GEORGETOWN – Residents are expected to go to the Penn Brook School on Monday, May 12, 2025, to vote for or against a proposed $6+ million Proposition 2/12 override. [Update: The override passed at town meeting, as it has in the past. 422 residents voted in favor, 64 opposed.]
Such an override will be added to the base levy of property taxes in town, and this added sum will continue to increase by 2.5% each year (in addition to all current property and Community Preservation taxes). The town has estimated that an average house will see an approximately $1,980 increase in taxes the first year, and that number will increase each subsequent year.
The FY25 budgeted salary for the superintendent of schools was $201,190. In the FY26 budget, the superintendent’s salary will increase to $206,015.
Line item #33 of the “Recommended FY26 Superintendent of Schools Budget” would increase the “Building Administration, Penn Brook” from FY25 $364,331 to $373,781 with passage of the override. In contrast, in FY24 $286,248 was expended and in FY23, $229,159 was expended on this line item.
Line item # 52 will increase guidance staff expenditures from $159,757 to $164,040. Line item #53 increases “School Nurse, Penn Brook” from $166,305 to $193,444.
In FY22, FY23, and FY24, $0 was spent on Building Administration at the Georgetown Middle School (the middle school and high school share the building). FY25 budgeted $100,640, and the override will provide $178,765 and an additional $65,116 for a “Bldg Administration Support Staff” position.
On page 20 of the school budget summary, the school budget will increase from $17,491,220 to $20,701,237 (roughly a 15.5% increase).
Meanwhile, in further budget details posted by the town on the site it contracted a public relations firm to host – an effort to educate the public, the selectmen’s detailed expense note an increase of $2,400 for electricity, $6,060 increase for natural gas, “Holiday Lights” moving from $0.00 to $5,000, and the town administrator’s salary from $148,920 to $165,000 (a $16,080 raise) [UPDATE: The line item called “TOWN ADMINISTRATOR SALARY” apparently contains a hidden slush fund of more than $10,000 to be used to hire consultants or others. We are unsure how many other budget line items in the town’s official website and published budget contain similar hidden slush funds to pay for items that do NOT match the title of the line item.]
On page five of the non-school budget, the override will provide the police department with a 23% increase in funding ($461,414 increase), and the fire department will see a jump from $706,919 to $1,004,629 (a 42% increase).
Meanwhile, the Council on Aging will see an approximate $13,199 increase with passage of the override.
According to certain town officials (“off-the-record”), a significant portion of the $6+ million override will go into the general fund and find its way to “Free Cash” (“essentially extra tax money beyond what we budgeted which can be spent as desired over time. The town has an estimated $1 million currently in free cash which can also be expended as desired.”)
After press time, residents are expected to get answers to certain extreme rumors and statements about no police, fire, nor senior services should the override fail to pass.
[UPDATE: The override passed at town meeting. Nasty folks on Facebook continue to bully others to raise taxes $2K/household. Talk of why there is now a principle and two assistant principles at the elementary school, and a principle assistant principle at the high school, as well as a principle and assistant principle for the middle school – all in the same building – total of 7 principles/assistant principles in a small town school system, with support staff and secretaries, have been pointed out in social media, amongst other items of contention.] ♦
