A ballot date has been set for Winthrop citizens to vote again on the override.  On Saturday, April 5, a ballot with the override question will be open for voting to the public.  If you cannot vote in person, you can visit the Election Information page on the Winthrop town website (linked via italicized words).

Not only was the official voting date set, but so was the format of the question.  Here is the current version of the question regarding the 2.5% override that will appear on the ballot on April 5 (taken from the Yes for Winthrop’s Kids feed):

Question 1: Shall the Town of Winthrop be allowed to assess an additional $3,500,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the funding of FY26 Winthrop Public School’s Operational Budget ($3,500,000) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025?

Question 2: Shall the Town of Winthrop be allowed to assess $1,450,000 in real estate taxes and personal property taxes for the funding of a School Stabilization Fund ($1,450,000) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025?

Winthrop voters will also be asked to vote yes on the firehouse debt exclusion which will approve the building of a new firehouse at the old middle school site. The ballot questions and language are forthcoming.

The ballot question regarding the override was originally in the format of a pyramid question (a major question broken down into smaller questions with options).  When asked about the change, Ms. Howard said that the committee “felt like it… could confuse people.”  She stated that if it was confusing for people to read an answer, the ask for the override might’ve been canceled out.  The committee wanted to change the question to “two separate questions that people could easily answer.”  When asked about the overall process of brainstorming ideas for a new question and a new approach to proposing the override to the public again, Mr. Letterie believes that “the school committee [has been] diligent and [has listened] to the community… They’re trying to be very cognizant of the public and trying to understand and trying to find a balance so that we can still maintain proper education.”  He says that if this is maintained, this can prevent the committee and Winthrop’s education system from stepping back.  Mr. Letterie thinks that the committee has made “tremendous progress” and that they’ve been “thoughtful and understanding” towards a new solution.

To learn more about the override in the months leading up to the election, don’t hesitate to read other articles I’ve published, as well as the Winthrop Transcript, and feel free to attend the Public Discussion meetings the School Committee hosts every other Monday at 6:00 PM at the Harvey Hearing Room at 1 Metcalf Square.  For a full list of their meetings, use this link: Winthrop School Committee Meetings.