Letter: Norwell Override Committee Shares 10 Reasons to Vote Yes

Dear Norwell Voters,

My name is Lorenda “Ren” Layne, currently serving as chair of the SOS Norwell 2025 Override Committee, and a candidate for Select Board, and this letter is intended to clarify and consolidate the information shared by the committee, and help voters understand what’s at stake if the override does not pass – both within the focal area of the schools and also in the broader operations of our town. The decisions we make on May 5 and May 17 will affect every one of us – young families, senior citizens and in between. 

In my fourth year as a leader in Norwell Public Schools’ PTO, and as a mother to kids in elementary, middle, and high school, I have seen up close the dedication, and consideration that goes into teaching our children. At the same time, as an avid outdoorsperson, dog mom, reader, and athlete, I have deep appreciation for our Public Works, Public Safety, Library, and even our Council on Aging. Taken together, Norwell has all of the elements needed to support a healthy intergenerational community, and it’s something we hope as a committee to support through these state-level changes that have placed tough demands on all of the communities across the South Shore. To this end, in collaboration with several other committees and boards across Norwell, we have developed ten (10) reasons why we need to pass the 2025 Prop 2.5 Override.

The first question to answer, before I get to our ten reasons, is “What exactly is a Prop 2.5 Override?” Because we have not had one in our town in over a decade, an entire generation of new Norwellian voters has entered the room. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts allows towns to propose and enact budgets that increase by 2.5% or less each year at their annual budget reviews. When a town needs to increase its budget, be it 2.75% or 10% from one year to the next due to expected or unexpected costs, the town must propose an Override budget, which allows them to override that 2.5% increase cap. Some overrides are permanent, as this proposal is, and some are time limited and usually in response to a certain specific need. It’s important to note that in the town of Norwell, the school district makes up 50% of the town budget directly, however the remaining areas of funding such as the Highway, Trees, and Ground department or library also give back a significant proportion of their town-based funding to our schools through services rendered. Other aspects of that remaining 50% also directly improve the quality of life for every member of the Norwell community. Our Council on Aging directly provided over 8,000 services to clients last year and remains an important community partner with our schools by offering intergenerational volunteer opportunities that strengthen our community, while allowing senior citizens to claim discounts on their property taxes through volunteering. With this background established, I will move on to our reasons.

1. Strong Fiscal Stewardship

Norwell has not requested an override since 2012, when we last successfully passed an override.   Since then, budget shortfalls have largely been covered through article spending, careful trimming, and thoughtful planning. Our town maintains a AAA bond rating, the highest rating for financial solvency, which indicates exceptional fiscal responsibility and sound financial management.  

2.  Strong School Performance vs. Low Per-Pupil Spending

Norwell spends less per pupil than its peer towns while maintaining small class sizes, which enhance the learning environment, improve student engagement, allow for a wider range of AP and other specialized subject matter (Norwell is currently one of only two public high schools in the state that offers Arabic 1 and 2, and one of very few that offer the full range of Latin language instruction), and the success of our graduates has allowed our subsequent graduating classes to be sought after due to their high level of college readiness. Currently our high school is ranked #21 in the state and offers several innovative opportunities for students that set them apart from their peers based on their interaction with Norwell High School alone. One such opportunity that will terminate if the override does not pass is the Bridge Room; a resource for students returning after an extended absence to make up missed work at the learner’s pace.  Most students pass through the Bridge Room at one point or another, either due to illness, surgical recovery, or other disruptions, and almost all report a positive experience, as the rigors of high school classwork makes it hard to get caught up. Our graduates attend competitive programs and universities at rates that are comparable to several local private schools, however, this is not sustainable under the existing budget model and requires the passing of this override to continue.

3.  Override Reduction vs. Initial Proposal Demonstrates Cost Discipline

The original draft override proposal from January 2025 included a $5M increase. After careful scrutiny, interdepartmental collaboration, and thoughtful cuts, the total override amount was reduced to $3.7M dollars. This administration is determined to minimize the negative impacts on taxpayers, while continuing to provide excellent service to the community.

4. Actual Cost Drivers are Unavoidable and NOT Due to Mismanagement

Health insurance premiums increased by 13% to $8M, something many of us have experienced in our own healthcare plans. Pension obligations have risen to $4.8M due to state mandates mostly driven by longer life expectancies. Inflation has also significantly increased the cost of all goods and services, particularly transportation/fuel and heating fees. The town has already taken steps to dramatically reduce electrical costs and will continue to explore methods to mitigate these other expenses, but as of FY 2026, these increases are not able to be avoided.

5.  Rising Emergency Calls Require Staffing Support

Annual emergency calls rose from an average of 315 (2017-2021) to 921 (2022-2024), which is a nearly 300% increase.  Fire staff has only increased by 18% (4 FTEs) in that same time period. With future senior housing developments in the works such as the Brightview plan, EMS and Fire demands will rise further. As a town that is actively seeking ways to allow our older community members to stay in their homes and in the town, providing excellent first responder care is a top priority. If this override does not pass, immediate cuts will be made to fire staff and overtime, resulting in crippling reductions to service capacity.

6.  Staffing Growth is Aligned With Population Growth

Town Staffing has grown by 16.8%, while registered voters have increased by 16.93%, showing that overall growth has been kept in line with needs. At the School District office level, we continue to operate with an extremely lean team, with only about half of the total number of administrators of comparably-sized districts 

7.  Potential School Cuts are Real and Significant

Our team has heard from residents, “Norwell won’t let us lose teachers and librarians,” and our committee means to communicate to our town that this only happens by passing this override. Norwell faces the loss of 24 FTEs without the override, and nearby towns are seeing the consequences of their failed overrides. Duxbury’s override was not widely communicated, and after a narrow-margin loss is now losing 24 school FTE’s. Hanover, which has not passed their override, now sits at the bottom 15% of school districts for student-to-faculty ratios and saw another unprecedented exodus in recent weeks. Braintree cut 33 teachers after their override failed in FY24 that have not yet been recovered. Franklin Public Schools cut 40 teachers in their FY25 budget. This is not a problem that is limited to Norwell, and with all of the examples around us, we hope to be able to learn, continue to exhibit fiscal responsibility, and move forward.

8.  Police Coverage At Risk

The Norwell Police Station may go dark after 4pm and on weekends, leaving neighbors in situations of domestic violence, or with other acute concerns without walk-in help. Police report processing would take longer. Proposed cuts include the elimination of 3 officers, the School Resource Officer, and both crossing guards at our elementary schools.  

9.  Cost Burden Shifts to Parents

Increases in bus fees and many school supply costs will pass through to families. Cuts to the Highway Department will reduce snow plowing which may result in unsafe roads for high school drivers and increased school closures, forcing parents to find emergency childcare.  

10.  Library Services in Jeopardy

The Norwell Public Library has been heralded as a crowning jewel on our community, offering services to every age and stage of our community. The library has issued 5,700 cards, welcomed 92,000 walk-ins, and hosted 570 programs with 11,000 attendees.   

The library must receive 16% of its budget from the town to remain certified for MA state aid to public libraries. Cuts to the town budget as pertains to the library would push the library below this threshold, resulting in the potential loss of that certification, as well as a loss of state funding and grant opportunities. A failed override would immediately result in a reduction in materials, programming, and a total loss of Sunday operating hours.

If de-certified, Norwell residents would lose access to the Old Colony Library Network, which currently allows Norwell Public Library cardholders to reserve books from other member libraries in the area, including Scituate and Cohasset libraries. Schools would also lose access to valuable databases that are provided as part of this certification. Our neighbors in Hanover will be voting on another attempted override, and this time if it does not pass, they are considering closing their library entirely.

So What Do We Do Now?

This override is an investment in the people, services, and values that define Norwell, and the consequences of missing this opportunity will be felt deeply for a long time to come, as it will cost more to rebuild much of this infrastructure should it have to be demolished.  An easy-to-use calculator tool shows the increase in taxes to each address, amounting to roughly $900 annually per $1M of home value.   Broken down to a monthly and per household member cost, it’s pretty easy to think of expenses we are already choosing that improve our quality of life, whether it’s family meals out, landscaping or house cleaning, amusement park trips, or something else meaningful.   At the same time, according to realtor.com, Hanover has seen a drop in housing values of 10+% YOY while we in Norwell continue to see an increase in our home investments nearing 4% YOY.  Relatively speaking, this investment, much like the monies invested in maintenance and repair, will return itself in home values in a relatively short period of time, while failing to pass this override will likely have an immediate negative impact.

To help us pass this override there are three things you can do:

• Talk with your neighbors and consider displaying a Vote Yes yard sign to show your support. 

• Attend and vote at Town Meeting at Norwell Middle School on Monday, May 5. You cannot vote absentee for this one.   

• Vote on Election Day, Saturday May 17 at Norwell Middle School or by absentee ballot which can be picked up at the Town Clerk’s office during regular business hours and returned by mail or to the gray box on the drop off loop.  

On behalf of the Norwell SOS 2025 Committee, we thank our fellow citizens for your curiosity to learn more, and your support in helping Norwell maintain its excellent reputation, and the services that make it a safe and pleasant place to live.  

Sincerely,

Lorenda “Ren” Layne

Chair, Norwell SOS 2025 Committee