$39 million project : Ballot question passes easily
Published on December 10th, 1997
STONEHAM, MA - Their voices were small in numbers, but extremely loud in their support.
Only 13 percent of the town's registered voters turned out Tuesday for the $39.5 million debt exclusion ballot question to rebuild Stoneham's elementary schools. But those who did show up definitely felt the need for updated elementary schools outweighed the increase in taxes over the next two dozen years.
In an overwhelming show of suport for the school system, 1,185 voters cast their support in favor of the debt exclusion question while just 688 voted in opposition.
"I was surprised by the low turnout," said Town Clerk Annamae Arsenault. "The parents and schools did a lot of work, but all in all it was a low profile campaign."
Beginning just before Town Meeting in October, a group of parents organized a committee, Building for the Future, and started educating parents on the need for new elementary schools in Stoneham. Although there has never been an argument about the need for new school facilities at the elementary level, the parents still had their work cut out for them based in recent experiences in Lexington, Winchester and North Reading, which all shot down similar debt exclusion votes.
"This is a strong statement about the community that we live in," said Building for the Future Chairman Jill Kennedy. "This is a great thing for the town. The town has made great strides in recent years with the Town Common proposal, the new Senior Center and now it has done the right thing by appropriating the money for the schools."
Under the school renovation plan, a new school will be constructed at the current South School location this summer and a new Central School will be built behind the current Middle Schol building in 2000. In the final phases of the eight-year plan, complete renovations will take place at Robin Hood School and Colonial Park School.
Of the $39.5 million project's price tag, 63 percent of it will be reimbursed by the state.
Tuesday's overwhelming support of the plan came as a great relief to School Supt. Dr. Ellen Bueschel, who began detailing the inadequacies of the town's elementary schools eight years ago.
"I have always said that when money is available in this town, the townspeople have shown they do care about the kids," said Bueschel. "That's what makes Stoneham such a great place to live. It was the right thing to do for the chldren and the town."
Bueschel praised the work of the Building for the Future Committee, two past Strategic Planning Committees, the Feasbility Study Committee and the Building Committee.
She said the key to the win was educating the townspeople on the need for new schools and the work by town officials to lessen the tax impact on the residents.
"They've made sure the tax impact will not be overwhelming in any given year," said Bueschel, noting the work of Finance Board member Kristen Russo, who provided the details of the tax impact at Town Meeting.
According to the Finance Board, property owners can expect to see a yearly tax increase of 30 cents for each $1,000 of property value. Therefore, an average $200,000 home in Stoneham would pay an additional $60 a year in taxes for the next 25 years.
Bueschel has always been confident the project would pass, but she was surprised by the large margin of victory.
"I always felt that if we were diligent in getting the accurate information out to the public, that it would pass, but I wasn't sure it would be by this margin," said an elated Bueschel. "I was also pleased that it passed in every precinct. That shows that the whole community was behind this. It was not a single-school issue. It was the whole elementary school system. It was a wonderful affirmation of that point."
The largest turnout came from Precinct 5 where the ballot question passed 199-180. The closest margins of victory were in Precincts 4 and 5. In the other four precincts, the question passed by a 2-1 ratio. (see accompanying chart)
Bueschel said the schools' excellent reputation helped alleviate any concerns by taxpayers that their money would not be put to good use.
"People were sure that they would get good value for the money that they spent," said Bueschel, who stoood several hours outside the polls with other school supporters on Tuesday.
Arsenault said the large margin of victory indicated a "great respect for Dr. Bueschel, who has worked long and hard to make this a reality."
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