Dear School Committee members,
Looking toward the next fiscal year, the Wareham Education Association urges the Wareham School Committee to center student learning in its budget. Discussions thus far preview a program of budget cuts and new spending that will have an unnecessarily negative impact on students’ experience at all three schools.
In the most prominent example, the School Committee is looking to spend $200,000 to reverse a recent decision. Under the previous superintendent, the School Committee agreed to close its facility to students adjoining the Wareham MIddle School parking lot, often known as the Co-op. It was deemed a poor use of resources to keep this building open. This year, while facing a deficit approaching a million dollars, the School Committee is looking to spend $200,000 to reopen that facility for students. This new spending is meant to fulfill one of the superintendent’s evaluation goals. Previous discussions from the School Committee have avoided mention of how many students would be enrolled in any programs taking place at the building, but an examination of school programs indicates the total numbers would be smaller than a typical kindergarten class at Wareham Elementary School. The Association further believes that the impact of this move is severely underestimated by the School Committee. Preliminary plans do not consider the custodial, grounds, and technical support this move would require. Nor does discussion give necessary recognition that this reversal will leave hundreds of students at the Wareham Middle School without a nurse for significant periods of time due to coverage needs at the new building. Given these impacts on learning, the WEA disagrees with the idea of spending $200,000 in the midst of a fiscal crisis so that the School Committee can take back a recent decision.
The Association further urges the Wareham School Committee to pursue a fair and transparent budget from the Town of Wareham. Over the past few years, Wareham has underestimated its local tax revenue, as detailed in the table below:
| Budget Year | Local Tax Underestimation in budget |
| 2020 | $2,014,353 |
| 2021 | 3,797,291 |
| 2022 | 2,257,364 |
| 2023 | 3,726,708 |
| 2024 | 4,435,662 |
Last year, Wareham’s budget was written on the presumption that excise tax revenue would decline from the previous year, something that has not happened in recent town history. A consistent underestimation of reasonably expected revenue allows taxpayers’ money to be distributed according to the wishes of a small number of people without necessary budgetary oversight. Creating it by “expecting” historically unprecedented conditions is concerning.
The Wareham Education Association believes this revenue should be built into a budget set at town meeting. Fair and realistic estimates of tax revenue are part of democratic governance and thoughtful budgeting. This approach toward budgeting affects an amount of town revenue that exceeds the cuts the schools are being told to make. No cuts would be necessary in a budget that employs realistic budgeting. The Wareham Education Association hopes the Wareham School Committee would advocate for such an approach.
Respectfully,
Wareham Education Association