
Change was the theme of the April 6 town election. But change to what? With the failure of Question 1, Belmont has few good options.
Our final response is from School Committee Candidate Tara Donner. Tara is a resident of Belmont, the mother of two and a sitting School Committee member who is seeking her second, full term on the Committee. Her unique experience includes 18 years of middle school teaching and 14 years serving as a Town Meeting Member.
With per pupil spending in Belmont already about $3,000 per student/per year below the State average per district ($12,700 in Belmont vs. $15,900 avg.), our public schools entered the pandemic stretched to the breaking point. Now we risk plunging into a full-blown fiscal crisis with layoffs of instructional staff, increased class sizes and cuts to supplies.
We can’t keep packing students into ever more crowded classrooms, and we can’t keep telling the kids tripping over potholes on the Burbank playground that their safety doesn’t matter. Let’s solve both of these problems with one vote.