School Committee approves pair of budgets for FinCom review

Marblehead’s Abbot Hall. Photo by Spenser Hasak

The School Committee convened briefly Monday night to approve both a reduced services budget and a level services budget, contingent on the passage of a proposition 2 1/2 override, sending both documents to the Finance Committee for review later Monday.

The reduced services budget gives the school department $44.8 million for fiscal year 2024, while the level services budget allocates $45.9 million. The key difference between the two documents lies in whether or not the district has to make any cuts to staff — should the override not pass and the district receive only the reduced services budget, 33 jobs would be eliminated.

The level services budget, on the other hand, represents the costs should the district not reduce staff and simply roll over to the next year with all its current services in place. That budget is contingent on approval of the override from Town Meeting and at the town’s annual election in June.

School Committee members unanimously approved both documents before adjourning.

The Finance Committee is set to review both budgets Monday evening, and School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said she intended to ask the FinCom for support on both documents.