Facing a Defecit
What an Override Failure Would Mean for Marblehead
If the override fails, Marblehead will have to reduce spending by about $5.5 million compared to what’s needed to keep services at today’s levels. These cuts would affect departments across town and significantly impact the services, staffing, and programs our community depends on.
Passing a general override is the path to avoiding these costly cuts.
35+
Positions eliminated
~$2.5M
Personnel reductions
~$1.5M
Non-personnel reductions
$1.5M
Pending school reductions
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Education
5+ classroom teachers reduced at MHS, elementary, and Veterans programs
ELL support scaled back at Village and Glover schools
Special ed teacher, ABA coordinator, and speech-language pathologist reduced
Instructional assistant and math intervention positions eliminated
$1.5M in additional cost reductions are still to be determined; will likely impact X, Y, Z
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Public safety & infrastructure
One police officer position eliminated
DPW labor reduced, impacting general services and snow removal
Cemetery and Rec & Park staffing cut — snow removal and 187 public trash barrels affected
Public buildings custodial staff reduced by 2
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Library & community programs
Library reduced to 3 days/week, requiring 8.5 FTE reductions
All library materials funding eliminated — triggering loss of state aid
COA nutrition coordinator cut, ending weekly community meals and pop-up lunches
-
Town administration
Community Dev. & Planning reduced to bare minimum — department head, sustainability, and grant roles eliminated
Town Clerk reduced to 2 staff; Finance clerk eliminated
School operations and HR positions cut
-
Financial reserves & operating budgets
Stabilization Fund and OPEB (retiree benefits) annual transfers both cut to $0
Several school administrative salaries shifted to revolving accounts — a short-term measure, not a structural fix
Reductions in utilities, supplies, FinCom reserve, and miscellaneous operating expenses