Medfield School Committee Votes to Sponsor $221,000 Literacy Warrant Article

NORTH ANDOVER -- March 26, 2026, Medfield School Committee endorses literacy warrant article and hears override budget details amid public accountability demands. The committee voted unanimously Thursday to sponsor a $221,000 K-5 literacy curriculum article for town meeting, funded through free cash, while Warrant Committee members Steve and Ed presented a compromise budget scenario fixing school department growth at 3.6433 percent for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, a figure Superintendent Dr. Michael Marsden said would require eliminating five teaching positions, one and a half administrative assistants, and roughly $108,000 in non-payroll cuts even if a proposed override passes. The override, expected to appear on a ballot around June 8, would carry an annual household tax impact of approximately $878. The committee also heard a bus fee proposal that could generate between $80,000 and $110,000 net annually at $1 per student per day. Five residents used public comment to demand a formal apology from Vice Chair Diana Fraschella, who they say made a defamatory accusation against community volunteer Dick Judge at the March 5 meeting; no committee member responded.