BELCHERTOWN — After a month of parent protest and debate among town leaders, the Select Board narrowly approved putting a Proposition 2½ general override question on the ballot to fund level-services budgets for both the schools and the town.

The exact dollar amount for the override will be determined at the board’s next meeting, but initial estimates peg the number at about $2.4 million.

A majority of the override, if approved, would go toward the schools, which are $2.1 million short of funding a level-services budget for fiscal year 2026. Without the additional funding, the district has said it would need to eliminate 23 positions, as well as reduce extracurricular offerings and close Cold Spring School.

The town, meanwhile, is expected to ask for an estimated $320,000 for town departments to fund various positions or services that may need to be trimmed without the extra money.

In a 3-2 vote, the majority of the board voiced their support to “let the voters decide,” while the dissenting board members questioned why the School Committee hasn’t been more proactive and prepared to mitigate the impact of the looming deficit.

Voting in favor of putting the override before voters were members Lesa Pearson, Whitney Jorns-Kuhnlenz and Jennifer Turner, while Chair Edward Boscher and Nicole Miner voted against the measure.

Those in opposition reminded fellow board members that voters turned down a previous Proposition 2½ debt exclusion override for the proposed Jabish Brook Middle School Building Project last summer.

“To come to us and say, ‘We need $36 million, we want an override, and we’ve done nothing to proactively remedy the need’ is unfair to residents,” Miner said. “Or to say, ‘Give us the override, and then we’ll work out the remedies after,’ show us a lack of leadership and foresight.”

In voting for the measure, Turner said, “I’m all for letting the voters decide. So if there’s a plan to be put in place that combines the numbers presented then I vote to put in on the ballot.”

The School Committee and Town Manager Steve Williams will finalize the override requests by the next meeting on April 7, and the Select Board will vote on a number to go along with the ballot vote. The question would then go before voters at the town election scheduled for May 19.

While she voted in favor on Monday, Pearson issued this warning: “If taxpayers are asked to contribute more, the funds should support public safety, roads, municipal buildings and townwide improvement, not just schools ... any override should come with clear accountability measures, spending plans and financial oversight to prevent recurring deficits.”

School support

Half an hour before the 6:30 p.m. meeting, dozens of parents and children in support of an override gathered outside of Town Hall to demand the town fully fund schools.

Ten students from Chestnut Hill Community School, Jabish Brook Middle School and Belchertown High School read statements about how projected cuts would motivate their families to leave the district, increase class sizes, limit one-on-one attention between teachers and students, and cut valued extracurriculars.

“Without music programs in Belchertown, my band Ultraviolet would have never became a band,” Jabish Brook student Lily Voisine said. “There have been days where some students, including myself, have not wanted to go to school because they know that day they will not be able to have (music) class. How do we expect our students to enjoy being at school and be motivated to learn when their favorite thing is taken away from them?”

During the meeting, the Finance Committee pushed back against the proposed override, asking for other solutions that the School Committee has explored over the past year, such as grade reconfigurations, building closures and operational savings.

“We’ve known this whole time since last year’s budget cycle, since the new school was voted down, we’ve known that we were going to be in a tight fiscal situation,” Finance Committee Chair Laurie Shea said. “So what steps have you all taken to try to mitigate that and to get in front of that and to reconfigure things to be able to maximize the education?”

School Committee Chair Heidi Gutekenst said those conversations are continually happening within the district. Initially, plans called for closing Cold Spring once the incoming kindergarten class was small enough to not impact class sizes, which Gutekenst said would be in two or three years. However, if the Proposition 2½ override doesn’t pass, the committee will have to close Cold Spring this year.

Gutekenst, once again, asked the town for a plan to fund the schools. Williams said the town has a long-term plan to increase revenue, but the plans cannot create $2.1 million in three months.

“There’s a master plan that’s got about 10 volumes in it,” he said. “The local rapid recovery plan has a lot of suggestions about economic development. What we don’t have is a plan to generate $2.1 million additional tax revenue in one year. That would require $144 million worth of development in the next three months. That’s not possible, so we say there’s no plan.”

Town funding

The town’s municipal departments are also facing cuts without passage of an override, which is why officials will ask for an estimated $320,000.

Williams said he managed to avoid cutting positions by proposing to lower wages for public works, fire, police, inspection and library department positions. The town may also reduce contracted services for public works, treasury, legal representation and equipment repair. Suggested cuts for budgets for lake recreation, pothole fixes, the Family Center, and fire equipment are also proposed.

While not included in general override requests, the board also discussed the Capital Improvement Planning Committee’s request for $1.13 million for various projects. Of that total, roughly $420,000 has been allocated, leaving a balance of $710,000.

Eric Weiss, chair of the Capital Improvement Planning Committee, listed 11 high-priority capital requests for fiscal year 2026 from various departments in town, with most coming from the DPW or the School Department. Capital expenses that are $150,000 or above include door locks for Chestnut Hill, Town Hall entrance repair and a wheel-loader for the DPW.

“This is the kind of stuff they have to do to maintain the town, to maintain the school, to keep things working,” Weiss said. “This is not real exciting stuff, and it’s just what needs to be done.”

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenetcom.