Rockland Approves $192,621 Increase for School Budget
Special town meeting votes to increase FY25 school funding with additional state aid
ROCKLAND, MA - November 20 - Rockland residents voted to increase the fiscal year 2025 Rockland Public School budget by $192,621 at a special town meeting Wednesday night. The additional funding, sourced from unallocated state aid, aims to stabilize the school department's budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The increase brings the total FY25 school budget to $30,923,983.07, up from the original $30,731,362.07 approved in May. Town Moderator Kevin Henderson explained that the "additional funding was not included in initial revenue estimates but is needed to help to stabilize the FY25 School Department Budget."
The school budget increase was one of 11 articles presented at the special town meeting, held at Rockland High School.
In addition to the school budget increase, voters approved several other financial measures. The town agreed to correct a typographic error in the Assistant Town Administrator's salary, increasing it by $2,371.25 to $112,749.91 for FY25.
Three articles related to the Community Preservation Fund were passed, allocating funds for various historical preservation projects. These include $10,728 for the preservation and digitization of GAR Hall historic documents, $17,600 for Phase III improvements at the historic Tramp House on Spring Street, and $60,000 for restoring historic headstones at the Old Town Cemetery.
The meeting also approved $75,000 from the Community Preservation Fund to supplement prior funding for an ADA-compliant park area on the Rockland Rail Trail near Union Square. The Highway Superintendent requested these additional funds to properly complete the ongoing project.
Voters unanimously approved a $100,000 allocation from the Water Capital Stabilization Fund for generator repairs at the Abington and Rockland Joint Water Works. Henderson read the urgency of this measure, stating it "needs to be done as soon as possible to ensure the continued operations of the Joint Water Works during power outages."
The Sewer Department received approval to increase its revolving fund spending limits for FY25. The new limits allow for $500,000 each for sewer remediation and sewer I&I (inflow and infiltration) projects.
In an impactful regional decision, Rockland voters approved amendments to the South Shore Regional Vocational School District agreement. The changes will affect how each town's share of debt is calculated, allowing for adjustments based on student enrollment over time.
"The current formula fixes a town's debt share for the life of the borrowing," Henderson read. "With approval of this amendment, a town's debt share will adjust based on a four-year rolling average of student enrollment." Rockland currently makes up one of the largest enrollments to the district, and absent this change would have been locked into a high share of capital debt related to a proposed building project.
*editors note: Rockland is the third community to pass this amendment after Hanson and Scituate. Six of the nine member towns need to pass it for it to take effect.
The town also voted to allocate $1,000 from the Opioid Special Purpose Stabilization Fund to pay for the Rockland Police Department's participation in the Plymouth County Outreach program.
The final article of the night amended a previous decision from the May 6, 2024, Annual Town Meeting. The amendment allows $500,000 previously earmarked for leasing private commercial space to be used instead to relocate the Recreation Department's Community Center and School Department Daycare Program to the R. Stewart Esten School on Summer Street.
As the meeting concluded, Henderson expressed gratitude to the attendees. "We couldn't have done it without you," he said. "We have a lot of registered voters and you 150, maybe 152, 153 came out and helped the town and helped get town business done. Thank you, I appreciate it."
The special town meeting adjourned with Henderson wishing everyone a "wonderful Thanksgiving."