HanoverVotes highlights how town budgets reflect—or sometimes fail to reflect—the true priorities of our community.
Police and Fire
As I’ve followed Hanover’s FY26 budget process, another issue continues to stand out, and it speaks directly to the override debate.
The Town Manager’s original base budget proposed a $1.4 million increase for the Hanover Public Schools to maintain level services—existing staffing, class sizes, and programs. But later in the process, the school budget was increased by another $500,000, bringing the total base budget increase to $1.9 million. That extra half-million will fund six new school positions.
Meanwhile:
- The Police requested $137,068
- The Fire requested $221,893
- Total need = $358,961
These public safety requests were excluded from the base budget and placed in the override budget. That means the town’s budget plan prioritizes six new positions in the school budget over public safety funding for Police and Fire, unless voters approve an override.
If public safety were truly a priority, it’s made out to be, the Town Leaders could have reallocated $358,961 of the $500,000 to Police and Fire’s base budget and $141,039 to the school's base budget.
This isn’t about choosing between education and safety—it’s about how the town sets priorities. The decision to use it for education instead of public safety was a choice, not a necessity. Maybe the Base Budget for Police and Fire is okay, and placing the increase in the Override Budget could get more votes??
Many of us are watching these decisions closely, not because we’re opposed to education and public safety services, but because we believe the town should live within its means and protect core services without asking residents for more than they can afford.
Thank you for staying informed,
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School Committee's request
HanoverVotes was at a crossroads regarding whether to support the override. After attending meetings and reviewing Board recordings, the decision became clear: we cannot support this override.
In past years, during financial challenges, Hanover’s boards worked together in good faith to do what was right for seniors, families, and all departments. Sadly, that spirit of collaboration has eroded. Today, it feels more like “What I want” than “What we need.”
The shift began during the COVID years. Police were present at School Committee meetings, and a parent was escorted out. Residents without children weren’t allowed to request changes to school policies, and even parents with children were sometimes ignored or excluded. These weren’t isolated incidents.
At the 2024 May Town Meeting, when a senior spoke against the override, they were heckled, told to “sit down” and “move out of Hanover.” That moment speaks volumes.
Last year’s override was too large, and voters said NO. This year, the Town Manager, Select Board, and Advisory Committee have tried to scale things back, and we appreciate that. But despite those efforts, the School Committee continues to push for full restoration of $4.3 million for the schools.
The School Committee wasn’t happy with a $3.5 million school budget. Now, it’s another $800,000 to reverse FY24 layoffs. The goalposts keep moving—and they won’t stop until every dollar from FY24 is restored… and more.
Meanwhile, a department was removed from the equation. In September 2024, the Town Manager pulled the Transfer Station from the town budget. If this override fails, we’re hearing that the John Curtis Library and the Council on Aging could be next.
When will it stop?
This isn’t just about schools or seniors, it’s about priorities. It’s about a process that has lost its balance and become deeply political.
HanoverVotes believes the town needs to be creative. We’ll share more ideas in future messages, but the solution can’t always be “just raise taxes.” We need leadership that looks for real efficiencies and innovative solutions, not another override every time we hit a challenge.
If you haven’t watched the January 13, 2025, joint Select Board and School Committee meeting, this is why HanoverVotes cannot support the override.
What You’ll Hear from the School Committee:
- “$3.5 million is the bare minimum.”
- “We’ll claw back until we get full restoration of $4.3M.”
- “Is there room in other departments to help close the gap, so schools don’t face all these layoffs?”
You can hear it for yourself:. Click on the link.
Key Moments from the Meeting
Time Summary
1:40:00 SB Chair aiming to find an override number the town can support.
1:42:19 SC member questions if $3.5M is enough—$4.3M remains the goal.
1:43:10 SC member states this override does not restore FY24 services.
1:48:30 SC Chair the $3.5M is the bare minimum. We will claw back and advocate endlessly until they get the full restore $4.3M as a minimum.
1:58:40 SC member references the $800,000 gap and proposes residents pay another $140/year.
2:03:37 SC member, would there be any inclination from the SB a willingness to look at reallocating what the schools receive from the Override to restore their positions. Is there room from other departments' budgets in closing the gap, so the schools don’t have all these layoffs, so it is not so imbalanced against the impact of schools
Thank you for staying engaged and informed.
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