Bellingham is staring down a budget cliff for its public schools, and the town’s parachute is a $3 million override on the June 2 ballot. Without it, officials say staffing and programs could be cut for the school year that starts July 1, a prospect that has turned recent hearings and town meetings into pointed, often tense affairs over exactly how the district spends its operating dollars.
The override question will appear on the June 2 ballot, a fact highlighted in a WBZ-TV segment from reporter Chris Tanaka that aired on CBS News Boston. That coverage zeroed in on residents’ demands for clearer accounting at public forums, repeatedly echoing one blunt question: “Where’s the money being spent?”
Local reporting notes that the measure would allow the town to assess an additional $3,000,000 in property taxes dedicated to the Bellingham School Department’s operating budget for FY27. The Bellingham Bulletin details the ballot language and the public process that moved the override from early discussions to a formal vote.
Town budget documents and workshop slides point to expenses that have climbed faster than revenue. In the FY27 budget presentation, officials identify a $1,620,545 health insurance deficit, with about $1.13 million of that tied to the schools, along with higher transportation and special education costs and slowing new growth and state aid as major drivers. Those figures and the town’s contingency planning are laid out in the workshop materials from the Town of Bellingham.
How an override works
Under Massachusetts’ Proposition 2½, a community’s total property tax levy can generally rise only 2.5 percent each year plus new growth, unless voters say otherwise. An override is the tool that lets a town permanently raise that levy limit, but only if a majority of voters sign off. The state lays out how overrides and temporary exclusions affect tax bills in its official guidance from the Massachusetts Division of Local Services.
What voters will decide
The June 2 ballot question asks whether Bellingham will be allowed to collect an additional $3 million to fund school operations in the coming fiscal year. According to the Bellingham Bulletin, the proposal follows joint workshops of the select board, school committee and finance committee, as well as informational sessions now being run by grassroots groups and town officials in the lead-up to the May 27 town meeting.
Where the gap came from
Town leaders say the shortfall is driven by contractual obligations, spikes in employee benefits and specific program costs that have grown more quickly than revenue. The budget workshop slides model cuts across town departments and lay out contingency plans for the schools that include larger class sizes, fewer electives and staff reductions if the override fails. Those scenarios appear in the FY27 materials posted by the Town of Bellingham. Officials say they have already identified savings in police, fire, public works and administrative accounts, yet still project a remaining gap on the school side.
What’s at stake
Supporters argue that passing the override would keep teachers in classrooms, avoid midyear layoffs and maintain extracurriculars and specialized services. Critics counter that taxpayers deserve line by line clarity before agreeing to any increase in their bills. Local coverage has documented both perspectives playing out in packed in-person meetings and in online debates. Many of those concerns surfaced in reporting by CBS News Boston.
Town officials say they will continue hosting public forums and posting budget materials ahead of Annual Town Meeting on May 27 and the June 2 vote. Residents who want to dig into the details can watch the recorded budget workshops and read through the full packet that outlines the options and tradeoffs that ultimately pushed the override question onto the ballot, material that was reviewed at multiple joint meetings earlier this spring.
