Maynard Select Board Places $612,000 School Override on May 27 Ballot

MAYNARD — April 15, 2025 — Maynard Select Board unanimously placed a $612,000 school operating override on a May 27 special town election ballot, pairing it with a $200,000 override for senior center operations for a combined $812,000 ballot ask. The board arrived at the $612,000 figure by directing $263,000 in projected health insurance premium savings — generated by a plan design change in response to a proposed 9.92 percent rate increase — toward the school budget, dropping the school committee's original $650,000 request and eliminating a proposed second-year override of $225,000 for FY27. School Committee Chair Natasha Rivier told the board the district faces roughly three to four unfilled positions even at the $612,000 level, and warned the board not to go below that floor because of obligations under a paraprofessional union contract. The board also voted 4-0 to approve a 9 percent water and sewer rate increase effective July 1, with member David Gavin recusing himself because he lives in the area affected by historically discolored water, and approved a $495,000 engineering contract with Stantec Consulting Services Inc. for full design of the Powder Mill Road sewer pump station, funded entirely by a state MassWorks grant.