of equity in home
values.
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What other school
buildings will need to be replaced, and when? What will that cost?
See also the Long
Range Plan.
Natick High School is almost
50 years old and will at some point require renovations and repairs to
continue to serve the town. A complete architectural evaluation is
underway and a preliminary report will be posted here.
The report will be completed and available in December 2000. The
cost of renovations will probably range from $20 to $40 million, but this
is an educated guess, and does not take into account the timing of such
renovations, or state reimbursement. The School Department estimates
that NHS will continue to require ongoing short term renovations (for fire
alarms, roof repairs, technology, etc.). The architectural report
will provide more specific information, and the School Department and School
Committee will develop a long-term plan for the school.
Memorial Elementary School
may need expansion in about 8-10 years based on growing population in South
Natick.
Johnson Elementary School
is structurally sound, but repairs (if needed) are problematic. It
is an old building, with a wooden frame, situated over a rock ledge, and
because of the small size of the Johnson site, it would not be eligible
for state reimbursement should renovation be required. There are
no compelling reasons to renovate or replace Johnson School at this time,
however, the limitations of the site and the age of the building may pose
a future issue for the town.
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Why did
Natick spend so much on the Downtown complex and elementary schools?
In the mid-1990's the town replaced
its aging fire and police stations, town hall and library as part of a
comprehensive plan. Each building had specific problems: the library
was too small; the fire station was unsafe; the town hall required renovations
that were not cost-effective; the police station was in a deteriorating
condition. The estimated $30 million total cost (plus interest) for
all those projects was bonded, and will be paid off over the next 15 years.
Three elementary schools
were also renovated and/or replaced to substantially increase capacity
and, in the case of Bennett-Hemenway, replace an unsafe and outdated building
(see the Long Range Plan page).
The costs of the elementary schools are all being reimbursed by the SBAB
at a rate of 59%.
All six projects (the Town
Hall, Police/Fire complex, Library, Brown, Lilja and Ben-Hem) were made
possible in part by the tax revenue from the Natick Mall; Natick was able
to borrow against the Mall's tax revenue.
It is accurate to state that
the town did not plan to use all the tax revenue from the Natick Mall to
address all of the town's forecasted capital needs. The most immediate
needs were addressed first, however. There are differing opinions
as to whether we planned wisely. All decisions were made through
a public process, however, and we can't go back and change what has been
done.
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Why didn't we plan
for this years ago?
The School Committee and School
department developed a series of plans over the years that have identified
the eventual replacement of Wilson. See the Long
Range Plan page.
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Why does Natick
spend so much on schools?
In comparison to other towns,
we spend a comparable or even lower percentage of our operating budget
on schools, and the age and condition of our school buildings is on a par
with other towns.
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What other costs
will we have to pay for teacher salaries, administration, etc.?
Staff costs will increase systemwide
(in all schools) primarily because of growing enrollment, and only slightly
because of a new building. If we do not set aside tax money for a
new building, then both maintenance and staffing costs will be competing
with other ongoing needs for tax revenue.
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Is the override
a "blank check?"
No!
The proposed override will
only fund the project(s) for which it is specifically approved, and only
for the amount voted on by Town Meeting, and only for as long as it takes
to retire the debt, unless the town creates excess borrowing capacity,
in which case the tax increase could be repealed by a so-called "underride."
Town Meeting must first vote
to appropriate a specific sum of money, and the voters must then agree
to increase taxes to pay the bonds which would be issued to pay for the
project.
The schools have come in
on budget for all recent construction projects.
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What
about operating expenses?
As discussed elsewhere, staff
increases are necessary based on enrollment. The other primary component
of operating expenses is utility costs, which will increase with either
a new or renovated Wilson building. See the analysis at this
link. For example, in the school year 2004-2005, which is representative,
total utility costs are projected as follows:
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Option 1 (Minimal renovations
+ modulars): $91,558
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Option 2 (Comprehensive renovation
+ addition): $190,186
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Option 3 (New Construction):
$182,330
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Why
not just repair Wilson instead of replace it?
Two reasons: cost and capacity.
Cost: A 42-year old building,
Wilson needs major repairs to almost every system. It is substantially
below code in many areas, and if renovated would have to be brought up
to code. A renovation will not be reimbursed by the state if the
cost to renovate exceeds the cost of a new building.
Capacity: Because of the
scope of renovations, it would require more time than just a couple of
summers. There's no place to put the students during renovations
in the course of the school year.
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What
if we just do nothing?
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The town bears a major risk
if any system should fail, and 700+ middle school students must be relocated
even temporarily
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Overcrowding will spill into
the elementary and high schools
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Education and test scores will
suffer at a time when they are becoming more critical
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We will have difficulty attracting
qualified teachers
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Parents may conclude that Natick
will not invest in its educational system
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Property values will suffer
-
Construction costs will increase
at a rate greater than inflation
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Does
the School Department properly maintain its buildings?
In general, yes. Wilson's
problems are the result of aging equipment (and size), not maintenance.
The School Department is no more to blame for Wilson's condition than other
departments were responsible for other buildings or capital equipment that
have been replaced. Some have made the case that Wilson's useful
life has been extended through proper maintenance.
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Why
not wait until we see what the Natick High School renovations will cost?
Because NHS is a long term
project. The scope and priority of needed work, as well as reimbursement
rates, are not now known. Waiting will only cost us more as we have
before us the most cost-effective solution.
See the Long
Range Plan page for more information.
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What's
the long term plan?
See the Long
Range Plan page for more information.
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What
about Kennedy Middle School?
Kennedy requires short-term
repairs and improvements to maintain educational parity with a new Wilson.
Kennedy, while built about seven years later than Wilson, was built to
a much higher standard and is not expected to require comprehensive renovations
for many years.
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Why
did we build a new Bennett-Hemenway Elementary School before replacing
Wilson?
Ben-Hem was scheduled to
be built first because of its condition, and because of elementary school
overcrowding. Had we decided to replace Wilson before Ben-Hem, it
would almost certainly have required an override.
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Why
not use East School?
East School (on Oak Street
north of Route 9) is too small to accommodate the additional capacity we
need, and would require a substantial investment before it can be used.
East School was closed as an elementary school in the 1980's after enrollment
declined, and was intentionally not maintained. Using another facility
would require program changes, increased administrative and staffing costs,
and would not address the physical conditions at Wilson.
East School was transferred
from the School Committee to the Board of Selectmen, and its ultimate use
will be determined through a public process.
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The
voters already said no! Why bring this up again?
Natick voters voted "no"
by a 177-vote margin in November 1999. At the time, the voters were
not offered an alternative to the recommended plan, nor were the consequences
of a "no" vote widely publicized, although several committees had considered
and rejected many alternatives in a series of public meetings.
The "no" vote has not solved
the problem of overcrowding and a deteriorated Wilson school; it has just
pushed a solution further away and increased the cost by $50,000 per month.
It is essential to that the
voters be provided with another opportunity, with as much information as
possible, including a full discussion of the financial and educational
consequences of a "no" vote. We believe that, presented with all
the options, Natick voters will make the responsible decision.
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Wilson
was good enough for me or my kids. Why replace it now?
-
It's not fair to compare "then
and now." Education has changed significantly with the advent of
Education Reform. The state now mandates the amount of time on learning;
imposes requirements for subjects and facilities; develops new curriculum;
mandates Special Education requirements; and requires testing for proficiency.
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Wilson was built to handle many
fewer children than use it today, and will use it for the next ten or more
years.
-
Wilson was built in 1958 to
last 25 or 30 years.
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My
taxes are already too high. Why should I vote to increase them?
No one enjoys paying taxes.
Taxes are used to pay both for the operating, or day-to-day costs of government,
and for the costs of capital investment (and interest, or debt service)
for long-term projects. We all enjoy the benefits of prior generations'
investments, and future generations will benefit from our taxes.
The alternative to paying
a modest increase now - about 2.6% - is to pay a larger increase later.
For comparison, Natick property
owners typically pay a 2½% tax increase each year.
Not all taxpayers would see
an increase. See Tax Relief for
information on tht ne "CIrcuit Breaker" law and other ways that Natick
lightens the tax burden on residents with limited means.
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Does
the cost include interest?
The $25.6 million cost is
in current dollars, and does not include interest. The $75-$80 average
annual tax increase does include projected interest costs.
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Wouldn't
a split tax rate solve our problems?
Natick has previously rejected
the concept of separate tax rates for residences and businesses.
Natick Champions for Education does not take a position for or against
a split tax rate; we defer to the elected officials, appointed boards and
administrators who are empowered to consider the matter. However,
under Proposition 2½ the total tax levy is limited, and a split
tax rate would not eliminate the need for an override.
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Will
revaluation be affected by an override?
The total annual cost of
the override to the town is NOT affected by revaluation. Revaluation
may change the amount that individual taxpayers pay - either up or down
depending on the relative change in value of property. The town's
total tax levy increase on existing property is subject to 2½% growth
per year, plus tax increases for new and renovated properties, while the
amount of the override is fixed based on the cost of principal plus interest.
Therefore, revaluation will only adjust the amount taxpayers pay relative
to one another, as different properties increase (or in some cases, lose)
value at different rates.
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Why
doesn't the ballot question include a dollar amount?
The ballot question may not
include the actual dollar figure because the question must comply with
the of the terms of the law, known as "Proposition 2½," that was
enacted in 1980. The actual text of the ballot question 9 is provided
here.
The process for a Debt Exclusion Override is for Town Meeting to approve
an expenditure by a 2/3 vote, subject to a majority vote by referendum,
in an election that has been authorized by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Selectmen.
This is somewhat confusing, but it is the only way under the law for a
community to temporarily increase taxes, as is appropriate for a capital
project such as a school.
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What
is the ballot question?
Ballot Question 9 will read as follows:
"Shall the Town of Natick
be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two and one-half,
so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds to be issued in order
to construct, equip and furnish a new Wilson Middle School on the site
of the existing school and to remodel, reconstruct and make extraordinary
repairs to the Kennedy Middle School including original equipment and related
site improvements?"
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