Beverly for Responsible School Funding

06/06/2026

06/02/2026

This past month, the Beverly School Committee approved a Critical Needs Budget intended to stabilize our schools. It was not a perfect budget, and it did not come close to solving the deep, multifaceted deficits facing Beverly Public Schools. But it would have helped stem the bleeding. More importantly, it sent a clear message that public education matters.

In one move, Mayor Cahill erased that progress.

In his overall city budget proposal, Mayor Cahill reduced the School Committee’s approved budget by $2.25 million. That leaves Beverly Public Schools approximately $1.3 million below a basic level-services budget; the amount needed simply to maintain current staffing, programs, and services, not improve them. In practical terms, that means real cuts.

And that figure does not fully capture the impact. The proposal also appears to rely on additional “enrollment-based” reductions, even though Beverly’s enrollment has not meaningfully declined. When those reductions are included, the total impact rises to roughly $2 million below level services. This is not a budget that maintains the schools. It is a budget that pushes them backward.

During his campaign for mayor, Mayor Cahill pledged to work toward bringing Beverly Public Schools to the state average in per-pupil spending by the end of his four-year term. Today, Beverly ranks around 311th in the state and spends roughly $3,800 less per student than the state average. That gap represents approximately $18 million in underinvestment compared with the state average.

This proposed budget moves us in the opposite direction.

It is a major blow to the Mayor’s stated goal, and it reinforces what many residents feared at the time: that the promise to address school funding was more of a campaign talking point than a governing priority.

After twelve budget cycles, it is hard to be surprised. But it is still deeply disappointing.

Once again, Beverly is being asked to accept cuts and scarcity in our schools while other city priorities continue to move forward. The new $28 million City Hall project is still advancing. The $8 million Family Dollar purchase remains part of the city’s financial picture. And residents are being asked to pay significantly higher trash fees for reduced service.

The issue is not just one budget decision. It is years of poor long-term financial planning, inadequate capital planning, and a continued failure to honestly confront what it costs to support both our city and our schools.

Beverly’s students, families, and educators deserve better.

Public education cannot be treated as the place where the city balances its budget after every other priority has been protected. This budget is not just disappointing; it is a clear statement of priorities. And once again, Beverly’s schools are being asked to absorb the consequences.

05/22/2026

The full proposed trash fee increase should be approved.

That may not be a popular position, and the frustration many residents feel is understandable. The proposed increase felt sudden, and families are already dealing with rising costs across the board.

But the connection between the trash fee and school funding is real.

Beverly’s schools have been underfunded for too long. Students, families, and educators are feeling the consequences through larger class sizes, strained student supports, increased staff pressure, and growing gaps between what the schools need and what the city has been willing or able to fund.

At Wednesday night’s meeting, the School Committee approved an amended critical-needs budget that begins to move Beverly in the right direction. It does not solve every problem. It does not fully address years of underinvestment. But it is a meaningful and responsible step toward better aligning the school budget with student needs.

That progress is now at risk.

Without additional revenue, the School Committee’s approved budget could be reduced back to the Mayor’s original school budget allocation. Even with the full trash fee increase, the school budget may still face reductions. That makes it even more important that the City Council not weaken or reduce this revenue proposal further.

The trash fee itself is not way out of step with what many communities already charge. The problem is that Beverly did not increase it incrementally over time or communicate the need clearly enough in advance. That made the proposal feel abrupt. Process and communication matter, and residents deserved better.

But frustration with the rollout should not lead to rejecting the revenue needed to support essential services.

Strong schools, safe neighborhoods, reliable infrastructure, and basic city services all require honest conversations about revenue. Beverly cannot continue asking its schools and city departments to do more with less while refusing the revenue needed to sustain them.

Responsible school funding requires responsible city funding.

For that reason, the City Council should approve the full proposed trash fee increase.

Please reach out to our city councilors and ask them to support the trash fee increase. This matters for Beverly’s overall budget - and for our schools.

05/12/2026

Please consider attending the Beverly School Committee FY27 Budget Hearing on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:00pm in the Beverly High School Auditorium to make public comment on the budget proposal.

This is an important moment for our schools, our students, and our community. Your voice counts, and it really matters.

If you cannot attend in person, please consider emailing your public comment to the School Committee:

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