Southampton debates three-tier override plan as residents urge single ballot to save schools and services

Southampton residents and town officials spent the March 17 Select Board meeting weighing how to present a Proposition 2½ override that could restore school and municipal services cut over the past year.

Dozens of residents at the town meeting urged a single ballot question that would fund schools, public safety, highways and senior services together. "I will vote in favor of a 2 and 1/2 override," Kim Schatt, a 27-year resident and former elementary-school teacher, told the board, saying recent cuts at Norris removed math intervention and threatened reading supports for dozens of children.

The administration and board grappled with three broad options: the department heads’ full “ask” (roughly $2.4 million), a mid-range town-administrator proposal around $1.7–1.8 million and a catastrophic “no-override” scenario that would require deep cuts. Scott (the town administrator) described the arithmetic behind each option and the trade-offs: the larger number would restore more positions and capital spending but would be harder to pass at the ballot box; the mid-range option aims to balance restorations against political feasibility.

Board members also debated whether Hampshire Regional — whose assessment the town must pay (the number cited at the meeting was $6,281,651) — should be removed from the town override and placed on a separate town-meeting article or left inside a single override package. Several board members and residents argued that leaving Hampshire Regional inside a combined override could force most local cuts onto Norris if the override failed, while others warned that splitting questions could confuse voters and reduce chances of passage.

Capital funding was another contested issue. The town administrator proposed a recurring $350,000 allocation to address equipment and facility needs (ambulance, dump truck, street sweeper, school HVAC, smaller items), and some members suggested treating capital as a separate ballot or debt-exclusion question so voters could see precisely how funds would be used.

Residents described concrete effects of prior reductions: the Southampton Teachers Association’s letter, read by Lauren Ames, listed eliminated positions and reduced services at Norris, including lost kindergarten and first-grade classes, elimination of art and math intervention and reduced nursing and therapy hours. Library co-chair Jessica McConnell urged preserving the Children’s Librarian role, noting grant revenue tied to that position.

Town administrators and the board outlined the cuts that would flow from a failed override: reduced police overtime that could produce single-officer shifts and longer response times, elimination of a filled firefighter/paramedic position, major reductions in library staffing and hours, loss of several Council on Aging part-time positions and cuts to highway personnel and maintenance. Scott summarized the municipal-side cuts under a severe scenario at roughly $1.1 million and warned additional school cuts could be required to fill remaining gaps.

The board voted to schedule a dedicated session to finalize the override approach and the three budget options; members set Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. for that meeting. The Select Board also approved administrative items during the March 17 meeting: accepting a Culture Council resignation, opening the annual town-meeting warrant for May 2 (call for articles through April 1), approving the caucus warrant for April 9 and approving minutes from Feb. 12. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

What’s next: the Select Board will meet March 26 to finalize one or more override figures, decide whether to separate Hampshire Regional or capital outlays, and shape the voter education campaign ahead of the ballot and town meeting.