What is at Stake?
This override is a vote between two futures
Do we want to continue to be a thriving community? Or risk becoming a town that struggles to provide basic services?
Winchester has been operating within a lean budget for years. If an override does not pass, our town will be forced to make cuts that will hurt our schools, our town infrastructure, our safety, and our town’s ability to provide some of the important services our community relies on:
Voting "No" has a price
Impact on Town Buildings:
Our town has been putting off necessary capital repairs in an effort to delay an override as long as possible. We have now reached a breaking point. Without appropriate funding, costs will only grow over time as assets continue to depreciate. Beloved town spaces, like Town Hall, risk becoming unusable.
Furthermore, failing to pass an override would put our town’s AAA rating at risk, making it more expensive for our town to borrow money to support any necessary capital projects - - from repairing Town Hall, to the long-awaited and critical rebuild of Muraco Elementary School.
Impact on our Schools:
Without an override, things will not stay the same in our schools - they will get worse. Without an override there will be:
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Significant teachers layoffs, leading to higher class sizes (approaching 30+ in some grades) and reduced course offerings
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Significant reduction and potential elimination of co/extra curricular activities and athletics opportunities or self-funded through fees
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Increased transportation fees / reduced services
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No literacy curriculum overhaul / implementation
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No math interventionists / other tiered supports
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No course expansions in middle and high school
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Likely delay to Muraco Feasibility Study - which may also delay construction
Not only will a “no” vote harm our schools, it will also likely eventually end up hurting the town’s bottom line. Without the long-planned and critically necessary improvements in literacy and math curricula - along with changes to how our district identifies and supports struggling students - we will not only be failing our kids and our teachers, but costing the town far more money in special education and remediation in the long run.
Additionally, our schools will also be at risk of non-compliance with contractual obligations and risk not being able to provide legally-required special education services. This non-compliance could end up costing our schools (and by extension, our town) significantly in legal fees.
Impact on Town Services:
Finally, on the municipal side, without an override there will need to be layoffs of town employees (likely impacting DPW and Library staff, and also potentially impacting first responder staffing). This reduction in staffing will lead to a reduction in services: reduced hours in public facilities, delayed repairs, and less maintenance of our roads, sideways, buildings, and public spaces.
Voting "No" is not prudent financial management
Ultimately, in addition to significant cuts and delaying or forgoing critical improvements, a no vote will ultimately cost the town - and all its taxpayers - more down the road and put the town on shaky financial footing moving forward.
