Town Council Weighs $11 Million Override as Schools Face Staffing Crisis
Parents and educators advocate for funding as district projects class sizes of 30-40 students without additional resources
BRIDGEWATER - April 9, 2025 - The Bridgewater Town Council is considering an $11 million override proposal to address critical funding shortfalls in the school district and town services, following a sobering budget presentation at Monday's meeting that stretched past midnight.
Acting Town Manager Blythe Robinson presented the FY2026 budget, revealing that the town can only afford a 4.67 percent increase for the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District, far below the 22 percent increase the district certified as necessary to maintain adequate staffing levels.
"This year is a watershed year for the community," Robinson told the council. "Our revenues simply can't support the costs that we are facing."
The proposed override would include approximately $6 million for schools, $2 million for roads, and additional funds to restore town positions and add critical staff in police, fire, and other departments.
Parents and students packed the meeting room, with many staying until after midnight to voice their concerns about overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating conditions.
"I had a better speech a couple weeks ago," said third-grader Mary Cambria from the Williams Intermediate School. "My class this year has 31 kids. The private school I went to last year had 27 kids in the entire school."
Her mother, Shannon Cambria, elaborated on the classroom conditions.
"I want my third grader to be given the opportunity to be in a pullout group for kids who are above grade level instead of forcing that responsibility onto her teacher who is already doing every single possible thing she can do," she said. "But with 31 kids in her class, there's just not enough time in the day."
School Committee member Rachel King warned of dire consequences if the override fails, including a potential reduction of 40 staff members.
King said the district would face a potential reduction of 40 or more staff members, and added that the “average class size between (grades) K through 8 potentially would be between 30 and 40 students. Average class size at the high school could be between 30 and 45 students."
The district would also face special education state compliance issues, loss of electives, and potential cuts to activities, clubs and sports.
The budget presentation revealed that Bridgewater spends less per capita than the state averages in nearly every municipal department.
Robinson explained that the town's total budget increase is 6.087 percent, but fixed costs like pensions (13.8 percent increase) and the Bristol Agricultural school assessment (54 percent increase) are growing faster than revenues.
To balance the budget without an override, the town must cut six positions, including a firefighter paramedic, police cadet, mechanic, laborer, building official, and reduce hours for other staff. The cuts total approximately $300,000.
"We've had to make adjustments because we can't afford what we've had all along," Robinson said.
The override would cost the average homeowner with a $593,000 property approximately $1,241 annually, according to Massachusetts Department of Revenue calculations.
Several councilors expressed concern about the size of the override and the process by which it was introduced.
"I think we have an obligation to the voters to be able to put it on the ballot," Councilor Johnny Loreti said. "I do echo the comments of both my two fellow councillors and I would like to post that meeting as a full council meeting so my other councillors can also have input."
Councilor Paul Murphy advocated for prioritizing school funding.
"I think the Budget and Finance Committee should consider the schools as the priority to this ballot question," Murphy said.
Council President Kevin Perry acknowledged the timing isn't ideal but emphasized the urgency.
"We are up against it as far as the time frame goes," Perry said. "If we don't have something on the ballot and approved by the end of June, funding would not apply for fiscal year 26 at the beginning of the year."
Teacher Eric Hoy urged the council to maintain the June timeline rather than delay.
"A major issue with an override to begin with is going to be retaining talent," Hoy said. "If we put that off a little bit more than even just June, we're going to already have non-professional status teachers who have been pink-slipped and have started to seek out other work."
Several residents suggested focusing solely on school funding to make the override more palatable to voters.
"I'm not sure if I would vote for the override, but my feeling is just stick with the school if you're gonna have any chance of it passing," resident Janet Hansen said. "I can't afford more than a thousand dollars a year."
The council voted to refer the FY2026 annual town budget, water enterprise fund, sewer enterprise fund, and transfer station enterprise fund to the Budget and Finance and Finance committees for review. They also approved a special election warrant for June 21, a Saturday, to potentially hold the override vote. The council plans to work on refining the override proposal before the next meeting on April 22.
Watch the complete meeting courtesy of BTV and the Town of Bridgewater.